The pictures I resized them to 575X431 pixels, which is the size CarDomain uses for the enlarged pictures. For some reason, the quality on CarDomain isn't as good as it is on my computer, which is odd. But whatever. Have fun looking and reading!
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3/31/04-New tires!
Bridgestone Teranza LS-T P175/70 R13 82TMy old Teranza Ts were cracked badly, and the backs were balding(the fronts were from '98 and the backs were from like '93!), so it was time for change.
So my dad ordered these Bridgestone tires(not the pic above)(they were like base model or something) through the Mazda tire program, and they came in(also for my dad's RX-7). So we go up there to put them on and these tires were junky. Taller and skinnyier than what's on it, the tread was obcenely skinnyier than the sidewalls. So my dad re-ordered for the 323 and the RX-7, and the 323 tires came in on the 31st so we put them on that night at around 10:15pm(my dad has run of the place for the most part). They are Bridgestone Teranza LS-Ts. A small upgrade from what the old tires were, but they are great! Nice and smooth and grip well. Hopefully they'll last as long as the old ones(though my driving style might not allow that, heh).
To you RX-7 guys, the above picture might feature something familiar to you...it's the spare! This spare wheel/tire is out of a 2nd gen RX-7 4 lug. It's an actual Enkei/Mazda alloy wheel. Compared to the stock 323 spare tire, this one is lighter, matches the diameter of the normal tires, and, well, looks a load better. I don't plan on getting a flat any time soon, but now if it happens I'll feel a lot better about it. While I'm here, pretty clean lower trunk, huh? There's only 1 spot of rust(under the jumper cables, currently shop towels cover the spot)...I might take some hot glue and just cover over the spot, but it's not all the way through the metal yet so there's no leakage. I also happened to notice that there's an unused wire harness back there...hmm, I'm thinking it might go to the rear wiper that was found on the 323 hatch LX...
It's...it's...RED!!! And shiny too! What a difference some wax, and some arm muscles, make. The left pic was taken the day after, just look at the renewed color depth and shine! The right pic was taken a few mins after it was completed, at night, in the garage, which doesn't do the wax job justice. It looks so good now!
Compare these to the pics below, just look at the change!!!
The driver's side of the 323. The rear SE decal needs replacing, unfortunately. I don't remember how it got all crappy, might have been my uncle, I donno. I don't remember a time of ever seeing a full decal on that side. There's a couple of dings on the side, it's a 16 year old car, what can you expect?
The back of the 323. Note the missing rear wiper, that was a '87 LX option that didn't make it to the '88...also just for facts, the 3rd brakelight was a government mandate as of '86, so I don't think '85 323s had them. And I need to get a nice chrome exhaust tip, just haven't looked for one yet.
The passenger side of the 323. Mint SE decal on this side! The door molding(the black plastic/chrome piece) was coming off, fixed it with double stick tape, came partly off again, but I fixed it last week, so it looks great again. Aftermarket tape though. :( ;)
The wheels on the 323. They are 323 LX 13" alloys. Bridgestone Terranzas(best all around tires ever), soon will be getting a new pair, the rears are wearing out, so the fronts will go on the rear, and the fronts will get the new ones. Probably next year though. These are the rear wheels, because the fronts kinda get brake dusty. Disc brakes up front, drums in the back. No ABS, but the car stops on a dime. I've never once locked it up on dry pavement, and on wet pavement I've only locked it up just having fun. And it was fun.
The inside of the 323. Here you will find 323 LX seats, a wopping 10 watt stock Mazda stereo & tape deck(the stereo we just replaced several weeks ago with one from a junkyard. Works great!). Sounds good though, I'm not a huge music listener. Also you will find A/C and heat, rear defroster, and other things. The steering wheel is cracked, as do all steering wheels that are in the sun. It's not bad at all though. Also my dad added a remote fuel door lever, the old fuel door had a lock which was just retarded.
The back seat of the 323. It's actually quite spacious. There's more space in the rear of the 323 than there is in my dad's '93 Probe GT. No back headrests though. The back seats fold down, and the back hatch cover comes out, with enough space to haul some pretty big things like my '03 Giant Warp DS3 mountain bike.
The gauge cluster of the 323. No tach. Too bad. But in an automatic, you don't really need a tach. Still I would like watching it. Note the 71,605 miles on the car. The fuel gauge is funny...fill the tank and it goes way above F, and when the car is off it goes way below E. Interesting. And the always helpful "Unleaded Fuel Only" notation, just incase you forget and go back to the '70s by accident. Doh!
The door specs of the 323. What? Yea, I got bored. Here's the door specs, complete with weight specifications and all.
The engine of the 323. The driving force! It's a 1.6L SOHC, rated at 82 horsepower, 92 foot-pounds of torque. Mated to a 4 speed automatic(I believe '88 was the first year for the 4 speed, older ones had a 3 speed, ouch) with overdrive(4th is overdrive). Shifts hard, but safely. A lot of fun to drive, it's usually in the right gear all the time. If not it's easy to get it to downshift. Most of the time while going like 35-45mph, it's in 4th, unfortunately that's a little too low of RPMs, so it downshifts often. I usually just switch overdrive off and keep it in 3rd untill I go faster. Also, at 98mph(the fastest it's gone with me driving), it's in 3rd gear when flat out. I guess it won't go to 4th untill 100 or so.
More pics should come when there's snow on the ground. :)
