Mad Mazda 323

This page is a bit plain at the moment but I put it up because a couple of people had asked me about my car's specs. So I decided to list them and provide a bit of extra info. as well.

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More Photos

The humble looking little hatch in the photos is a 1986 BF series Mazda 323 limited edition. The car was given to me a few years ago by a friend of the family and had been owned since new by a single owner. This particular model 323 is a full import and sports the original factory two-tone colour scheme. ... very few of them were sold here and now that I have started to play with it, it has become very unique indeed :-)

Factory features:

The only thing conspicuously missing is power steering (which seems a bit strange to me)

Modifications

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Okay, that is the routine stuff, here is where it gets a bit more interesting.

With the exception of some of the suspension work (e.g. revalving Koni's) and the exhaust, all the work was done by myself (with a bit of help from friends).

Comments

Despite the mods I haven't had the car dynod yet so I can't give any power or torque figures but I would guess about 120-130kW at the front wheels based on AP-22 meter readings. Traction is a problem but can pull 0-100 in low 6's with a good launch.

In gear acceleration is excellent with fast turbo spool up, nice smooth torque onset and a strong pull right through the rev range. I have had a number of people wind down the window at the lights and say what the f*ck have you got in that thing!

The car is a real sleeper at the moment and I really do have some fun with it, although I do want to dress it up a bit with some better alloys and some bonnet vents (which are also functional in that they will help lower under bonnet temps). The only give away that it means business is the chrome 3" tip out the back and the growl that it makes at the lights and the ROAR that it makes on full boost ... to give you an idea I rarely lose a traffic light run with victims including stock WRXs, Cordia, Exa, Lancer GSR and Pulsar turbo's, Tickford XR8 (EB series) etc.

Considering it is FWD, it is quite a good handler. The stiff rebound on the shocks has also drastically reduced squat and front wheel spin and I can now launch the car pretty well with high boost in first gear and torque steer is virtually non-existent. The car doesn't have much body roll and hugs the road during cornering although it still tends to understeer when pushed and doesn't have a great amount of suspension travel so will hit the bump stops on train lines etc. if taken too fast.

The dba slotted brakes and ultimate pads are a major improvement over stock and although not mind blowing they do a pretty good job of stopping the car which probably doesn't weigh much over 1000kg..

The exhaust sounds pretty wild (like a rally car) but is a little on the loud side and would sound nicer if it had a slightly deeper note. The turbo also sounds nice as it spools up and although not overly loud it has a fast purposeful whine (enough for car enthusiasts who know what it is to turn and stare as if to think "is that coming from that??")

Possible Future Mods:

Technical Resources

Some of my sources of knowledge for the project included:

Links:

TX3/GT-X Central (excellent site with lots of technical information and readers cars)

Mazstyle (bodykits for BF-BG 323 and TX3)

Mazda B6T bits 'n pieces (large U.S 323 site)

Autospeed Magazine (Best online technical magazine ... and Australian too!)