protege5 with rx7 brake upgrade??

[twilightprotege]

i'm removing them to fit larger rotors inside my wheels. but i'm going to be making a smilar cooling duct like this : http://reganrotaryracing.tripod.com/cwcbrak.htm

but since you have the 4 pot calipers - pics pics pics

 

[flat_black]

PERfect, Lurch. =) I need to fit those calipers behind a set of 15's, too, so I'm REALLY interested in finding more out about these!

 

[70]

Cool, info...

 

[Lurch]

brake pics.

Here are the brake pieces for the RX7 conversion.

 

[Lurch]

RX7 brakes...

...and here are the rest...

 

[flat_black]

Hmm... Are you using the OE rotors there, or are those RX7 pieces?

From the looks of it, you changed that post on the control arm (I think that's what the first picture is), the hub, studs, wheel bearing. Also, the brake caliper mount is machined to some degree (Looks like you may have ground it down some, and/or bored out the opening) then threaded the caliper holes, if they weren't already, then persumably bolted it in place...

Could you do a writeup of how you did it basically? I'm kinda curious what you did to make the brake lines mate up, or if you just made custom ones, too. Very, very cool looking, though. =) I only pray for the day that I have some chunky 4POT's sitting behind my 15's. Hehee.

Oh, also, did this end up pushing the wheel outboard at all? It looks like it may have a few millimeters.

 

[Lurch]

What is required:

RX7 rotors--faced off on lathe
RX7 calipers--milled a little off mounting ears
Pads (duh)
Upright--pressed apart and the casting is milled, welded, annealed,
drilled, and tapped to accept caliper.
Hub has lip machined down on lathe.
Spacer--Custom. Made to fit over hub and under rotor. Has 2 step lip to
accomodate the rotor centerbore and the wheel centerbore.
A-arm--Outside radius around ball joint is ground down to provide clearance to rotor
ARP wheel studs--longer to accomodate extra thickness. Firbird/Camaro studs are
the right thread and knurl diameter. We just turn them down for correct
length.
Custom SS braided lines--made to length for your installation.
caliper bolts--shortened.
Wheel bearing--cuz the original often gets destroyed when pressing the knuckle apart.
Seal

As you can see, this isn't an hour's job, but a whole retrofit. It works wonderful, though.

 

[Lurch]

Hmm... Are you using the OE rotors there, or are those RX7 pieces?

From the looks of it, you changed that post on the control arm (I think that's what the first picture is), the hub, studs, wheel bearing. Also, the brake caliper mount is machined to some degree (Looks like you may have ground it down some, and/or bored out the opening) then threaded the caliper holes, if they weren't already, then persumably bolted it in place...

Could you do a writeup of how you did it basically? I'm kinda curious what you did to make the brake lines mate up, or if you just made custom ones, too. Very, very cool looking, though. =) I only pray for the day that I have some chunky 4POT's sitting behind my 15's. Hehee.

Oh, also, did this end up pushing the wheel outboard at all? It looks like it may have a few millimeters.

You beat me to my final post! Read the last post. It should clear things up. Yes, as I stated before, it widened the front track by 20mm...10 per side. We are now making the spacer out of aluminum and lightening it significantly. We took 4 lbs of unsprung rotating mass out of the assembly (both sides). I am working on an alum. rotor/hat assembly that would further reduce the weight and allow for larger rotors for tarmac spec. Another additional cost, tho (custom rotors, hats and bolts/nuts.)

Cheers,

Eric

 

[flat_black]

Wow, so I wasn't too far off in most of my assumptions! Cool. =)

Any chance you'll be able to offer these parts to someone *coughlikemecough* who wants to get those monsters on the Protege? Without having to have a machine shop in the garage, as well as a few stray chunks of billet aluminum, that is.

 

[Lurch]

Wow, so I wasn't too far off in most of my assumptions! Cool. =)


Any chance you'll be able to offer these parts to someone *coughlikemecough* who wants to get those monsters on the Protege? Without having to have a machine shop in the garage, as well as a few stray chunks of billet aluminum, that is.

We can make them on a limited basis, but we would need you to send us your the above parts minus the spacer and studs. You would be responsible for the brake lines, but I can give you a source.

 

[flat_black]

How much would this run me, so I can fit it into my budget? =) I'll probably have to find another set of A arms, hubs, uprights, and caliper bolts, so that'll take time, anyway. But let me know, and I'll plan for it accordingly. =)

 

[Lurch]

I'll work out a quote.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[melicha8]

Be careful guys those cooling fins you speak of my not be cooling fins. Judging from the thickness I think they may play a more structural role in the design of the caliper

 

[70]

I'll work out a quote.

Thanks,
Eric

Hmmm, sounds like a good idea.

I need to talk to you Eric...

 

[Lurch]

Be careful guys those cooling fins you speak of my not be cooling fins. Judging from the thickness I think they may play a more structural role in the design of the caliper

No, they're cooling fins. I've broken them off when I've had wheels explode on me.

 

[starflare21]

I'll work out a quote.

Thanks,
Eric

would it be possible to post a "general" price of what it might be for other people interested in this kinda project?

 

[Lurch]

would it be possible to post a "general" price of what it might be for other people interested in this kinda project?

Sure. I'll post as soon as I get the hours from my machinist (my pop). He's on vacation right now.

Thanks for the interest.

Eric

EDIT: Umm...is this okay with moderators? I'm not an "approved vendor" or whatever. Don't want to ruffle any feathers...

 

[starflare21]

EDIT: Umm...is this okay with moderators? I'm not an "approved vendor" or whatever. Don't want to ruffle any feathers...

well, you're not really selling me anything so i wouldn't think it'd be a problem *shrug*. i'd think of it more as a helpful price index guide for the community.

please keep us informed when yah can. thanks

 

[twilightprotege]

well i picked up my series 6 calipers today - does anyone have a good link etc for how to clean up 2nd hand calipers and get them ready for a new car?

 

[Lurch]

well i picked up my series 6 calipers today - does anyone have a good link etc for how to clean up 2nd hand calipers and get them ready for a new car?

Remove the pads, pins and springs. Thouroghly clean the exterior of the caliper with brake cleaner and a toothbrush (wear rubber gloves) taking care not to get dirt into the brake line hole (I plug the hole with a rubber vacuum cap). Disassemble the caliper. Break the bleeder screws loose very carefully so as not to break the screws (use penetrating oil if they are stuck), then remove and replace with new bleeder screws (Aluminum caliper and steel screws cause galvanic corrosion...add some brake fluid that attracts moisture and you have a recipe for rusty and easily broken bleeders). Use anti-seize lube on the bleeder.

Pull off the outer dust caps around the pistons (held on by circlips). Pull the pistons out (or blow them out with compressed air...can be messy, but you won't mess up the pistons) and inspect them for damage. Either scoring of the piston or rust on the piston behind the dust seal groove is bad...just replace the piston. Use a hook pick to pull out the old seals being careful not to scratch the cylinder near the seal groove. Inspect the cylinder (a dentist mirror might help) for scratches/score marks and hone if necessary (should be okay). Spray the inside of the caliper out with brake cleaner. Get a new seal kit from Mazda...this will include new seals, new dust caps and new circlips. The seals are pre-lubricated, so don't drop them on the dirty floor or they will pick up dirt. Push them into the seal grooves with your fingers. Clean up or replace the pistons as necessary and put them back in about halfway. Put the dust cap on the piston, push it in the rest of the way and install the circlips.

If the pins are in good shape, just clean them up with brake cleaner and regrease them with disk brake lubricant (not grease). If they are corroded (pad dust is corrosive) clean them up with fine emery cloth or sandpaper, regrease with brake lube and reinstall with your new pads, springs and shims taking care to put the shims on in the correct direction (arrow is the direction of rotation). The pins are plated and that plating helps fight corrosion, so if they aren't corroded, just clean them up with brake cleaner.

Done. Once you do it a time or two, you can rebuild them in less time than it took for you to read this.

Eric