READER RESTO
JAMES REJOINS ROTARY
MY LOVE af fa ir wit h rotaries started back when I was 14 years old, riding shotgun in my brothers Commodore there was a small white sedan driv ing a longside us in t ra f f ic making a ll sorts of wild noises, it was loud and obnox ious, I turned to my brot her and said “what is t hat! ? ” He said, “That’s a rotar y mate.” He couldn’t tell me much more about them, other than they were loud, fast and rev like cra z y. I was intrigued and needed to know more about them.
I headed straight to t he newsagents and found a whole magazine devoted to t hese wild Japanese machines and I proceeded to read it cover to cover again and again, until I got my hands on the next issue and the next and so on, I was hooked!
Ever since Mazda embraced the Wankel engine in t he early 60s, they have been a pure ent husiast car and somewhat of an out lier in t he automotive community. I’ve a lways had a sof t spot for t he underdogs and found Mazda’s completely unconventional ta ke on the interna l combustion engine fascinating.
The sounds of the heav ily-ported rota ries are like nothing else you’ll hear and back n the early 90s, if you announced your enthusiasm for the Wankel engine at a pub or a BBQ, you were often met wit h spirited discussion and of ten physica l t hreats. Being a ginger, I’m a lready well-versed at dealing wit h both spirited debates and physica l t hreats on a somewhat regular basis - so why not own a car that evokes the same response? Thank goodness we live in much more accepting times now, of both the Wankel engine and gingers !
I grew up in a predominately Holden house, my dad had a Statesman, my brother had a laundr y list of Commodores, we even had a Camira, but t he badge loya lt y was not super strong and when I was around 16 I managed to conv ince my brother to buy a 1985 Series 3 FB R X-7. That was actua lly t he f irst rota r y I ever got to drive, and it was ever y t hing I had hoped for and more, the ridiculous rev ra nge, t he noise at 9000 rpm, f lames out the ex haust a completely v iscera l experience.
Over the years my friends and I owned a smattering of dif ferent rotar y powered Mazdas, from standard 12a and 13b engines, to big port jobs and turbos. They a ll had their good points and bad, however the one thing t hat was ev ident across a ll of them was that Mazda knows how to put a car toget her.
In my opinion, t he f irst gen R X7s are one of t he best well balanced cars of t he 80s and t hat brillia nt chassis dynamic has been carried on through each generation.
SCRATCHING AN ITCH
It has been at least 20 years since I’ve owned a rotar y, but t he litt le buzz boxes have a lways been in the back of my mind. Countless hours wasted ever y other day
"THE NOISE AT 9000RPM, FLAMES OUT THE EXHAUST, A VISCERAL EXPERIENCE"
trawling classif ied websites and the iconic AusRotar y forum, monitoring the everincreasing rise in prices, t hus f uelling my anx iet y of getting priced out of t he market. Last year it got too much for me and I had an itch, and it needed to be scratched for some time.
I have huge fondness for t he iconic f irst gen R X-7s but I know from hav ing owned one and spending a lot of time in mates’ cars, there is not much room for any t hing ot her t han driver, passenger and a packed lunch at best. So at t his stage in life my wit h a wife and t wo squids to t hink about, I need a rota r y wit h a litt le more leg room to drag the poor kids and somewhat understanding wife a long to car shows, Sunday drives and t he occasiona l spirited school run.
CHOOSING A CAR
The majorit y of early model Mazda rotaries were out of t he question, t he R100s, R X-2s and R X-3s are a ll on t he small size for a man of my height and it honestly feels like t hey are even smaller than I remember. Or maybe I’ve just experienced another grow th spurt in my early 40s. With a ll t his in mind I decided an R X-4 would be t he idea l family cr uiser, slight ly la rger t han t he rest of t he line-up and still chrome bumper. The R X-4 coupes are super
cool and remind me of a miniature Charger, but believ ing I will pick up a point or t wo for Father
of Year for t he fact I have considered the comfort of t he family, a sedan is a much more practica l choice, plus signif icant ly more af fordable.
Mazda released the
R X-4 in 1973 through to 1979, it came initia lly wit h a 12a rotar y engine t hen updated wit h a slight ly larger capacit y 13b. There were t hree series of t he R X-4 released wit h variations in front and rear ta illights and grills. The ‘point y nose’ f ront end are the most coveted by far, but t he apt ly nick named ‘Mercedes’ front end have gained popularit y over t he years and are equally cool in my opinion.
Mazda a lso released a piston powered 929 a lmost para llel to t he R X-4, identica l in many ways, sharing a ll but t he engine, drive line and minor interior and exterior changes. The majorit y of R X-4 parts are interchangeable and it has been popular for many years in t he rota r y ent husiast community to pick up a 929 at a signif ica nt ly cheaper price than a genuine
R X-4, pull out t he ever so humble piston motor, make some reasonably ‘minor’ modifications and slap in a smile-inducing, neighbourannoying 12a or 13b rotar y engine. Minor modifications include a new cross member, engine mounts, gear box, ta i l shaft, dif f, radiator, oi l cooler and ex haust, plus t he engine and its ancillaries.
As much as I would love to buy a turnkey R X-4 or a lready converted 929, I want to build something myself, wit h t he help of friends and plant t he seeds of ent husiasm for t hese beasts wit h t he k ids. Plus, it is a lways easier to get smaller purchases past my extremely understanding wife than drop a whole
bunch of money on another self-proclaimed family toy in one big go.
THE FIND
Early last year, pre t he COVID pricing we are seeing now, I was watching the R X-4/929 market obsessively The Scotsman in me was determined to pick up something around the $ 5k mark. it did seem a litt le unrealistic at f irst. But ever y month or two one would pop up and would be gone by t he time I contacted t he seller. I spent way too much time going over the photos online tr y ing to work out if they were a good buy or not. It was obv ious they were a good buy and other buyers were not mucking around. I decided it was time to put my big boy pants on and just make a move.
I reached out to t he online Rotar y community and stated I was after a 929, sedan, runner or non-runner f ine, complete interior not too rust y. Behold my request was answered rather quick ly. A young bloke had a 929 in prett y much the condition I was look ing for. I put $100 bucks down straight away and I told him I would be there the next day topic kit up( provided it ticked all the boxes ). If I didn’t show, I told him he could keep the $100 bucks. In t his instance – fortune favours t he bold !
Upon inspecting the Mazda, it ticked a lot of boxes. It had all of its chrome( which can be a pain to piece together ), all the electrics worked including the boot light, complete interior with minor tearing in the seats, t he door cards were immaculate and the carpet is complete bar one square under t he driver feet.
Body wise there was some rust, but it looks to be just surface except for the bottom of two doors. Most panels are somewhat straight except the left front quarter panel has ta ken a hit, but most importantly it was not too far of f being roadworthy.
When I picked up the car I brought a mate who happens to work for Aces Garage – a restoration and panel shop at the Sunshine Coast. Meeet Jason, a Holden and hot-rod man who knows nothing about Mazdas let a lone rotaries, but he was almost as excited as I was with the car and has been a great sounding board to bounce ideas off on what to do first, having just completed his own build on HQ one-tonner.
Having a somewhat reasonable mate to bounce ideas off when planning and building a car is a must and Jason’s enthusiasm on how easy the body work would be helped placate any looming buyer’s remorse I think we all have when spending hard earned money on barely running slightly rusty old cars. That is definitely something I love about the car enthusiast community that has changed over the years, even if it’s not someone else’s passion others can see the reason why you might like a particular vehicle and they are encouraging and enthusiastic about your project and t he journey you’re on. Just stay away from reading social media comments and you’ll keep believing that.
PLANS CHANGE
From the beginning I have not been worried if I got a runner or not as my plan has always been to pull out the piston motor and replace it with a rotary. Yet with a fresh battery in it, the 929 runs, which makes it much easier to transport, even if the maiden voyage was 20 mon to a car trailer. A few of my mates have been adamant from day one that I should keep t he piston motor in it right up until
"THE SCOTSMAN IN ME WAS DETERMINED TO PICK UP SOMETHING AROUND $5K"
everything is ready for the engine transplant. To me t his isn’t what I want to do. I want to pull the motor out straight away, so I feel like t he project has begun. It does make some sense to keep the running motor in t here for a few reasons; one being it makes it easier to take it to and from workshops under its own steam, meaning no need for tow trucks.
But the most important issue was something Glenn Torrens has covered a couple of times. You can take the k ids for a drive. It doesn’t sound like much, but being able to get your k ids engaged in something t hat’s not just a dust y old inanimate object in t he garage Dad loves, but something they can go for drive in. It is magic to watch them looking with curiosity at all the old and switches, dials and even window winders that seem like a million years away from what they’ re used to.
The idea of getting it roadworthy and running on the road with the piston motor still in it was further cemented when I got it home and my three- and six-year-olds went crazy over it. They opened and closed everything they could find and had all sorts of questions. Growing up with these types of cars I think it can be easy to forget how foreign they can be for youngsters. Window winders, chokes, analogue clocks in the dash and push button AM/FM radios are meet with all sorts of curiosity. They have seen all the fancy and shiny cars
at car shows, but for t hem, this is one they can climb in play with all the buttons and pretend to drive. Take them for an actual lap around the suburb and you’d think Santa had come early, even after a few stalls and quick fixes to keep it going. My kids will jump in the car as soon as I open the door and play in it for ages. Who needs Netfl ix? Now I’m not saying buying a classic car will make you fat her of t he year, but it should at least set you up as a finalist.
ALONG FOR THE RIDE
Owning a classic car not only scratches an itch for me and it is a great family interest, but it gets you in the club, you feel part of the car community if you’ve got one. It’s evident now that the car community is accepting of all makes and models ... you only have to rock up to one of your local cars and coffee meet ups to see a long line of old and new, chrome and plastic bumper, Euro, US, Aussie and JDM, you name it.
Over the next few months, most likely much longer, I’ll be covering off t he ins and outs of repairing, updating, converting and maintaining my passion project, from mild mannered piston 929 to a raucous rotary powered machine. My plan is to keep it fairly original-looking but I will also be throwing around the term “period correct” a lot during t he build to getaway with all the typical modifications rotary enthusiasts are notorious for.
As its its, the brakes are shot, and there is enough patchy paint and surface rust to raise an eyebrow with the local constabulary. Brakes are clearly an integral part of any driving experience and there is an inherent lack of any safety mechanisms or driving aids, as you’d expect from any vehicle of t his era. First cab off the rank is a brake upgrade.
I definitely do not claim to be a rotary expert and I’m sure I’ll make a few mistakes a long t he way, but I’ve joined my local rotary club( not the volunteer group) and have already found some great support and knowledge. What could possibly go wrong?