I was thinking about the REspeed kit, and I dunno if they would fit. Reguardless of being 5lug.


Will the GSL rear brakes fit the waffles?


Keeping the 13" waffles is of utmost importance, as is upgrading to an LSD. Was thinking miata diff.

Do you have to upgrade the axles or pumkin or driveshaft w/ a drum/no lsd model to swap in the GSL parts?

 

Billys has the option of choosing differnt bolt patterns on the Moser axles, PM him for info. You can swap out a GSL rear end and keep the 13" waffles, I don't believe you can use an SE rear end though.

 

The ReSpeed kit requires min 15" rims to clear the larger rotors and 4-pot calipers.

But a stock GSL disc brake/LSD rear will definitely clear the -LE rims. So if you can get the rear end out of a GSL (not a GSL-SE, just a GSL) then you'll be all set with discs, LSD and your "waffle" rims.

If you've got drums right now you'll need pretty much the whole rear. There aren't provisions to bolt the calipers to yours, there is a difference between the way the drum bolts on and the way the caliper bracket bolts on. You could swap a GSL limited slip diff in and keep your drums if you don't have a full GSL rear end to work with. As long as it's from the same year you shouldn't have to worry about driveshaft or anything.

Jon

 

will the miata torsen fit the GSL diff?
Are the GSL and GSL-SE diffs the same size?

 

I went with a GSL diff for this very reason. Worked out great...

 

imo, no reason to spend high dollar amounts on aftermarket stuff when you can swap in a complete GSL rear end. its a bolt in swap. swap over the parking brake cables and the brake hose and you're good to go.

 

You can keep the drum brakes if you just replace the diffy with an 81-82 GSL 3rd member.

 

But why in God's name would you want to keep drum brakes!? lol.

The disc brakes made one hell of an improvement in my overall braking performance. That alone was worth the cost/effort of the swap...

 

the miata torsen fits the 84-85 big axe-well housing

the clutch type LSD's fit the small alex housings.

you want the stock gsl rear brakes to keep the waffles....

 

It might suprise many, but some guys in the race tech section that track thier cars feel that the drum brakes are superior. If properly maintained, they should perform as well as disc brakes, especially for street driving.

 

That is a very good statement..........If you are wanting the "grip" of the "pos", than all you need is the LSD from a GSL. This is the route I went with my SA track car. I find that I can brake a little later without upsetting the rear grip as much as my 83 GSL. As far as straight line braking, the 4 wheel disk is far better, but braking while cornering is a different story.

 

I was very surprised at the difference when I switched from drum brakes to discs.

I was expecting a noticable difference, but I really didnt notice a damn thing.
Dont really have anything too helpfull to add just thought Id throw this in here!

 

what kind of waffles are we talking about here?

 

Yep,drum brake shoes have a large friction surface area and require much less fluid pressure to generate stopping power because of the leverage advantage built into their design.They also make FAR better parking/E- brakes than discs, for the same reasons.
Where they fall short is in cooling ability when things get serious and needing adjustment as they wear.

 

Adjustment is a regular part of the maintinance, even the self adjusting ones. I remember my mother's 62 Ford station wagon. Our driveway was steep, as was the street. She always backed out the same direction everyday. The longer turning radius overadjusted the left rear drum, causing a braking bias and accellerating the shoe/drum wear on that side. For you youngin's that are only familiar with disc brakes, drum brakes adjust when backing up and applying the brake.

Steve makes a good point about the cooling, or lack of, on the drum brakes, this is thier biggest draw back for continuous high speed track braking.

 

rotary flavor.

 

yup 100% on that

 

but i've often wondered if the drums were "drilled" in combination with their fins, would they allow better stopping due to POSIBLE cooler stopping temps dues to the ventilation holes or would that be a worthless idea?

 

 

Its possible that might work,although every bit of iron you take away from the drum will reduce its ability to absorb heat.Typically,auto makers did the opposite and tried to ADD material to the drum,in an effort to increase mass and surface area,usually in the shape of cooling fins.Getting cooling air into the drum would be the most effective method for increasing cooling ability,removing as much of the backing plate as possible and replacing it with screen with cooling ducts aimed at them,would be a good start.

Heh,heh.....since when did drum auto-adjusters EVER work!

Every truck in my fleet has to have its rear drums adjusted manually.When the parking brake pedal goes to the floor,I know its time.The newer trucks with rear discs are a God-send.I regularly get over 100K miles from the front and rear pads no problem,while the rear drum trucks eat up a set of front pads every 30-40K.