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Hey everyone! I recently got my hands on a 1980 rx-7. And with help from the rx-7 registry i found out i have a leather sport! I’ll link some pictures. The previous owners didn’t treat her so well so she’s in rough shape. But i have every intention of restoring it to her full glory. I found the original owner was someone by the name “nr74” I’m glad to be here!
SA22C 581467
Congratulations and welcome. Restoring the car would be a great, but realistically, a pretty long and pricy undertaking. It appears to be missing most of it's original LS parts and pieces. Not trying to discourage you, just speaking from experience.
There are all different levels of restorations and regardless of how far you want to go, it just takes time, patience and a stubborn belief that the end result will justify all the work, sweat and money you are pouring into the endeavor.
Well you've come to a good place to learn and get advice. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There is a lot of long term ownership knowledge on here to take advantage of.
Depending on how original you want ti to be, you'll need a set of "LS" B pillar badges, a set of gold waffles and powered mirrors. Does it still have the remote mirror control joysticks under the dash? Hard to tell, but it looks like it might have Rx-8 seats in it too. The LS interiors were all brown leather and very hard to find good replacements for now.
There are a few 1980, one year only parts you might be chasing too.
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new RX-7! It can definitely be restored but it appears as if all of the original Leather Sport items are missing. The LS wheels, badges and seats are definitely not present. Even the power mirrors are gone. Does it have the power mirror switch still? Does the car have the original spare? What's the build date on the car?
It would be great to see the car restored honestly. As Banzai stated, it will be tough to find the original parts, but it will be well worth it if you are able to restore the car!
Yeah, I’ve come to terms with not being able to find certain ls specific parts. Like the badges, waffle wheels. i Might be able to get my hands on some mirrors but with the whole yellow door thing im not sure if they will work.Ill check on the joysticks. Unfortunately it does have rx8 seats, they were installed terribly so im looking for some oem seats. Although i doubt I’ll find leather sport ones so i might go with some fb ones. Or maybe a comfortable aftermarket option. Dark Brown or black. I think i found some people who can restore the dash and if not I’ll clean it up and put a brown dash cap on it. It’s unfortunately such a car got to the state that it’s in but im constantly on the prowl for these oem parts. And ah i recognize you from multiple different post on here, it’s nice to meet you mazdaverx7. Love your ls it’s pristine! and hey let me know if you stumble upon some ls parts🤔
You can buy a set of waffle wheels and have them painted Solar Gold. That's all the LS wheels were and will be easy to duplicate.
The power mirror base will bolt directly onto the manual mirror door. The wiring in the door for the power mirrors may be able to be sourced from a later car. I can't say for sure if they're the same. Having the switch is the key part. It's as scarce as hens teeth.
The 81-83 GSL seats are very similar, if not the same. You can buy any color leather seats from an S2 and order the brown leather seat covers and re-cover them. Only the keenest of eyes will be able to tell the difference.
The LS badges will be like finding a needle in a haystack. I had a spare set but gifted them to a friend and fellow RX-7 enthusiast, 82TransAm. He's a friend and a fellow member here. If he's got them, you may be able to contact him and strike a deal.
I appreciate the compliments on my LS! It really is a nice car and its THE car that made me fall in love with RX-7's when I was a child. I have fond memories of looking at the car in a parking lot at a local drug store. It belonged to the pharmacist there. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever own that car! I'm wishing you the best of luck in your restoration. I would love to see your car brought back to its original condition!
After doing some digging, I was able to locate a picture shared by NR74 in 2007. The car was absolutely gorgeous then and had just under 80k original miles. I'm not sure what happened in the last 17 years, but whomever owned the car destroyed it. Doesn't appear that it was a Leather Sport, just that it was a Solar Gold 1980 GS. Still a rare and desirable color and still worthy of being restored!
10-06-24 | 09:11 PM
