I need a new rear end for my '79 1st. gen. It s making a lot of noise, kinda sounded like a bearing going at first, but now it sounds like the teeth are grinding on the gear.
Let me know if there is anything to fix this. (new rear-end preferably)

Thanks,
Mark

 

to expand your knowlege 79-80 are sa's. 81-85 fb's, i know i'm a smartass.

have you checked your fluid level in the rearend? when's the last time it was changed? go basic here first before you start dropping in parts. if its gears are gone though, it would be a good excuse to go lsd instead of open.

 

to expand your knowledge even more....

As jeremy says, SA stands for 1st Gen 79-80, FB's are 1st Gen's 81-85, FC's are 2nd Gen's and FD's are 3rd Gen's. The designation is
derived from the VIN number.

As far as your problem goes.... a grinding sound in your rear cannot be good. You might hafta start huntin' down a new rear. Here's a link with good info that might be helpful to your situation: http://www.mazspeed.com/axel.htm

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info. This is my first RX-7, so bear with me. And about the fluid level, your probally right. But, i think its too late for that now, Im pretty sure that evrything that was good either seezed, or is grinding away. I knew i shouldn't have done that last brake-torke, but hey, the girls liked it.....

 

To continue with this smartass thread...

Go Ford 9"

theoretically, even with fab work, it might be cheaper do to the abundance of cheap parts :p

 

+ tubbed and turboed so you can pull the front end up on hard launches.

 

If you aren't trying to upgrade to a later (LSD) axle, I've got a complete '79 SA22C ( ) axle I'll sell you the pumpkin out of. I put maybe 15k on it myself, including a 3500 mile trip to Canada without any problems. It's a one-wheel-wonder, but it works great. Drop me a line if you are interested.

If you are trying to upgrade to a later (better) axle, I just did that, and it totally changes the car (for the better!). It's not as easy as it should be, but it's not overly difficult either. Just make sure you get the parking brake cables, driveshaft, and watch out for the calipers and stuff if it's from a junkyard. You need EVERYTHING if you're upgrading, if you just want to replace the original you can swap in a pumpkin.

Armen
armenb1@juno.com

 

Did you cjeck the rear wheel bearings yet? It might be simpler and cheaper then you think.

 

All aussie 1st gens are designated SA22Cs :p

 

So how cheap??

I've got a locked Ford 9-inch under my 1st Gen and I find it pretty annoying (plus it's gonna kill my tyres in no time)... anyway, how much for an LSD centre (new or reco'd)?

 

i know for a fact its not the rear wheel bearings, the car always used to "hop" after a get-go from a dead stop. (sometimes, and its NOT my driving) but now, it hops evan worst. i went around a corner sideways and it just made a loud continuos clunking noise.

 

if you are talking about a mazda lsd, just hit the yards and see if you can find an se to do a swap with. otherwise you'll need to purchase from mazdatrix, etc. it will run you 5-6 hundred from there.

 

The Girlies will really like that. They'll be all over you.

Then you'll be like

An SE rear end is preferred because of the gearing (4.076) but really any GSL should do, as most have LSD as well, and the "regular" 3.909 gearing.

 

I was told that the rear end assembly (brake rotors, axles, diff., and all) from a 94-97 miata will fit and a FB car. They have disc brakes and a strong limited slip pumpkin.

 

Thanks for that, but what I meant was an LSD centre for the Ford 9-inch. I'm thinking that I might as well keep it all under there, but just change the locked diff centre to an LSD centre. Can anyone give me a rough ballpark figure for the LSD centre? Thanks again