Eastside's folly - Mazda 626

This may end up being one of the shortest build threads in history if things go really well or really bad.  About 1.5-2 months ago, I picked up a 1989 Mazda 626 that had been sitting for a few years very cheaply from a friend as an attempt to put together a beater for a relative that has little money, and really bad credit.  It went a little pear shaped.  The car ended up needing a bunch more to get it road ready than I thought it would, and I have to thank wae for all the work he helped me with, and for taking up part of his shop for about a month.  Anyway, said relative has changed their mind about wanting it, so I'm probably stuck with it for now, as I really hate dealing with the people who usually buy running cars in the sub-$1K range.  Without further ado, here it is:

That's it, in it's 2.2L 110 HP, 4 speed automatic glory.   It ended up needing a master cylinder, front calipers, rotors and pads, a wheel cylinder, steering rack boots, a set of used tires, a rear wheel bearing, and I'm sure other parts I forgot about.  It still has issues with a low idle while stopped in gear, a leaky sunroof, a wonky electrical system, a bad driver's window regulator, crappy tint, a dying AC compressor pulley bearing, and it shakes like a mofo above 55 MPH (probably unbalanced tires).  I'm into it for around $800-900 right now.  On the plus side, it's not very rusty, it has great visibility, much like many cars from this era, and I really don't care too much about what happens to it, which is kind of liberating.

So, what to do with a car I had not planned on having lying around, and that I don't want to put much work into (at least until other projects are farther along)?

• Parts hauler/junkyard runner until the S10 is road ready?
• Rallycross beater until the Beetle is ready?
• Lemons Rally car for my FIL and wife if the Beetle isn't ready in time for the Four Bangors rally?
• Gastropod challenge car?
• Donate it to a charity auction?
• Sell it for a massive loss just to be rid of it?
• Take it out to a big parking lot and set it on fire?
• All of the above?

It'll probably only make it to the challenge if the S10 doesn't, but if I bring it, I'm leaning towards an extremely low budget VIP or bosozoku build.  Taking out budget exempt parts probably drops it to around $500 or so right now.

B-13 rwd swap? Lots of shenanigans + magical spinny doritos...

In reply to Recon1342 :

That might be a bit more work than I’m up for 

I grew up in the passenger seat of an '88 626 manual that my dad daily drove until I was 13. Loved that thing. Good luck with this man. I'll be rooting for you! 

Here's another one that's selling for about 11k: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-626/163529219221?hash=item261319dc95:g:2esAAOSwHphcW02O

Maybe you could do a full restoration!

wae said:

Here's another one that's selling for about 11k: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-626/163529219221?hash=item261319dc95:g:2esAAOSwHphcW02O

Maybe you could do a full restoration!

 

Asking,  not selling.  That guy is smoking crack. It's not even a turbo car and the miles aren't that low. 

Fix it to where its safe, throw some mud flaps on it, a light bar/LEDs and some winter tires and go rally crossing it.

Make sure you make a skid plate out of a stop sign.

If you can find a rear sway bar from a 1st gen turbo probe, it will make a nice improvement. Also, those poly sway bar end links from autozone or wherever, help. 

JamesMcD said:

wae said:

Here's another one that's selling for about 11k: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-626/163529219221?hash=item261319dc95:g:2esAAOSwHphcW02O

Maybe you could do a full restoration!

 

Asking,  not selling.  That guy is smoking crack. It's not even a turbo car and the miles aren't that low. 

Hey!  I'm trying to make the guy feel better.  Who asked for your so-called facts!? 

Literal junkyard turbo project?

See just how far you can push a tiny K03 or a TD04? Or twin baby turbos?

In reply to spacecadet :

Me too! My parents had an 87 manual 626. Blue over Blue cloth. I once ran my bike into the back of it and broke the taillight, which I seem to recall it being absurdly expensive at the time. 

wae said:

JamesMcD said:

wae said:

Here's another one that's selling for about 11k: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-626/163529219221?hash=item261319dc95:g:2esAAOSwHphcW02O

Maybe you could do a full restoration!

 

Asking,  not selling.  That guy is smoking crack. It's not even a turbo car and the miles aren't that low. 

Hey!  I'm trying to make the guy feel better.  Who asked for your so-called facts!? 

It is a five door, by I don’t think that has that huge of an effect on the value...

Going to try to do some work on the rest of the fleet tonight. Rain is also predicted, so I may consider taping up the sunroof, if I feel like it.  Most of the water ends up on the rear seat floor anyway 

Drain hole if nature has not provided it yet. Carrying around all that water costs energy

Do the swing vents work? That's all that really matters.

In reply to wae :

That seller needs to find Alfred Morris. 

NFL player has 90s 626 restored.

JamesMcD said:

Do the swing vents work? That's all that really matters.

Right now they don't, but that may because I yanked a few fuses looking to stop a battery draw.  Wouldn't surprise me if they are dead, though.

And the sunroof has been fixed!

This is not going to be a meticulous and well-thought-out build.

FuzzWuzzy said:

Literal junkyard turbo project?

See just how far you can push a tiny K03 or a TD04? Or twin baby turbos?

On the very off chance I see an F2T powered vehicle in a junkyard around here, I may grab the manifold for a turbo build, but frankly, this thing probably doesn't deserve anything better than being force fed some nitrous oxide.

Sounds like something that should be parked at Bitzer's and offered up for rental. 

EvanB said:

Sounds like something that should be parked at Bitzer's and offered up for rental. 

It has crossed my mind.  Might be the only way to break even on it.

JamesMcD said:

Do the swing vents work? That's all that really matters.

I checked today - they do work!

Also, dropped about $25 to have the front tires balanced.  Hasn’t eliminated the shaking completely, but it has gotten a lot better.  55-60 MPH no longer feels dangerous.  Didn’t get a chance to get on the interstate, so I don’t know about higher speeds.  I think it could use a new passenger side inner tie rod.  The dead struts can’t be helping either.

It is mostly being used as a truck, as I haul stuff back and forth from my storage locker for various car projects.  That’ll be it’s life, at least until I can get the S10 ready for the road.  I was using it to run other errands, too, but the Miata is out of hibernation, so unless I need to haul a large or dirty cargo, the 626 maybe sitting until rallycross season begins.

Drive wae up here to buy my legacy and pick up neon parts and we can pump progressively higher nitrous shots through it up to and including dual nozzles jetted for 150hp each.  If it dies, oh well you drive home a legacy and we call the scrap man for the mazda?

Auto or manual? Both are weak but the auto is supposed to be extra weak. 

Would be a good platform for a megasquirt and edis setup. My 88 turbo got great mpg's and an n/a car should have more margin for lean running. 

eastsideTim said:

EvanB said:

Sounds like something that should be parked at Bitzer's and offered up for rental. 

It has crossed my mind.  Might be the only way to break even on it.

I'd drive it.  The RX-7 is pissing me off, the other one is still not done, and I've declared a moratorium on rallycrossing the S60.  (The last time went rather badly)  Also, I never got a chance to drive the Probe.

Or the Altima, now that I think about it, even though I donated some old snow tires to it and did some light engine repair on it when Hardesty owned it.

In reply to Knurled. :

If it gets loaned out, I'll let you know.  I want to make sure it doesn't get beat up too bad until I know the S10's status.  If the S10 needs work (or simply won't work out), I'll keep the Mazda around as my "truck" for a while until I can grab a better utility vehicle. 

With the struts being pretty much shot, I'm now wondering how hard it would be to adapt a later set off a 93-up 626 or a Mazda6, and if that would give it a bit of a lift.  I'll have to measure the current set, and bring my tape measure on the next junkyard trip.

6s don't have struts, do they?