stilettoman

iTrader: (1)

"I have to agree I would like to drive a V-8 rx7 every now and then but if I wanted a v-8 I would have used a nissan. But again everyone has a different outlook."

Well, I have both. Some days I drive the V8, some days I drive the 12a car. But I have to say the 12a car, which has 130HP to the wheels, feels pretty wimpy when I am used to driving the V8.

My original point was that the stock 84-85 GSL rear end is adequate for street use.

www.cardomain.com/ride/646433

rxtuner79

iTrader: (1)

i did find an '83 rear with LSD, driveshaft and e-brake cables, but i was told that it should be on the bottom of my priorities list. especially for $200. it just sucks because i was told i could find them for much cheaper, but i havent see them anywhere.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

$200 is not a bad deal.

MosesX605

Yeah, $200 is right in line with what I paid as well. Can't really expect it much cheaper.

rxtuner79

iTrader: (1)

i was told by a forum member that if it was over $100, than i should let it go for now.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

he probably just wanted it for himself.

stilettoman

iTrader: (1)

I was recently told by a local salvage yard near Seattle that they would not sell the rear axles out of a 84-85 limited slip rear end, because they can get $500 for the complete assembly, housing, diff and axles. And the guy told me that they do sell as many as they can get for that price. If you consider the price of an aftermarket limited slip for just about anything, or the cost of rebuiilding a Mazda limited slip, that is a reasonable price.

ChasRX

I am rebuilding an '83 GSL rear axle (w/ disc brakes and LSD), now. I can see how it can cost $500 to build it up using new rotors, calipers, brake pads and ss brake hose. Especially if you account for labor costs. I've got mine prepped and ready for the swap, but now I am considering doing the front rotors and calipers, too, while I am at it. If am doing the job, I want both ends to have pretty calipers!

rxtuner79

iTrader: (1)

is it a hard job to rebuild brake calipers yourself? because mazdatrix has new rear calipers for almost $175 a piece, but they have a rebuild kit for $32 that does both calipers. what is involved with rebuilding them yourself? should i just buy new ones?

newtorotorworld

Talk to jeffs automotive he has multiple rear axle lsd disc set ups for a decent price. He told me that i wouldn't have to change my master cylinder for the swap on my 85 gs. I think you can just swap it straight with longer hoses.

rxtuner79

iTrader: (1)

am i going to have to buy a set of these to go with the rear? http://www.racingbeat.com/FRmazda1.htm

if not, im getting an '83 gsl rear end with LSD, driveshaft, and ebrake cables. will i need anything else? im planning on buying hawke brake pads, but should i replace the rotors just to be safe? how about the calipers?

EDIT: the link doesnt bring you right to the page. go to the brakes section and theres a kit for brake lines for a '79 with an '81-'85 rear end.

peejay

They probably don't salt the roads where you live. Probably too cold for salt to melt ice most of the time.

Now don't get me wrong, I love rear disc brakes. It's like guaranteed work, every year I get to replace the brakes on most of my customers' cars, usually under warranty, but hey work is work. But I am obviously full of it, and all of those cars where the rear brakes quit working and the rotors literally rust like the Titanic because the pads never actually contact them anymore, are simply a figment of my imagination.

Meanwhile, the simple drum brakes on my Nissan can easily lock the rear brakes at 70mph with wrist pressure on the handbrake. And most disc setups I encounter are lucky to hold a car on a slight incline.

peejay

Not really. There's only so much heat you're going to be putting into the brakes.

My Nissan, again, to use it as a worst case example, has something like 8" solid disks in the front, and weenie drums in the back. And the prop valve is set to mostly-front in order to keep the car from swapping ends and causing all sorts of lawsuits, so it's really loading those front brakes which are smaller than the *rear* brakes on a GSL. Oh and the Nissan weighs more, 2470 pounds according to the same scales that weigh my GSL at 2400 pounds, same as what the IHRA official track scales at Norwalk raceway Park say, so it must be accurate.

Anyway. One of my favorite things to do is cruise along at 80 or so MPH, nail the brakes at impending lockup, almost to a complete stop, then go again. My tires look like circular saw blades because of this. But I've never faded them *once*.

Hades12

Those do the Change over for the thread pitch that MosesX605 was talking about, they make it easy but you can do it other cheeper ways.



go back to this member, Add them to your Ignore List and never take advice from them again. I sale just the LSD 3rd member for $150 when I can get them, Sold the last GSL Rear for 250 without the cables.



Make that an SA I am with you.






the rear end swap is not hard at all. 12 bolts and one nut one brake line and you are ready to pull the old one out.

Vin

I have a 1980 SA with drums.
I bought a GSLSE reaer-end with disks and LSD.
From what I have read here I will need the drive shaft from a GSLSE.
But, the differential carriers look exactly alike and the companion flangs also look the same. So why do I need the GSLSE drive shaft?
Thanks,
Vin

Hades12

If your shaft will bolt up then you do not need the SE shaft. It also means that someone else had changed the rear to an 84 85 before.

Vin

"If your shaft will bolt up then you do not need the SE shaft. It also means that someone else had changed the rear to an 84 85 before."

That sounds prosimsing.

Will I have an unfortunate gearing considering the little hp I have?
*12A (good compression)
*ISC exhaust system
*RB intake manifold
*Holley HP 4150 (390CFM) "Off Road Carb"
The carb flows about 500CFM.
*Cold air intake
*Under-drive alternator
*No rats nest
*No smog
*No A/C

Vin

promising

Fire85GSLSE

iTrader: (29)

Raise up the rear of your car. Take off the e-brake and spin a tire and watch the other side. If they spin the same direction then you have the gsl rear chunk (assuming you have rear drum brakes). If they spin in different directions that would make me wonder why the swapped a 80 non LSD for a 85 non LSD drum also.
Well like hades12 said, if your drive shaft bolts up use it. The 84-85 se drive shaft and rear end flange should be different than the 79-80sa.
I just swapped a 83 gsl LSD - disk brake rear end with a 81 non LSD - drum brake rear and had to swap drive shafts also as the flanges were different.

The only thing you can do is try it. You'll know real quick if it don't fit.

Hades12

The SE gearing will help. it is 4.10 where what you are taking out will be a 3.90.

Fire85GSLSE

iTrader: (29)

Find out what year the gsl-se was so you will know what rear end you have.
GSL-SE rear axle
84 - 4.083
85 - 4.077

Also if you find out that you had a gsl rear chunk in the car you can sell the chunk.

Vin

That all sounds good.
The GSL SE rear-end does have the same measurements as the current rear-end.
The GSL SE has disks
The GSL SE hopefully has LSD
The GSL SE hopefully has a better gear ratio

Thanks!
Vin

Fire85GSLSE

iTrader: (29)

Ok, lets clear this up,

The gsl-se rear end you have should be a LSD, well it did from the factory. You can check it by jacking up the rear and spinning the tires. If the both tires turn in the same direction when you turn one buy hand then you have a LSD. If one tire is turning clockwise and the other turns counter clockwise then you don't have a LSD.

Yes, the gsl-se rear end is the same measurement and disk.
All the 1st gen rx7's came with a 3.909 rear end except the GSL-SE's
which the 84 gsl-se had the 4.083 and the 85 gsl-se had the 4.077


Hope that explains it better

gonzz

I installed the whole gsl-se supension on my SA. I had to use a 84 or 85 driveshaft. Bolted right up. had to get a adapter fitting for the brake line., Other than that was easy.

Vin

The only part I was confused about was if my 1980 SA needed the GSL SE drive shaft for me to swap the rear-ends. The GSL SE rear-end and my 1980 SA look very similar: the differential carriers look exactly alike and the companion flangs also look the same. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Thanks,
Vin