besides rotors and calipers what else do i need to convert my rear brakes to discs?

 

complete gsl disc-to-disc and e-brake cable (just the section that clips to the brake calipers). I just did a complete conversion on my newly acquired GS about 2 weeks ago.

 

The drum and disc rearend housings are different.Theres no real reason to custom make a disc conversion to fit the drum rearend.Youll have to make caliper mounting brackets to fit the 4 hole pattern of the drum housing.The disc housing has caliper mounts built into it.

There are so many GSL rearend housings out there,its much easier to just swap the whole thing.Youll get all the parts you need with a complete swap,and youll upgrade to a limited slip differential too....

 

ya you definitly need the rear end out of a gsl-se...unless of course your car came with the option for disc brakes like my 81

 

...oh ya...this topic has been covered at least fifty times...you'll probably find most people now reluctant to give any help but "use the search bar"...tonnes of info guaranteed!!

 

Rear discs werent an option.They were standard equipment on the GSL.If you wanted them added on,you had to purchase the GSL,which meant you had to get all the other junk that was standard on the GSL.

Any 81-85 GSL rearend will get you solid discs and LSD....drop in mod.
The 84-85 GSL-SE rearend will get you bigger,vented discs and a lower gear ratio with LSD....its almost a drop in mod....the lug pattern is different,so youll have to change wheels in back.

 

well I don't know what to say then my 81 one is an 81 no gs...no gsl...no gsl se...unless they forgot the badging at the factory which I find unlikely...but my rex has never had a rear end swap...and came ordered with discs...so I don't know how you'd go about explaining the lack of badging?

 

There are no 81 GSL-SE, you have either a GSL or a converted GS with a GSL rear end.

 

Does your car have power windows? If so, then likely a GSL.

I have seen, albeit rare, GS models with rear discs and limited slip.

 

Apparantly,his is an S (base model) since he said its, "not GS...not GSL....not GSL-SE."
A base with factory discs/LSD would be a first (Ive never even seen a GS with discs,unless it was modded.)
Its easy to spot an S since itll have no options....no sunroof,no power,no cruise control,no nothing.

I have a pretty complete book on the history of the RX-7.It lists the GSL as the only version availible with disc/LSD, until the SE came out.
In fact,when Autoweek tested the GSL in 1981,they griped about the disc/LSD only being availible on the heavier luxury model, when sports enthusiats might want them as an option on the lighter,more sparten S or GS models.

 

I've gotta 83 S and it's got an LSD rearend. Drum brakes though

 

An 81-83 car doesn't have the typical badging. At most only the GSL had a small badge on the "B" pillar. The 81-83 S and GS had no badges.

 

Is there a brake balance controller that I'll have to adjust if I switch to the GSL-SE rear end?

 

No, no controller, but I was advised to swap the proportioning valve from the SE as well, so I did.

Rich

 

That valve controles how much braking power goes to the fron and how much to the back right? Where is that located?

 

Little silver unit next to the master cylinder.
Has some some hard lines going into and out of it.

Here it is......