New project: 1976 Cosmo RX-5
 

Figured I might well get a jump on things, so this is what's going down. I am picking up a 1976 Mazda Cosmo (RX-5) this weekend. It is partially disassembled, body solid and everything is there. Including a bunch of NOS extras.

Right now here is a teaser of how it sits:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...osmo%20001.jpg

And here is a pic of how I would like it to end up:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS.../s800/rx-5.jpg

I am gonna need some help :D

That will look great when shes done, are you going for the similar color of white, or another color all together...?

I will be subscribing to this thread :D


J.

I like my white Mazda's, so I might try to use the Crystal White Pearl that my Mazda3 had. Bright white with silver in the clear.

Stay tuned.

NICE... nice find DJ. I want to do an old school rotary. After the FC, and the 'vert, and the FD, and the E46 :rofl:

What are your plans for powa!

You're a crazy bastard. :icon_tup:

Ditch the vert and FD and move onto an old school! There is a guy down in North GA with a bunch of old schools for sale. One being an RX-4 with great body and interior with a locked motor. $800 I believe.

Anyway,

The car has a 12a in it that was installed by Mazda back in the early 80's. So no 13B 4 port twin dizzy. It also has the 'better' electronic dizzy in it. This is one of those 'ran when parked' deals. He said it really did run great when he started to take it apart to address some issues. He has put oil in it and turned it by hand a few times a year. So it might be able to be brought back to life.

First off however, I am dealing with the body work and interior. It really just needs a few small spots addresses and to the trim put back on. The interior is in great shape except for the dash. For now, I will get a dashmat until I can redo it myself.

Next, I am addressing the suspension and brakes. I am under the impression that 84-85 from strut/spindle assemblies will bolt in, and give me many more options. From there I can get the RE-Speed FC brake kit. The rear end is where I am in the dark. I know it has factory disc in the rear, but uses a drum inside the rotor for parking brakes. This is not ideal. If I can get an FB rear end under it, I can again go with RE-Speed 5 lug axles and big brakes. From there, a nice set of 15's will be sourced (old school, or meshies).

From there, its power time. If the 12a is healthy, it will get a Weber carb and manifold, direct fire ignition, custom catback, radiator with e-fans and an FD alternator upgrade.

Right now I am debating on whether to keep the chrome bits chrome, or powder coat them black instead.

I hate you.... I hate you SOOOOO much right now... I've got 2 13B cores in my garage just waiting to be torn down. Both with water seal failures.... I hate you...

:rofl: I can't, they're both in my driveway. And per code I'm only allowed to have two unregistered cars on property at any one time. So I'd have to hurry and finish the 'vert, tag it, then move on to old school.... did I mention I hate you :lol:

And if the 12A is not healthy? as an aside, 12a's suck... but if it's not.. boosted 13B-RE?? Cosmo for the Cosmo :naughty:

Oh, I know, 12a's are not beastly engines, but if it moves it, that is good for now. And they are tough little engines.

I would love to put a 13B-RE in it. You got a spare you want to loan me? Lol (don't forget the EMS). I actually bought an S5 TII engine last week, but plans changed and I sold it to jfaplanet for one of his REPU's.

I am sure I can find another :)

Damn man, this is so ballin. I hate you now too. LOL

Congrats!

Cool Project car DJ! Can't wait to see it!

Thanks Phil.

Anyone hear from Rotarydave? I haven't seen him post anywhere in a while. I PM's him a few weeks ago and have not received a reply. Wonder if he is in Iraq again.

Wow. Info out there for the Cosmo's is so vague, and somewhat cryptic. I read a post where a guy said he uses FC struts in the rear (which doesn't seem possible), and a few references to FB shock in the rear. Nobody has an upgrade spring solution it seems.

Also, the factory bolt pattern is 4x120. Which sucks. Now, if I upgrade the front struts/spindles to GSL-SE, I can get some 4x120 to 4x114.3 adapters for the rear (since there is zero info on an axle swap). However, I have no clue on offsets.

This is going to be fun! I wish I knew if Billy could make his subframe for an FB fit the RX-5. R&P steering would be the shit!

:rofl: Good luck.

Shouldn't you be off crimping wires? Or cleaning a fuel tank?

At 1:30 on a Thursday, I wish. :( Ok, not really since I'm not looking forward to those. At least the fuel tank. The crimping won't be bad as I want to redo my tail lights and clean up the wiring. I'm looking at cutting the wiring in half along with making my reverse lights LEDs. Already have the boards made...

well, i don't know you, but i'm thinking i'll hate you, too. :)

on a serious note, i'm anxious to see this lump of coal turn to a diamond in the coming months. good luck.

and what a lump of coal it is... I can't help but think of Ferris Bueller at a time like this.

You go take your hair dresser's rotary to the nail salon.

Speaking of which.......just picked this up today. For a limited time only, then for sale.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...0/IMAG0094.jpg

Welcome to the world of owning one of the obscure old school rotaries. Getting good info is tough. You shouldn't have a problem swapping the GSL-SE front struts in. Just need some of Billy's camber plates and you're good to go. The rear axle is a different story. I know te cosmo's have a 4 link coil spring setup with rear disks. I'd just keep with that setup. Try to hit up some of the aussies for aftermarket parts. I got front coil springs for my Rx-4 from Pedders suspension. They have a lot of products for the old school rotaries. Good luck man. Coming from experience, you'll need it..... But you'll be happy when it's done.

weren't you about to buy a non-turbo vert? and what showed up in your driveway again? Oh yes, a cat-printed silver car of salon personnel that only caters to blond hair, blue eyed people and hates jews? This is AMERICA (fuck yeah)... we buy asian cars. :patriot:

Good find with the cosmo, I will see what info I can get from my dad..he has 4 of them in his back yard!

Hey now rapist...the Z3 is only in my driveway for a limited time (like 2 weeks) until it is resold! And you know that!

Yes, yes I admit I was going to buy a stock vert, but then I found my penis and changed directions. You should look into it.

:seeya:

I am not a rapist. That's My5ABaby's job.

:suspect:

Car is in Chatt right now. Got a late start today, and didn't want to take it all the way home tonight. So it is still strapped to the trailer, and taking it home in the morning. I will get some pics of the way it sits. I can't friggin believe all the extra stuff that came with it. I even have the original price sticker!



Oh, I never said what I paid for all this goodness........$200.00

You will rot in hell for that

Car is home, and safe in the garage. Time to take stock on what all I have. Here is a little list:
-3 sets of tail light assemblies
-3 front grills
-2 rear bumpers
-2 rear panel between the lights
-2 front lower facias
-2 radiator panels

Some new parts from Mazda
-dome lens
-side glass
-radiator panel
-window trim (with the rubber gasket)
-new door seals
-new random trim pieces
-rear pads
-rear bearings and seals

The engine is complete. It has an aftermarket cruise control set-up. Not sure what carb it is running, I haven't removed the air cleaner yet. I have a ton of receipts, including the receipt for the new engine...in 1987. Back then, a 12a only cost $675. The entire bill was only $1034, labor was $300!!

Oh how times have changed. The original price was $6699.00, with the very few options installed, it came to $6874.00

Lol.

Thats pretty cool.

Here are some pics of the transport and hasty stashing in my garage. A winter storm was coming, so I had to slam it in there for now.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...0/IMAG0095.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...0/IMAG0096.jpg

Many, many tail lights.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...0/IMAG0097.jpg

Grills, that piece in the lower section of the pic is the factory lip spoiler.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...0/IMAG0098.jpg

Interior. Lovely Velour seats. Lol. Don't mind all the random trim pieces scattered about.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_OFjbTkyhkOs/TS...0/IMAG0099.jpg

That is all for now. I will take some more with my actual camera, instead of my phone this week. Including under hood shots.

Wow great find dj.. can't wait to see what you do with her.. think she will be ready for the gap?

Thanks man.

The plan right now is:
-body work and paint
-FB spindle swap with RE-Speed Big Brake kit
-rebuild rear axle bearings and seals
-4x120 to 5x114.3 rear wheel adapters
-new seats, re-dye interior carpet black
-stereo install
-some 15" wheels (can't decide what I want)

Once I find out the condition of the engine, I can go from there with it.
If the 12a in it is good:
-Weber/Holley or some other carb conversion
-emissions delete
-bigger radiator
-e-fan
-FD alternator upgrade

It already has an RB Road Race header on it.

If the motor is bad, well, I will put in whatever I can find!

This weekend I am going to try to fire it up. I am crossing my fingers.

There has not been much progress so far. I am getting that Z3 ready to sell, which is paramount since it is providing the budget for the Cosmo.

good luck dude, try to make a video if it starts

Rotary swapped Z3?

Lol, you're the second person to suggest that!

No, I picked this up from a friend for an insanely low price. It was a toy he has had for years, and never really used. The slave cylinder went out, and I was going to fix it for him. Well, he asked if I just wanted to buy it, so there it is. It is going to be sold to a co-worker's brother for a healthy profit.

But, if anyone is interested, it is a 2001 Z3 3.0 with 60K.

PS- If it were to be rotary swapped, it would have to be a 20b. There is a massive amount of room under the hood.

Well, I picked up some vert wheels. So I guess I have to convert to 5 lug now :D

Two thumbs up for a $100 part requiring several hundreds of dollars to make it work. Sounds like a rotary!

Good luck with that project. Very hard to find parts for her.

That is hat people keep saying, yet I found all the missing parts I need in a week.

Funny thing is, when you find one, people start coming out of the woodwork with parts available, and even whole cars. So it hasn't been difficult at all.

And since it isn't being restored to original, it doesn't matter anyway.

Tore the engine bay down today. I never bothered to check, just took the sellers word for it, but he was apparently ignorant.

She is still rocking the 13B 4 port!

It is currently stripped down to the block, have some MMO in the housings. It wouldn't budge, and I didn't want to force it to turn over. The oil looks good, and the coolant looked excellent. The plugs were a little oil fouled. I will put up some pics tomorrow.

sweet