hey everyone, just got an '87, not even too sure which trim, i know its NA though. has 115k miles on it, so hasnt been pushed too hard. got it cheap from a dude who just lost his job



he put some mods on it. i can't find that list. But i wanted to know what types of improvements you experienced fellows suggest. i'm thinking of dropping a turbo in. any ideas? thanks in advance. :newlaugh:

 

You can't just drop a turbo in an N/A like you can with hondas. Someone did put a turbo on a N/A but it is alot of work. To do it right you need the turbo motor, starter, rear, halfshafts, among a list of other things. I am going to do the swap once I have enough to do it right with a big turbo and rebuilding everything.

Find the list of mods and I am sure we can come up with other stuff to do. There is always things to spend money on



Or just look through some other posts and you will get ideas

 

Yeah look around every question asked is most likely already been asked, ur better off dropin a turbo engine in than bolting one on.

 

Lol...I'm the one they are talking about who dropped the turbo motor in my NA car(as well as 13BAce..who is better at turbo knowledge then me). However, you CAN drop a turbo in if you want. You will need the turbo, turbo manifold, adapter plate(to clear the NA intake manifolds) and of course you'll need to upgrade your fuel system. It's about the same amount of work as swapping the motor all together, but there is more help to found on turbo motor swaps then turbo drop ins. The advantage of turboing an NA motor is that the NA motor is higher compression and can easily run 11s(I've seen it) if done right. We all like to have fun and help each other out here...so enjoy and let us know if you have more ?s...which I'm sure you will on your journey to a rotary life

 

Thanks guys, appreciate the help. Sorry I'm such a beginner at this. This is my first car, and I don't know TOO much about cars. but I'm a fast learner, and I plan to go thru most of these posts in this site.



I'm getting that list of mod's that guy put on. but its mostly simple stuff: intake filter, light conversion, dual exhaust, pre silencer, NICE *** STEREO.



well thanks again, hope to post something useful one day.



also, the paint on the hood is REALLY faded. some of that paint has small holes. should i replace hood? or should i just repaint. I do plan on getting a hood scoop for a little better air intake (if i drive fast enough, would that act almost like a forced air intake system?) so if i get a hood scoop, its a whole new hood rite, not just an 'addon' to the existing hood. I KNOW I AM STOOPID, BUT THIS IS ONLY WAY I CAN LEARN :sigh: hehehe



thanks again guys.

 

We all started somewhere. Congrats on the 7. Welcome to the family. As for the scoop, I have heard different things about them. You would have to do some ducting work to get it to perform like ram air. I have been looking at the air intake headlight cover. I think that would let in more air for the intake then a hood scoop.



Depends what scoop you buy but most are add on's and you would use your original hood. Some hoods (border, Knightsport) are the whole hood. The price usually reflects if it is a scoop or whole hood. Hopefully someone else here can help you better then me

 

You can try to get a TII ( turbo II ) hood, it has the scoop in it, you can even get them brand new aftermarket, meaning not original Mazda, for under $175 dollars or so. Although Im not sure if the aftermarket TII hood would come with everything needed or not, I should have ordered one for the hell of it just to check it out. If you go with a add on scoop, some people have had luck putting a scoop from a early 80's Mercury Capri on there, this was the car that looked like the mustang, not that small shitty convertible that came out in the late 80s or early 90s. But then you have to hire a good body guy to make it look like it belongs on the car and not some hack job. I would just go with the TII hood. And yet another choice- stick with your hood and have it repainted ( but have it stripped from that crappy paint ), is it just the hood that is shitty? This could be from a number of things: check that the hood insulation is still under the hood, if its gone, this might be why the paint went to ****, if its there, I would say that the hood was repainted before, badly, and hasnt aged well from using a cheap clear coat or improper procedure. Check the fenders for signs of previous damage as well. Is it red by chance?

 

where did you see those hoods? i havent found anything that low

 

Pretty much every body shop deals with aftermarket companies for parts. Some slimy ones will sell you aftermarket parts when your car goes in for a insurance claim, and charge the company full cost. Some insurance companies after your car is a few years old, its thier discretion to ONLY put aftermarket parts on the car. When I got my car back in the day, it was dented everywhere. The hood appeared to have hail dammage, a new OEM mazda hood was around $700-$800 ( convertibles had a aluminum hood ). The aftermarket hood that is still on my car to this day, cost me $125. I have zero fitment problems. Meanwhile, when my door got hit after the 1st time I painted the car, the other guys insurance paid for a OEM Mazda door ( $900 for the part only ), and only after it was painted, did I realize the thing had waves in it, and I primed and blocked the door 2 times before I painted it. You will not see these parts advertised anywhere, you need to go to a body shop and have them get it for you, hopefully you know someone, or else they will be looking to mark the price up. To give you an idea on the cost of aftermarket parts for a 2nd generation: fenders are about $100, bumper covers are about $150. The more popular cars even have aftermarket lenses, headlights, grilles, etc.. BY the way, the hood is the only aftermarket part on my car, and besides the new OEM door, all the other parts are original from when the car was new.

 

Was the aftermarket hood aluminum?