I swapped the SE rear end into my 83 - do I need to get the SE proportioning valve? I can keep my original master cylinder, correct? Will I have to find the prop. valve from someone off the forum? I noticed that neither Victoria British or Mazdatrix carry them...Or do they come with the master cylinder?

 

Master cylinder is the same.

Prop valve attaches near the master cylinder.

I've bypassed mine altogether. Rear brakes still hardly do anything useful...

 

Will i be sacrificing any braking performance if I use my original prop valve on?

 

hell with spending cash. Just do it!! got to bite the bullet sometime.

 

You're already sacrificing braking performance by switching to rear disc brakes that have rarely-if-ever-work calipers with built-in handbrake mechanisms. What's the difference?

 

i rebuilt the calipers...or do you mean they suck by design?

 

Are the drum brakes better than the 84-85 GSL GSL-SE disc?

What about the second gen conversion? I guess I'm asking is it worth upgrading the brakes to four wheel disc?

 

I've never driven a car with 4 wheel disc where the handbrake was part of the caliper, where the rear brakes did anything useful.

There is a damned good reason why heavy trucks use drum brakes... drums are more efficient than discs size for size, especially when you put the complication of a handbrake mechanism in there.

I get to drive nevarmore's car (a GS, not a GSL like mine) ever now and then in TSD rallies. It's so nice to drive a car where the rear brakes *contribute* to braking. 'Specially on gravel. His car, I would say, has more rear braking than my GSL does with *no* proper valve at all.

 

peejay~
so where does all the humbug comes from? i've seen it written in several places about the rears locking up being a problem. i've been driving these cars HARD for close to 19 years now and i've never experienced a rear lockup, but your comment has sparked curiosity.

 

Bringing it back from the DEAD!

Hey,

I just did a whole rear end swap from 83 GS drum to GSL-SE rear disk. In all these years that have passed. Do you guys recommend swapping out the proportioning valve? I have not swap out the proportioning valves yet, I went for a test drive after completing the swap and I have been getting some light dragging on the rear brakes. But I think it might be due to when I removed the GSLSE rear end from the car it had the e-brake up. I opened up the calipers last night and pushed in the pistons. But I havent gone for another test drive yet to see if the dragging stop.

Thanks,
Ernie