First spark plugs, now brake parts are becoming even rarer. Prices for rotors and drums have increased, or they're just not being stocked. And I mean just good, aftermarket replacements. At RockAuto.com selection is becoming limited or everything is limited quantity.

Our cars need to be categorized as classics soon or a 4x114.3 conversion is in my 7's future.

 

its been getting this way for years now with more and more parts getting discontinued by Mazda and aftermarket oe replacement parts prices getting higher and the parts harder to find.

 

That is why I go to the junk yards and grab stuff when I see one. Parts are getting scarce. I just tried and go to the local parts house and upper strut mounts and the are being discontinued. Rock Auto to the rescue.

 

I know. It is really sad. It got my 1st Mazdatrix catalog in '97 (still have it). I remember pricing out the rubber moldings around the car because I wanted to replace them whenever I got the car painted. At the time, it was like $300 for all of them. I thought that was crazy expensive for some rubber strips, so I passed. Now the things cost close to $1000 for the set.

Many engine parts (like rotor housings) have gone WAY up in price or are NLA.

We are kind of stuck in an odd position right now. The cars are old enough to where Mazda no longer wants to carry the parts. Also, the cars are typically not valued high enough for people to spend the $$$ that a lot of the new OEM parts are listed at. This reduces demand and make it so that Mazda discontinues even more parts. We also haven't really reached that classic status to where the value of the cars increase to where people spend a lot of bucks to restore the cars. Because of this, there is no aftermarket for restoration parts.

For now, it is best to just get the parts you think you may need. You don't know how long they will still be available and prices will only go up. Don't expect to continue to be able to get cheap used parts too. As the new OEM stuff dries up, there will be more demand for used parts. Once these cars achieve true classic status, there will be fewer cars parted out and the ones that do get parted will fetch much higher prices.

 

Won't be long now, and we may have to start getting creative. Finding parts from other cars that will work as replacements on ours.

I'm just glad Billy is around, so we won't have to worry about performance parts so much.

 

So it's not just me.

I don't think that's a good idea for brake stuff.

The lack of 12A housings is the reason I went to 13B for my rebuild. I just thought wear parts like brakes would still be manufactured. Window seals, strut tops, and such don't need to be replaced regularly.

 

I went to MAZDA on friday, looking for brake drums, NLA.

 

Forget drums. The disks conversion brackets are done. Just working up the rest of the conversion and then they will be available.

-billy

 

Freakin sweet. I will get those after I get your sway bars!

PS Do you guys make heavy duty sway bars?

 

the front one is probably the best sway bar you can get for a first gen. its next on my list

do a brake conversion. convert to gslse or fc

 

ooh.. I'm interested to see the pictures.

 

You can go and get brake calipers from the junk yard and rebuild them. I have a couple of them sitting on the shelf now. They still sell the kits. Brake pads I would not recommend but the mechanics on this forum know what I mean about grabbing the useful stuff. Common sense is common right?

 

At least you guys can get parts from junk yards etc.

We have NONE over here, so finding cheap 2nd hand parts can be VERY hard.

That said it's easier to find some stuff new or ex japan over here also.

Which is why i'm always happy to try find parts over here for you guys as I occasionally need some parts from the USA.

Cam...