Ex-Owner:

Brian D. from Pennsylvania.

Car:

1989 Mazda 323 Hatchback. In the family since new and recently handed down, this very low optioned (only A/C & Rear Defrost) 323 has been pampered to the extreme from day one. It is still on it's first set of replacement brake pads at 117,500 miles! This daily driver has become a budget project over the last 12 months and is nearing completion. The goal was not only to bring the cars mechanical, maintenance, and cosmetic status up to 100%... but also see how much "factory like" customizing, gadgets, and minor performance modifications could be done all for under $1000! The car is a blast to drive and is one of a kind. Here is a complete list of everything that was done to the car not including repairs and maintenance. Also included below is a picture of the car before the project was started.

Exterior:

55w driving lamps

Tinted corner lenses

Clear turn signal lenses

Custom Mazda type decals

Blacked-out lower front valance

Functional Ram-Air hood scoop (Yugo)

Blacked-out Mazda rear deck emblem

2 hood mounted turn signal indicators

Passenger side sport mirror

GTX upper rear spoiler

GTX front grille

Interior:

Dash mounted Tachometer

Nordskog digital Air-Fuel meter

Oil Pressure and Voltmeter gauges

Dual gauge pod (Regal-Cutlass console)

Cobra Radar Detector w/ VG2 Cloaking

Digital interior-exterior temperature gauge

Numerical color coded fuel consumption chart

Kenwood stereo CD with wireless remote

Kenwood and Blaupunkt speakers (4)

Uniden 16 channel scanner radio

5 Red LED theft deterrent lights

Black Rubbermaid floor mats

Mazda overhead map lights

Highlighted shift pattern

Mazda Center console

Aluminum foot pedals

Grant steering wheel

Bell sport clock

Performance:

GTX Anti-sway bars front & rear w/ poly bushings

Semi-gloss black Mazda alloy 14" wheels (RX7)

BF Goodrich Comp T/A tires - 195/60/14

Cone air filter w/ Ram Air Induction

Custom 2" exhaust system

Pictures:

Previously owned 1987 323:

Wiring Diagram:

These Mazdas are not like the cars from the 70`s, where those buzz fuse boxes has several open ports/terminals on the fuse box for extra accessories. Our 323`s have NO extra nothing! And what many people do is jam the wire into the fuse box together with a fuse on any given circuit. Not only does this look like crap, but is a big NO NO, and could be a fire hazard or short out one of your factory accessories by overloading it.

To be able to hook up additional accessories the right way, integrated into the cars factory wiring system, protected by the cars own system, and be a nice clean install with everything working right is a true art. You want to balance the current out evenly depending on what and how many things you are hooking up. I took advantage of my 323 being a low optioned vehicle, and used as many of the factory protected circuits as I could that were in close range.

I'm hoping this diagram we help some of you looking to install a few accessories, but were not sure on where to get the power source, or how to go about wiring it up in general. And whatever you do, NEVER tap into the 323 dash light dimmer circuit, it will blow the dimmer switch. If you want your accessory to light up when you turn the parking lamps on, tap into the parking lamp circuit.

Good luck!

Brian

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Last update 01.01.03