Well, it had to happen really but yesterday after a long road trip I am really pleased to say I finally picked up my RX3 project car...
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/Mazda%20RX3/KRX3.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/Mazda%20RX3/KRX3.jpg.html)
Last night I literally unloaded it from the transporter and put it in the barn so haven\'t had much chance to inspect it yet! But so far, body work seems okay (when I say \'okay\', I mean bearing in mind this is an RX3, last on the road in 1990 and has been hiding out untouched in a shed since then - there\'s still definitely plenty of trademark holes and that flakey brown stuff to sort!).
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/Mazda%20RX3/KRX1.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/Mazda%20RX3/KRX1.jpg.html)
No engine or gear box but seemed to have had a 12A in at some point...
Interior... well, it\'s a bit of a shame, it looks like years ago whoever had the car has fitted an Alfasud interior for reasons best known to themselves and hacked holes into a lot of places to make room for loads of speakers :( so i\'ll need to be getting shot of all that! Glass is mostly entact although the front windscreen is cracked.
I believe the car was running about in East Ham, London, back in the day... wonder if it ever crossed my Dad\'s Mazda workshop in Essex at all back then? Would be kinda cool if it had...
Still, such an exciting project and exactly what I wanted (other than a perfect one of course, but where would the fun be in that?? :P) It\'ll be a few weeks at least before I start any work with her, but i\'m looking forward to taking her apart and seeing what i\'m faced with underneath :). I\'d planned this to be a long term project but i\'ll be sure to post here when I get underway.
I\'ll keep this album updated as I go: http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/slideshow/Mazda%20RX3
Cheers
Terri
ooh, that looks pretty. Even after its been sat. colour plans yet?
Early thoughts are for this green (which i\'m guessing is a marmite colour for people?)
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/Rotangs/1154_Mazda-RX3-Savanna.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/Rotangs/1154_Mazda-RX3-Savanna.jpg.html)
It would be a bit of homage to my Dad as this was the colour of his RX3 racer (not that is shows up very well in this pic) and also, I do really just like the colour, I think it\'s nice and different and I quite like the idea of people pulling a few faces at it if they don\'t hehe :P
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/Rotangs/61101_10151253674331047_975507741_n.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/Rotangs/61101_10151253674331047_975507741_n.jpg.html)
Personally, I hate marmite, and I\'m not a big fan of green, however, i think thats the best colour in the world, not because its a certain shade of green, its more because it has that backstory and meaning for you.
Quote from: Skifledanabit;865155Personally, I hate marmite, and I\'m not a big fan of green, however, i think thats the best colour in the world, not because its a certain shade of green, its more because it has that backstory and meaning for you.
Aww thank you! :cheers
I would start saving for a windscreen straight away. I believe Clive paid 900 euros for a spare for his rx4!!! Probably better getting a heated lexan one made. IF yours king a race car?
As for the green, its your car paint it how you want. If it was me I would give it the metallic green treatment. Same shade but with a bit of sparkle. Lol. However flat colours are nice and easy, AND CHEAP.
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;865158I would start saving for a windscreen straight away. I believe Clive paid 900 euros for a spare for his rx4!!! Probably better getting a heated lexan one made. IF yours king a race car?
As for the green, its your car paint it how you want. If it was me I would give it the metallic green treatment. Same shade but with a bit of sparkle. Lol. However flat colours are nice and easy, AND CHEAP.
Wow, yeah that\'s a big price for a piece of glass! Guess i\'m expecting such things along the way... hopefully not too many of course :) This car will be a road car.
I do like the flat colour for this one, partly because i\'m thinking metallics for the RX4, but it\'s really early days and i\'m a long way off of the paint shop time and I might change my mind by then lol :)
Wait until you start looking for interior parts. They\'re stupid prices
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;865160Wait until you start looking for interior parts. They\'re stupid prices
I see there\'s stuff on ebay for stupid money from abroad. I\'d love to put it back to original but prices are silly :(
Hi Terri,
Really really pleased to see all this happening for you :Thumbsup!
Seeing that picture I am sure I would have seen your Dad race as I remember seeing this gaggle of cars at Brands Hatch competing in "Prod Saloons"
I always remember realising that talent always shows though in a race car because the Firenza\'s were manned by one big 22 stone Gerry Marshall and Barry Wizzo Williams in the other and Barry invariably couldn\'t catch his team mate !
Anyway, window screens, yes I was asked crazy money for a bad screen but now have access to getting the Rotary range, RX-2 , 3 , 4 Plus RX-7 & 8\'s made to order so if you need one contact me as the price won\'t be as crazy as that old screen was plus you will have a range of tints available.
BTW the last time we would have met would have been when I owned these cars below at an old RX-7 Club do, around 1998/99, good to see you back :Thumbsup!
Cheers Clive, good to hear you found something cheaper in the end! I will be needing a screen for the RX3 at some point but it will be a while away I think. But I\'ll def bear that in mind, thank you.
Yes that was prod saloons back in 76, 77 I think. This was in the days of John Brindley, Wendy Markey, Gerry Marshall, Tony Lanfranchie, Ron Freeman... It seems that Dad\'s race car is still around, it was sold to Mark Hales and then turned into some sort of beast with big arches, I am wondering if it\'s the black one on Carl Hayward\'s website? Dave Nixon seems to think it probably is...
Yes, I have a few pics of your FC Clive, a couple taken at Jimmy\'s and also Billing. I used to love the wheels you had on it. I guess I fell away from the RX7 OC in about 2000 so that sounds about right. Pre or at least very early internet days more or less haha!
The RX4 will be first on the road, it should be going for an MoT in a couple of weeks or so, so will hopefully see you around sometime :)
I´m so envious... I want that car... ;)
Quote from: gixergirl777;865179Cheers Clive, good to hear you found something cheaper in the end! I will be needing a screen for the RX3 at some point but it will be a while away I think. But I\'ll def bear that in mind, thank you.
Yes that was prod saloons back in 76, 77 I think. This was in the days of John Brindley, Wendy Markey, Gerry Marshall, Tony Lanfranchie, Ron Freeman... It seems that Dad\'s race car is still around, it was sold to Mark Hales and then turned into some sort of beast with big arches, I am wondering if it\'s the black one on Carl Hayward\'s website? Dave Nixon seems to think it probably is...
Yes, I have a few pics of your FC Clive, a couple taken at Jimmy\'s and also Billing. I used to love the wheels you had on it. I guess I fell away from the RX7 OC in about 2000 so that sounds about right. Pre or at least very early internet days more or less haha!
The RX4 will be first on the road, it should be going for an MoT in a couple of weeks or so, so will hopefully see you around sometime :)
I belive the rx3 your talking Bout at CRls is that exact one. However it is now a pearl blue as me and my dad had it up here and removed all the for and damaged bits and have it a good paint job.
It looked like it had been rolled at some point as the rear roof line by the top of rear window were squashed in. Sorted that though as I spent a couple of days getting the sale back. I would have that car in a heartbeat, just needs an engine and gear box
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;865183I belive the rx3 your talking Bout at CRls is that exact one. However it is now a pearl blue as me and my dad had it up here and removed all the for and damaged bits and have it a good paint job.
It looked like it had been rolled at some point as the rear roof line by the top of rear window were squashed in. Sorted that though as I spent a couple of days getting the sale back. I would have that car in a heartbeat, just needs an engine and gear box
Grant, really so pleased to hear that it\'s still around. So, is it still at Carl\'s? Would love to see it sometime! Do you have any pictures you could send me at all? :) It\'s been a few colours in it\'s time, it was white originally, Dad sprayed it the lime green (see where i\'m going with mine, from the white to the green? :)).
Dad orignally found the car 3 cars high in a scrap yard but found very little wrong with it, repaired it and built a race car. Yes, Dad did roll it actually, throttle stuck open down the hill at Lydden, rolled 6 times. Funny how racing was back in those days, the marshals lifted my poor Mum over the armco, gave her a fire extinguisher (although I don\'t think there was any fire) and sent her off running down the track to deal with it! Crazy stuff.
The front quarter was wrecked after that crash, but Dad and Mark Hales got one from another of Dad\'s RX3, welded it back up and made it back into a race car. I\'ve got quite a few pics of this car back in it\'s first life, it\'s a big part of my rotary history. When i\'ve got round to scanning them, i\'ll put them up.
Looks like a good base to start from :)
As you say the green is marmite, but I think it will stand out and look amazing when done.
The hardest part for you i think is going to be the interior, there was just recently a full set of front and rear seats that were immaculate as well as door cards that sold on ebay for about £800, think they ended up in Aus.
I have a spare front windscreen ;)
Again the tricky bit is all the millions of little bits that make the car complete, thats what made my RX3 such a long project.
Iv only just managed to score some new old stock Super Delux badges for mine :)
BTW check the sills carefully and if suspect replace them as they are thin metal.
Unfortunately you cant buy replacement sill sections you will have to fab your own :)
Cheers Steve, thanks for the tips. There is a lot of underseal on there, i\'ll get her on the spit in time and see how solid she really is. Ooh wow a spare screen??... Your RX3 looks mint btw! :)
I\'m trying not to think about the blue RX3 we had sat in the garden for so many years and gave away (well, pretty much anyway), I heard that the shell was scrapped but the interior was all kept, kicking myself now! That one was a super deluxe too. Mine is a Deluxe, i\'m not sure what the differences were.
I\'m looking forward to working on all those little bits, I have one seat and some door cards, the upper part of the centre console but not much else but i\'m not in a hurry. i\'ve got the RX4 to be getting on with first as well :)
I\'m sure my dad has a load of photos i his computer so I will get them and send them too you. Hopefully it is the same car your dad had. Carl still has it, he has got an engine sitting in it at the moment but needs a gear box for it
Quote from: gixergirl777;865199Cheers Steve, thanks for the tips. There is a lot of underseal on there, i\'ll get her on the spit in time and see how solid she really is. Ooh wow a spare screen??... Your RX3 looks mint btw! :)
I\'m trying not to think about the blue RX3 we had sat in the garden for so many years and gave away (well, pretty much anyway), I heard that the shell was scrapped but the interior was all kept, kicking myself now! That one was a super deluxe too. Mine is a Deluxe, i\'m not sure what the differences were.
I\'m looking forward to working on all those little bits, I have one seat and some door cards, the upper part of the centre console but not much else but i\'m not in a hurry. i\'ve got the RX4 to be getting on with first as well :)
Cheers :Thumbsup!
Iv also got a lot of the centre consol as well as the arm rest and radio surround spare :)
Can\'t beat the 70\'s colours :)
Deluxe had a radio, super deluxe had a rear window de mister in addition!
Your welcome to pop over Terri and see the race car.
Regards
Carl
Super delux also had an arm rest didnt it ?
I do have 2 RX3\'s, the super delux and the delux, both have heated rear windows and the delux looks like its the original window with seal witch is confusing haha
Quote from: steve garbutt;865209Cheers :Thumbsup!
Iv also got a lot of the centre consol as well as the arm rest and radio surround spare :)
That\'s great Steve, thank you. If you don\'t mind i\'ll definitely give you a shout about that!
Quote from: gixergirl777;865230That\'s great Steve, thank you. If you don\'t mind i\'ll definitely give you a shout about that!
Yep no probs, im not in a rush to sell them.
Ill give you a shout if i do end up needing them out of the way :)
Quote from: HaywardRotary;865226Deluxe had a radio, super deluxe had a rear window de mister in addition!
Your welcome to pop over Terri and see the race car.
Regards
Carl
Wow! Rear window demister eh? New fangled tech stuff hehe
Thanks Carl, i\'d love to. I\'m moving house in about 2 weeks and after then i\'ll be quite near to your place and i\'ll give you a shout so I can pop in.
Dad\'s old racer was originally a Celebration model, i\'ve still got the centre caps from two of the wheels from it. They make nice paperweights in the office for now ;)
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/Terry%20Mayne%20Rotary%20Album/paperweight.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/Terry%20Mayne%20Rotary%20Album/paperweight.jpg.html)
Quote from: gixergirl777;865232Wow! Rear window demister eh? New fangled tech stuff hehe
Thanks Carl, i\'d love to. I\'m moving house in about 2 weeks and after then i\'ll be quite near to your place and i\'ll give you a shout so I can pop in.
Dad\'s old racer was originally a Celebration model, i\'ve still got the centre caps from two of the wheels from it. They make nice paperweights in the office for now ;)
(http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i89/terrirx7/Terry%20Mayne%20Rotary%20Album/paperweight.jpg) (http://s70.photobucket.com/user/terrirx7/media/Terry%20Mayne%20Rotary%20Album/paperweight.jpg.html)
Terri
Both specs were pre wired for the heated rear window. You\'ll find the wire in the boot under the rear shelf (spade connector I think). Mine was a Super Deluxe but no heated screen. Found the power wire and connected a stick on heated element instead (and I haven\'t seen those for many a decade either).
There was no separate switch, on/off was via the blower switch