My 74 REPU

So not really a project per-se, but I have been working on it lately. I have owned it for 10+ years, and it has been dead reliable if not a bit thirsty. I know most of you on here hate the magic spinning dorito's, but I love 'em. This truck is a hoot to own, and really shouldn't be as fast as it is, but that is part of the charm. I bought it sight unseen from a guy in Tifton,GA( SvReX's 'hood) and had it shipped to me in MA. I think to this day I am the only one in the state with a drivable example of this truck.

As you can see I do use it as a truck still, although this is a pretty wimpy example of its duties around here.

Recently I have decided to remove the cut stock springs that it came with when I bought it. I found a set of stock height springs on the REPU forum, and decided that it was time. While I am in there I thought why not replace the ball joints, tie rod ends, and bushings? Well it hasn't been fun so far, but I have one side apart, and the bushings pressed out of the lower control arm. I haven't figured out how the best way to put it all back together yet will be but I hope to either get some ideas from you guys, or maybe the factory shop manual will give me some clues that don't require a special Mazda tool.

Also I found out through the REPU forum that Mazda either started making, or found a new stash of tail light lenses recently. There was something like 130 available, and I ordered 4 for my truck. Not that I needed them really, but why not get new parts for a 38 year old truck at only $21 a piece. I may even order 4 more just for the future.

Well that is it so far. Let me know what you think.

Chris

I really like that truck.

If you ever decide to sell it, look me up.

Love for little trucks + rotary lust = me rikey.

How thirsty is she?

Gallons per mile thirsty.

That's pretty thirsty.

Not really. I was just joking, but the odometer quit working a year or so ago, but when it was working I got about 20 mpg with it. Regardless of how I drove it though. It gets plenty of smiles per gallon though.

Hmmmmmmmm LOVE the color and the truck, really hope to own one some day myself!!

Have you thought to burn the bushings out?

Toyman01 wrote: I really like that truck. If you ever decide to sell it, look me up.

Put me next on the list! Or not, because school looks like it's going to suck all of my funds for at least the next decade of my life...

Looking forward to this build thread/work on thread, whatever it is.

JtspellS wrote: Hmmmmmmmm LOVE the color and the truck, really hope to own one some day myself!! Have you thought to burn the bushings out?

We call it Gumby green. The bushings are a sandwich of an outer and inner steel cylinder with rubber in between. I was able to press the outer part out with most of the rubber, but then I had to burn of the remaining rubber, and heat up the inner sleeve that was on the pivot shaft. Turns out the shaft is ribbed so it needed lots of heat to separate those two parts.

What I am unsure of is when pressing it all back together, do I need to make sure the shaft is clocked in the same spot(that I didn't make note) for the bushings to work correctly? I am not sure why the inner part of the bushing is not meant to pivot on the shaft, and neither is the outer as it is pressed to fit, so no movement. Is it just meant to pivot on the rubber, because that is what it seems to be doing?

Love it! There are a couple I see at old school meets down here in Atlanta.

This is one of the coolest trucks I have ever seen. And the fact that it still does truck stuff RULES.

And 20mpg? Pfft.... my Dakota gets 16mpg with the V6. Don't feel bad!

this thing is awesome. i love the styling and that's also a great shade of green on there. there's something cool about how blatantly Mazda slaps the "ROTARY POWARRRR" on the tailgate.

i'd imagine with the way old Japanese vehicles rust, you probably won't see yourself coming or going too much where you live. it doesn't help that most of these things were treated as utility tools and probably weren't kept from corrosion.

I am willing to engage any other potential buyers for this in hand to hand combat in a submission based free-for all battle, winner gets to buy the truck.

Mazdax605 wrote: I am not sure why the inner part of the bushing is not meant to pivot on the shaft, and neither is the outer as it is pressed to fit, so no movement. Is it just meant to pivot on the rubber, because that is what it seems to be doing?

This is how rubber suspension bushings are designed to work, generally speaking, in my understanding.

The movement of the suspension is accommodated by the rubber flexing...more or less in torsion...twisting.

I don't believe most of them cling to the inner pivot, but the inner sleeve is often "pinched" axially by the pivot bolt.

That's really hard to explain in type, as it turns out.

Clem

Brett_Murphy wrote: I am willing to engage any other potential buyers for this in hand to hand combat in a submission based free-for all battle, winner gets to buy the truck.

Where were you guys 4 years ago when I had it for sale at $3500? I am glad I didn't sell it, but when I was trying to sell it I didn't even have a single offer, even a lowball one.

Mazdax605 wrote:

JtspellS wrote: Hmmmmmmmm LOVE the color and the truck, really hope to own one some day myself!! Have you thought to burn the bushings out?

We call it Gumby green. The bushings are a sandwich of an outer and inner steel cylinder with rubber in between. I was able to press the outer part out with most of the rubber, but then I had to burn of the remaining rubber, and heat up the inner sleeve that was on the pivot shaft. Turns out the shaft is ribbed so it needed lots of heat to separate those two parts. What I am unsure of is when pressing it all back together, do I need to make sure the shaft is clocked in the same spot(that I didn't make note) for the bushings to work correctly? I am not sure why the inner part of the bushing is not meant to pivot on the shaft, and neither is the outer as it is pressed to fit, so no movement. Is it just meant to pivot on the rubber, because that is what it seems to be doing?

Personally I would press it back in and not worry about clocking, as long as after the pressing it all fits as need be drive on!!

I have been honored with an opportunity to drive this truck, albeit badly, it was still all kinds of cool

In reply to Mazdax605:

I was still fighting with my RX-7 at that point in time. Once I got it running well, I sold it. A REPU is another matter entirely, and will match my RX-8 very well.

aussiesmg wrote: I have been honored with an opportunity to drive this truck, albeit badly, it was still all kinds of cool

Me too. Such a fun and unique truck. The exhaust sounds like the world's angriest chainsaw.

I love that color too.

I just saw two of these outside of a mechanic's shop yesterday...maybe I should stop in.

Nice REPU. Coming down for DGRR?

Thanks, I would love to but that is very far away.

So I got the lower control arm cleaned up, and freshly painted. I still need to figure out how to press the bushings into the control arm, and on to the shaft.

Any ideas?

Also I have a plan to maybe put this on the grill. It came with my 77 Toyota Corolla liftback.

I've been watching one of these, a "75", go from 15k to 6k in the LA area. I'd like to pull the trigger on that so badly but I can only imagine what I would be stepping into with that... There's also the fact that I really don't want to deal with the whole carbureted rotary CA emissions thing since I believe that ends in 1974.

You sure do have a good looking truck though.