Looking for info..........

[Jim Oaks]

Hey all,

I'm looking for Mazda B-series specific information to put in a FAQ's thread here.

An example would be the Mazda taillights. You can't use clear lenses for a Ranger and you can't turn Ranger taillights upside down to make them work.

This actually came from someone asking me about taillights for a Mazda and I realized we needed to compile some Mazda specific info.

[prosnomonkey]

I owned a 1995 B-2400 for about two years, and here is what I found:

Tailight issue as mentioned by Jim

Most of the body panels are different between the ranger and the b-series and therefore not interchangeable. The front clips are completely different, headlights, bumper, fenders and etc are not interchangeable. Many people changed headlights and added clear corners to the ranger, but I was unable to do this to my Mazda because no one makes the parts. Additionally, the mounting points of many of the parts are unique to the Mazda and as such, no one makes aftermarket parts to fit. The upside of this is that if one is creative, has the parts, time and energy, some unique modifications can be done (no one else will have it because it can't be bought) but for the average shade tree mechanic (or one that lives in an apartment with no garage as I did) it will be difficult to upgrade.

As far as engine, transmission, suspension and mechanicals go, the Mazda and the Ranger are identical and therefore parts are interchangeable. Except the ignintion. My mazda had a distributorless ignition and thus ignition upgrades were unavailable, not to mention that there were eight spark plugs for four cylinders and the drivers side set were unreachable without removing a crapload of stuff. I don't know if this translated across the engine spectrum, though.

I wanted to put a new front bumper on the Mazda, but again there were no aftermarket upgrades (ie no winch bumpers). This was due to the front crumple zone on the frame. It had wrinkles built into it to absorb a front collision and aid in the deployment of the airbag. No safe place to bolt on a bumper, but if one is handy with a welder, it can be done although I think this will decrease the safety of the vehicle and may be illegal in some states.

Oddly enough, the interior is an exact replica of the Ranger,(despite the outside being just different enough to preclude easy modification) inlcuding seats, dash, radio and all the other goodies. Again, what you can do to a ranger you can do to the Mazda.

That is all I can really think of at this point, but I will add more if I remember.

Jeremy