Project Amy
Stories from the recommissioning of a 1987 Mazda 323 GTX. The GTX is the incredibly rare four-wheel-drive, turbocharged hooligan edition of the Mazda 323.
This particular one came off the road in 2007, I purchased her as a rotten restoration project in 2015, and she finally returned to the road in July 2020.
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 7: the rocker cover (2024-03-03) - In which I make a B6T rocker cover look nice.
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 6: the turbo (2023-12-20) - What do we do with a worn-out IHI VJ9?
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 5: the heat shield (2023-11-23) - In which I do my best to rescue a disintegrating 36-year-old turbo heat shield.
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 4: making a hole in it (2023-11-04) - Putting bonnet vents into the Mazda 323 GTX.
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 3: pipe (2023-07-20) - In which, among other things, I learn to cut reinforced silicone hoses neatly.
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 2: the air filter (2023-07-11) - Making a short story long, I put a different filter on it.
- Rationalising the 323 GTX, part 1: the intercooler (2023-06-24) - In which there is nothing rational about owning a 1980s rally car.
- In which I make an uncharacteristically sensible decision (2021-04-12) - Mazda Amy goes into temporary retirement, and I acquire The Shed.
- One more job from the giant pile of necessary jobs (2021-02-16) - In which Autoglass source a windscreen for a BF-generation Mazda 323 GTX.
- Gratuitous car post (2021-01-04) - Apropos of nothing, a gratuitous photo of my car.
- The Suspension: the final episode (2020-12-12) - Cleaning up my old Gaz shock absorbers.
- Backroads are fun (2020-11-29) -
- Coming soon: Banging choons (2020-11-23) - In which I acquire a Blaupunkt SQR 45.
- Sitting pretty (2020-11-22) -
- Priorities (2020-11-03) -
- In which I spend a weekend on my car and don't make it worse (2020-10-25) - I fix my understeer a bit.
- Fitting the K-Sport coilovers, episode "the rear" (2020-10-17) -
- Fitting the K-Sport coilovers, episode "the front" (2020-10-12) -
- They're here (2020-10-01) -
- A parcel shelf! (2020-09-21) -
- Amy goes to her first car meet! (2020-09-13) -
- Not saying I don't totally trust this car, but... (2020-09-06) - ...I don't.
- Oh no not again (2020-09-02) -
- One last teething problem and then it'll never go wrong again (unless it does) (2020-08-30) - In which my car has a working clutch.
- Biting the bullet (2020-08-28) -
- She's alive, and teething problems (2020-08-15) -
- If you drive really fast in reverse for a year... (2020-06-24) - The 323 GTX loses nearly 60,000 miles between MOTs.
- BRB, MOT (2020-06-22) - The Mazda 323 GTX goes for MOT prep.
- Towards an interior less terrible (2020-06-13) - In which I clean my car.
- No more ditchfinders (2020-06-10) - In which my 323 GTX gets some new rubber.
- Short shifter! (2020-06-08) - In which Jeff Sylvester makes me a short shifter and I can find all of my gears.
- Gtechniq C4 is magic (2020-04-04) - GTechniq C4 really works and you need it in your life.
- The one where I didn't do the things I was going to do (2020-04-03) - A short review of the Driftworks Basics 350mm leather steering wheel
- pumped up kicks (2020-03-23) - The one where my car starts.