Hey, all! I have a 1985 Mazda RX7 GSL 1.1. It is the stock engine with no modifications. It needs all four brake calipers replaced. Front left was easy to find and has been repaired. I just ordered the two rear and hopefully won't be told they are out of stock, which has happened twice now. The REAL struggle is the front right. A few days ago, one popped up on Parts Geek and I snatched it. It hasn't arrived yet but I have now realized that I purchased the caliper listed for the 1.3 engine not the 1.1. Will I be able to make that one work? If not, any leads on where to find the correct one, including junkyards? If I had a spare, I could send it out to be refurbished. Thanks for the help.

 

Not much help now that you've ordered them but how do you know they need replaced and not just rebuilt? New seals, bleed screw, etc. AtkinsRotary sells the rebuild kits, but you could probably find them cheaper elsewhere.

I don't know a lot about later model first gens, but I'm pretty sure, as long as it's a single-piston caliper, that they're all the same from 80 to 91. The only different one is from 79.

There are all kinds of differences on the rear ones, though.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough to work on the car myself, so I have to trust what my mechanic is saying. I think the part could definitely be rebuilt but since the car is my daily driver, I'm not able to be without it long enough to have that done. My intention is to hopefully replace the caliper and then send my original one off to be refurbished so that I will have a spare for the future. In regards to the front calipers being the same from 80 to 91, that's not the info I've been finding - but it would be great if that were true.

 

The rebuild kit Atkins sells for single-piston calipers is for 80 to 91. They don't sell a kit that would tell us there's a difference between the 1.1l or the 1.3l front calipers you're talking about. As far as the internal seals go, they're the same. Whether they mount to the car the same or not, I couldn't say.

Good luck, though. I hope it works for you.

 

Welcome to the forum 1985RX7MPLS! If the right front caliper you ordered from Parts Geek is part #8600-05112870, it's identified as for use on a 13B Rotary on their website. Always use the "identify your vehicle" option when shopping for parts because it can save you a lot of headaches. You will no doubt become proficient in the art of searching for an purchasing parts online now that you own a twenty-six year old car that needs "hard to find parts." Google, YouTube, Amazon.com and eBay are also very valuable resources good luck and enjoy the RX-7 experience.

 

Mmmm, ugh, 36 year old car but thats a typo I'm sure Chief.

OP, trying to daily drive a car this old is crazy. You need another car and you need to work on it your self. That mechanic will bleed your wallet dry and for good reason. Nothing will be easy fix or easy to get parts for in general. 20 years ago, not so bad. Now its become a challenge.

 

It's been my daily driver for four years without any major problems and I'm not going to learn how to work on it. Like all gas-powered cars, it's time on Earth is limited. I'm enjoying it while it lasts. But thanks.

 

Just so you know, your old calipers have value to other RX-7 owners. Rebuilding them is easy but fiddly. Someone here would likely buy them.

 

OP you might have already gotten the info you were looking for, but here's my reply.
The 1.3 front caliper you ordered will NOT work on your car. It is for a GSL-SE model and is larger with different bolt spacing. You should return it.
I have both front calipers off my '85 S that will fit your car. They both worked fine when I removed them last year. if you want them for rebuilding PM me.

 

Typo indeed, I should have previewed the post.