riffraff

i know that the struts on the 79-80 are shorter than those on the rest of the first gens. what needs to be done to be able to mount tokico ajustables on a first series seven? can i simply cut open the struts, shorten them, and then weld them back shut? can i put control arms from a second series on? any ideas?

thanks

moremazda

iTrader: (4)

The easiest way is to just swap in the strut assy. from the 81-85's. Be sure to include the later brakes as well.

Ryan

riffraff

what is included with the assembly? and what is the difference in the breaks? i know that i have drums in the rear right now, that i want to eventually swap out for disks. but is there any other differene?

yayarx7

First of all the 79 and 80 front struts and brakes are different than the later year models. The disc were not vented and the calipers were of a lesser disign if I am not mistaken.

The rear assembly is pretty much the same across the line. The GSL rear disc limited slip diff and the beefier 84 and 85 models being the exeption. (not even mentioning the GSL-SE suspention and brakes.)

to swap out the fronts to later model assy you will need the strut, spindle and brakes(disc, bearings, calipers, mounting brackets.) The easyiest way would be to get the whole intact assembly out of a junkyard. unbolt the four strut bolts at the top and the LCA and tie rod at the bottom, remove the brake line and take the whole thing.

There may be differences in the brake line fitting thread pitch so you might want to snag those also (SS brake lines???)

Good Luck

moremazda

iTrader: (4)

Well the brake caliper for 81-85 is a sliding single piston, you have the wedge calipers.

The brake rotors, I am unsure of the detailed differances. I do know that the 81-83 have the same bearing and spindal sizes, and the 84-85 have their own spindal and bearing sizes, but with 84-85 you have the choice of the -SE brakes, which are a different bolt pattern (4x114.5?), and a better brake caliper.

For the rear brakes look at any year GSL for the 4x110 bolt pattern and the 84-85 GSL-SE for the 4x114.5. The GSL-SE has a 4.11 gear while the GSL has 3.939 gear. You will also need the drive shaft to put these rear-ends in your car.

The front strut assembly is the strut from the 4-bolt strut top to the ball joint mount on the control arm and everything attached to it. Including the brake line.

When you go to do the swap you should do both the front and back at the same time. Since your car is the 79-80 you will also need to grab the brake lines for the front since the thread pattern on the calipers is not the same as the later years. My advice is try to find a GSL-SE a pilfer the suspension off of that. You will have beefer discs (vented rears) and stronger front calipers. You will also have a more common bolt pattern for an ifinite selection of aftermarket wheels.

Good luck
Ryan

riffraff

thanks for you help everyone..
i am hoping to do the swap in a month or so.. just trying to get my barings together, as far as ho much work (expense) it will take

riffraff

if i were to do a complete swap from an se, all aftermarket parts would then have to corrispond to that year, correct? i.e. struts, springs, sway bars, etc...

moremazda

iTrader: (4)

Well the only differance in the suspension aftermarket is going to be the front struts. But that is way you are doing the swap in the first place. Also the brake lines should match the year of suspension you swap in. Everything else will be "unversal" between all of the first gens

Ryan

riffraff

i guess my question on fit was directed more towards the springs. i didnot know if the front springs are universal or not

yayarx7

Yup. spring rates as well as design were unchanged thoughout the 1st gen run.