Intake was the next problem. No matter how I looked at it, the stock filter was not going to fit. The 79 headlight door motors are right in the way, and I didn't want to open up that can of worms trying to reengineer that.
So, break out the welder, plasma cutter, and cut-off wheel. I opened the lower well beside the passenger side headlight motor, modified the airbox, and mounted the stock filter underneath, in all that nice open space in the front nose section. Yes the stock airbox went under there, but it took a lot of modifications to do it. It's protected from road crud by the passenger side lower sheetmetal. We now have a cold air intake. The filter is going to be a bit more of a pain to change than before though. I have to remove the lower panel and the fabricated (now removable) piece of the fenderwell to get at it. I just couldn't waste that new K&N air filter though. (What we won't do in the name of beauty.)
I then fabricated a box from sheet steel to connect the filter airbox to the MAF and used the stock plumbing to connect the two.
Trying to make it look like Mazda might have done it if the EFI had been available in 79. I think I came pretty close. Engine bay is rather cluttered right now, but will clean it up a little when I get around to paint.
Build03 by
GySgtFrank, on Flickr