So Im going to be in the market for a REPU soon. Ive always wanted one. If anyone can point me in the right direction for any it would be appreciated. Since there were only 15,000 made 40 years ago it will be a bit tricky. I figure its time to add some old school to my rotary resume. So far Ive owned eight. 79 GS,80 GS( now GSL-SE EFI swapped will never sell this car),86 GXL,87 Sport,88 T2,90 GXL,90 vert, 04 RX-8 GT (current daily). So I guess now Im tossing ideas around in my head for the build, but if theres anything anyone can inform me about such as parts sources, common upgrades, retrofits, and what to look for when buying thats different than RX-7s and 8s Id appreciate it.

Ideas in my head...

-Color - High gloss black with clear coat

-Wheels - 6 lug right? Is there a Panasport or BBS style mesh wheel in a 16" that will work?

-Exhaust - Custom... Depending on options concerning space and pipe routing around the fuel tank etc...
(1.Retrofit a 2nd gen Racing Beat dual exhaust (something tells me this would look sweet)
(2.1st gen long primary to a Racing Beat Universal muffler with dumpy tip

-Engine - s4 NA engine retaining EFI

-Interior - What options for seats will I have? If the factory bench is in good shape Ill keep it or at least get it and the door cards reupholstered in black leather or suede. Nardi Classic steering wheel in wood with matching shift ****. New carpet.

-Exterior - Tinted windows, bed done in bed liner, ROTARY POWER done in satin black to contrast the gloss black body. New chrome for the front grill and mirrors.

-Suspension - Will RX-7 parts fit? Racing Beat front springs? Sway bars? Difficult to find front end parts such as idler arm, tie rods, ball joints, strut inserts etc. or is it the same as SA/FB? Any brake options?

This truck will have AC too. I will retrofit one from the s4 donor car if I have to.

 

You mind if I post some info?

Engine - I feel like an S4 NA EFI setup wouldn't do these trucks justice. Sure they have good low end tip-in, which is important, but from the recent experience of doing the red car for PercentSevenC, I just can't condone doing that same project in a REPU.

Exhaust - I've built a couple of long primary exhausts for these trucks. They are the best NA exhaust you can do. The low end torque and high end power are difficult to beat. There is plenty of room for two presilencers under the cab side by side on each primary pipe, then collect to 2.5" into two RB universal mufflers; one next to the battery going up over the rearend and the other behind the shock with a 90 degree bend so the tip is aimed out under the side of the bed like stock. Don't dump under the bumper because it will get damaged.

There is lots of room for a nice fuel pump on the side, bolted to the frame rail in the stock location. Very quiet, too. Both my trucks have noisy Carters that make only a soft buzzing sound, but I'll swap in an EFI rated MSD 2225 pump when I redo the fuel system. Also gotta swap out the dinky 1/4" return line in favor of a 3/8" to satisfy Mallory's instructions to do a boost prepped Nikki in one of them. The other truck was going to get EFI on its S4 NA engine, but the guy wanting that setup moved away (Percent) so I'm probably going to go old school on it and swap in a 74 ported R5 13B using the S4 NA rotating assembly and nice 24 pound flywheel. Don't go with a stock 30 pound flywheel in these trucks because it's gross. But also don't do a light steel because it's too light. Stock pressure plate and stock duty modern Exedy disc are a very good choice. Only go street strip and an HD solid type disc if the stockers slip while doing "truck stuff". The short pedal travel and hydraulics will thank you.

I haven't done any interior work yet.

I haven't done any exterior work yet.

Suspension has been lowered 3" on the white truck and 2" on the red truck. Otherwise stock. Both idler arm bushings were replaced. Easy to do. No RX-7 parts will swap over except for the wedge type SA calipers, or at least the pads will swap over. That is all. They have dual wheel cylinders in the back.

Good luck with AC. You will need to engineer some stuff. Probably.

 

Wheel choices are slim at best. If you want to run decent wheels you will need to change the bolt pattern, adapters, re-drilling or hub conversion.

 

SF Bay Area Craigslist. Right now.

 

If you want to spend in the $5k range in running condition (need paint), i know a REPU in SOCAL. Send me pm since im hardly on the forum

 

Wow... maybe not as hard as i thought to find one. I will be selling some stock soon so that will pay for the truck. I will take all the leads i can get. It will be a couple of months before i get the money though. They only pay out certain times of the year and it takes 5 weeks to recieve the check and a week to clear! So plenty of time to shop around and learn.

It was between a REPU and a FD for my newest addition. REPU just has more charm.

 

Another good place to try is www.mazdarepu.com

 

Chevy/GMC truck/suv wheels fit just fine. There are lots of wheels that fit.

 

volk, RS watanabe, gramlights, and bbs have 6 lugs wheels available, but be prepared to pay a pretty penny. I plain on swapping mine over to a 5 lug eventually.

Brad on the repu forum builds coilovers for the front, but does them in a batch of 5. I just got in on the last set.

I haven't seen very many that have had AC.

my bench seat was trashed, so I will be going with some sort of bucket seat eventually.

 

I see a lot of Courier parts swap, including most of the interior.

 

Back in my REPU days, i replaced the bench seats with bucket seats or bench seats with a head rest (cant remember if they were toyota or nissan).

 

Sure, if you want oem wheels off another vehicle. Usually they look out of place or are heavy. My comment was directed more so for aftermarket.

 

I think he meant any wheel that fits a chevy truck will fit your repu.
Aftermarket included.

 

Chevy, Toyota, Nissan 6 lug

 

It's really easy to find wheels, but they will be truck wheels. If you want a performance car wheel that's what would be difficult to find.

Good luck on the A/C though. They come up occasionally but usually aren't in great shape. Your best bet is probably to find an aftermarket under dash unit.

 

My dad has been contemplating selling his original AC set up from his repu. I will let him know you're looking for one.

 

Just FYI to anyone looking to sell, Ill be cashing 513 shares of Publix stock on August 1. Anyone from the southeast knows what Im talking about. Hopefully the stock will be worth $45 a share then. Its worth $42.10 a share now. So thats what Ill be buying the truck with.

Im keeping options open. I want a good deal, but Im willing to spend a little more cash on a really nice one. If your willing to throw in a clean T2 with the deal I wont complain either.

 

https://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/5075288115.html

1977 mazda rotativa (rotary)

i would personally go with the 77 as it has 4" of extra room in the cab....plus its white and i'm a bit bias when it comes to white REPU's