broccolini

I just bought this car. It ran well enough to make it home without killing me, so that's good. The person I bought it from said the rear passenger side caliper was dragging and making a clunky noise. He said he took it in to get fixed, but there was an issue getting the parts. Despite the noise and clunking, the brakes worked well enough to stop the car.

I'm going to take it in to have the brakes looked at/serviced as needed. Do they not use standard, readily available calipers? Should I expect some difficulty sourcing parts?

I'd like to do more of the work on the car myself, because that's what makes project cars fun, but I'm concerned that my lack of experience will cause problems. I'm sure I can follow instructions and I like working on things. I replaced the brake pads on my '88 when I had it without any issues. I'm just worried that there are things I wouldn't notice are worn or broken. Brakes seem pretty straightforward to me, but are there parts that should be checked for wear or replaced while the wheels are off?

Like I said, this first time, I'll be letting professionals do it so I don't die. But later, as I learn more, I'd want to do it myself.

Thanks for any info.

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

You can still get the rear calipers but they have been known to not be available.

I just checked RockAuto and they have some in stock. They aren't cheap and my suggestions would be to grab them while they are still available.

It's really easy to change calipers and pads. The hardest part is getting the car on jack stands.

1985 MAZDA RX-7 1.3L R2 Caliper | RockAuto

broccolini

Thanks. Does it make sense to get all 4 or just both rear ones? Are the front ones more readily available?
Also how do I know if the rotors need to be machined or replaced?

I just cleaned out the interior of the car and it's in way better shape than I thought it would be. It seems to be complete and mostly undamaged. Some plastic bits on the door are chipped and somebody cut out the plastic part of the bin behind the driver's side but that's about it. The maroon interior might be growing on me.

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

Before replacing the caliper, validate if they are bad. As long as they are not leaking and the pistons spin in/out, they are good. The pistons on these screw in, unlike most that push in.

As for the rotors, there is a minimum thickness that can be measured with calipers.

This will give you all the information to do the job: http://foxed.ca/rx7manual/manuals/19...11)braking.pdf

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

broccolini

I have the original manual for the car and also the Haynes manual. The Haynes manual doesn't seem to have much GSL-SE specific information. (I just flipped through it, so I could be wrong)
Is there anything better for the GSL-SE or will I find everything i need in there?

I have calipers and a dial indicator that I use for my woodworking machines. But I do like that clamp mount for the dial indicator. Thanks for the link. Mine has a magnetic base.