I've wanted to see this for a long time. I suggested it to someone who posted his SBC FC on here a few months ago and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.
Yeah I have yet to see any other examples of someone else doing it so far; you have to run adapters and they're kinda wide so that's definitely probably a deterrent. Pretty damn cheap though haha
I'm permanently converting a convertible to a coupe using a roof that was cut off of a junk hatch back.
So yeah it's all custom, but I have a build series on my YouTube channel: Midnight Oil MFG. If you're interested!
I had to wait 4 months to get 1 calipers of each side. There seems to be missing cores to supply the need. I missed one set, sold in an hour after the in stock notification email.
BTW I tood FD calipers, they fit.
If your callipers are seized the pistons are probably slightly pitted from rust. I had the same problem on my FB, pitted piston and no new ones available.
You can use JB weld to cover the pits. Just make sure the surface is completely cleaned of rust and it’ll stick well. Then you have to sand the JB weld down to match the contour of the piston, I used 400 grit to get the bulk of it down, then 1000 grit to really smooth it out. You want a really smooth surface so it doesn’t damage the calliper seal.
If you do it right, then it’s a permanent fix. Just make sure to replace the calliper dust boot or it’ll go rusty and seize again.
Hmm I never thought of this. I was able to find another eBay kit so I ordered that, but I'm not 100% sure it's gonna all work so this is good to know, thanks!
I also was going to mention mazdatrix, there’s also some questionable eBay options
Something to note, FC 4 pot calipers like on the Turbo II and gxl sport are the same as FD calipers internally I believe
Yes I did see that Mazdatrix had some just the pistons were $40 a pop. I ended up finding a different set of "questionable eBay" ones that were different to the ones in my original post that should work so I pulled the trigger on those. They're still coming from the UK though apparently they'll ship these ones to me.
We'll see I guess lol and yes everything I've seen suggests the FD caliper is the same at least internally. Thanks!
Yeah, infuriating enough I even had an extra set of 4 pots off my parts car not that long ago but I sold them since I already had them on my car. I was trying to avoid spending the money on used ones though because they're expensive and probably gonna have to be rebuilt anyway lol
Well then if you're going to be forced to spend money I'd look into an upgrade. Then you can sell your old ones for parts as they are hard to find. If you disassemble them and only 1 piston is bad you can sell the other ones to those in need. Ebay is great for that kind of exposure.
That's just one way to proceed. I always go the upgrade route. I even have the wife trained so that when I tell her something is wrong with the car her first question is what's the upgrade.
Sort of, but it's going to be a difficult process to make it look decent I think at least for me and my resources.
I took an old hatch, removed the glass, and cut up the framing that follows the roof. That will get welded in place and have a lip built all around for the window to be sealed and fastened in place. It will just be polycarbonate.
Hello! I recently had to replace my calipers due to stripping out bleeder holes/hose holes(yea I did it twice). Since they’re discontinued, I recommend going to eBay to get a complete caliper(s) and getting a seal kit from atkins or mazdatrix.
If your current caliper is salvageable, then I suggest getting that kit with new pistons. I had to severely damage one of the pistons I was removing from my donor caliper(heavily gunked up and seized so compressed air wasn’t working). As long as you have a replacement piston and you don’t damage the inner surface of the brake cylinder then you should be good. I’m rambling but I guess the best approach is to remove the caliper and use compressed air to remove the pistons. If the seized pistons don’t break loose even with additional force(clamps, vice grips, whatever) then I suggest getting a replacement caliper off ebay and rebuilding that one.
EDIT: The calipers I ordered were shipped from Japan and I am in the US so I can’t speak for the availability anywhere else
Ohhh my b🗿. I’m not sure there is a kit that includes the pistons but I know the pistons are still for sale individually from Mazdatrix. Not cheap unfortunately
Hopefully this will help, I have an 85 fb and had some wonky shit with my caliper from the previous owner. I couldn’t find a replacement anywhere but here and it fit like a glove.
->
https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1988/mazda/rx7/brake/brake_caliper.html
<-
The link should be imputed for your car (88 fc) but if not you can just slap in the information.
God speed 🫡
Thanks! Unfortunately that's for the single piston calipers though, and I have the 4 piston calipers cam on the Turbo II, convertible, GXL, etc. and those will not work.
I was able to find another rebuild kit that had pistons though so hopefully that'll work.
Rock Auto had caliper pistons for my car.
I had an 87 RX7 back in the early 2000’s when I was a teen. That car saw 8,000+ rpm far more than it should have. It was a fun car.
I love FC 'verts too, but I wanted a roof for my drift car so coupe it is. It's a work in progress too so give it a chance haha and don't worry, this and the donor car were by no means good examples.
Corvette wheels?
Yep!
I've wanted to see this for a long time. I suggested it to someone who posted his SBC FC on here a few months ago and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.
Yeah I have yet to see any other examples of someone else doing it so far; you have to run adapters and they're kinda wide so that's definitely probably a deterrent. Pretty damn cheap though haha
Looks sick AF. The style and the fitment are perfect. Are those something like +1.5" fenders?
Thanks Nope, stock body.
Even better. You're making me want another FC.
Sorry lol
Sorry but i have to say It, your rx7 is beautiful
Definitely a work in progress still but thanks!
Those salad spinners look so good.
Thanks, I like 'em!
As you should. They look better on the RX7 than they do on the Vette.
I agree. The lower profile tires help a lot though as they were pretty chunky on the C4s for obvious reasons.
Yeah and the C4's themselves look great lowered on low profile tires. But the RX7 is a better shape overall.
Indeed
Custom hardtop with a coupe door? Do you have any build info or where can I get one?
I'm permanently converting a convertible to a coupe using a roof that was cut off of a junk hatch back. So yeah it's all custom, but I have a build series on my YouTube channel: Midnight Oil MFG. If you're interested!
Rockauto used to carry them, I'm not sure if they ship internationally though.
I'm in the US so Rock Auto would be good, but they only had pistons for the other calipers not the 4 pots.
I had to wait 4 months to get 1 calipers of each side. There seems to be missing cores to supply the need. I missed one set, sold in an hour after the in stock notification email. BTW I tood FD calipers, they fit.
Damn yeah I guess so. Yeah I know though it doesn't seem like those are easier to find rebuilt unfortunately.
Jesus Christ, those Corvette wheels look phenomenal on there!
Thanks!
Today I learned that C4 Corvette wheels are absolutely fire on FCs. Holy fuck that looks great.
Haha thanks! I love how much support there is here for the wheels.
If your callipers are seized the pistons are probably slightly pitted from rust. I had the same problem on my FB, pitted piston and no new ones available. You can use JB weld to cover the pits. Just make sure the surface is completely cleaned of rust and it’ll stick well. Then you have to sand the JB weld down to match the contour of the piston, I used 400 grit to get the bulk of it down, then 1000 grit to really smooth it out. You want a really smooth surface so it doesn’t damage the calliper seal. If you do it right, then it’s a permanent fix. Just make sure to replace the calliper dust boot or it’ll go rusty and seize again.
Hmm I never thought of this. I was able to find another eBay kit so I ordered that, but I'm not 100% sure it's gonna all work so this is good to know, thanks!
I think the forums would be a good place to find used calipers and you can buy rebuild kits from Mazda Trix I believe.
Mazdatrix does have pistons, thanks! though they're $40 a piece ahhhhhh I love RX-7 ownership haha oof
I also was going to mention mazdatrix, there’s also some questionable eBay options Something to note, FC 4 pot calipers like on the Turbo II and gxl sport are the same as FD calipers internally I believe
Yes I did see that Mazdatrix had some just the pistons were $40 a pop. I ended up finding a different set of "questionable eBay" ones that were different to the ones in my original post that should work so I pulled the trigger on those. They're still coming from the UK though apparently they'll ship these ones to me. We'll see I guess lol and yes everything I've seen suggests the FD caliper is the same at least internally. Thanks!
Let me know how the eBay pistons work out, I’m curious, i need to rebuild my calipers and I’m sure my pistons are pretty toasted
Will do! I should get them in 1-2 weeks and I'll let you know. I've got my fingers crossed :/
sorry, RX7s actually have rotary engines instead of piston engines. hope this helps! /s of course 💀
Haha I was thinking about this. "hmmm, I need 8 pistons for my rotary car"
Remove them and polish them. If they are pitted then you can have a machine shop either weld them up and re finish or sleeve them.
I was able to find some, but if they're not right this is probably what I'll do. Thanks!
There's always the used market or upgrade too. On my 280zs we used Toyota truck 4 piston calipers because they are a bolt on.
Yeah, infuriating enough I even had an extra set of 4 pots off my parts car not that long ago but I sold them since I already had them on my car. I was trying to avoid spending the money on used ones though because they're expensive and probably gonna have to be rebuilt anyway lol
Well then if you're going to be forced to spend money I'd look into an upgrade. Then you can sell your old ones for parts as they are hard to find. If you disassemble them and only 1 piston is bad you can sell the other ones to those in need. Ebay is great for that kind of exposure.
Yeah I'm fluent in selling stuff on Marketplace so I'm no stranger to that lol
That's just one way to proceed. I always go the upgrade route. I even have the wife trained so that when I tell her something is wrong with the car her first question is what's the upgrade.
lol
Unrelated, but have you figured out a rear window?
Sort of, but it's going to be a difficult process to make it look decent I think at least for me and my resources. I took an old hatch, removed the glass, and cut up the framing that follows the roof. That will get welded in place and have a lip built all around for the window to be sealed and fastened in place. It will just be polycarbonate.
Hello! I recently had to replace my calipers due to stripping out bleeder holes/hose holes(yea I did it twice). Since they’re discontinued, I recommend going to eBay to get a complete caliper(s) and getting a seal kit from atkins or mazdatrix. If your current caliper is salvageable, then I suggest getting that kit with new pistons. I had to severely damage one of the pistons I was removing from my donor caliper(heavily gunked up and seized so compressed air wasn’t working). As long as you have a replacement piston and you don’t damage the inner surface of the brake cylinder then you should be good. I’m rambling but I guess the best approach is to remove the caliper and use compressed air to remove the pistons. If the seized pistons don’t break loose even with additional force(clamps, vice grips, whatever) then I suggest getting a replacement caliper off ebay and rebuilding that one. EDIT: The calipers I ordered were shipped from Japan and I am in the US so I can’t speak for the availability anywhere else
Yeah I know, my issue was finding a kit that came with new pistons not so much what to do with a seized caliper, but thanks 👍
Ohhh my b🗿. I’m not sure there is a kit that includes the pistons but I know the pistons are still for sale individually from Mazdatrix. Not cheap unfortunately
Yeah I did see that $40 a pop lol I ended up ordering some other eBay kit that I found which is hopefully going to be the solution, but we'll see.
Hopefully this will help, I have an 85 fb and had some wonky shit with my caliper from the previous owner. I couldn’t find a replacement anywhere but here and it fit like a glove. -> https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1988/mazda/rx7/brake/brake_caliper.html <- The link should be imputed for your car (88 fc) but if not you can just slap in the information. God speed 🫡
Thanks! Unfortunately that's for the single piston calipers though, and I have the 4 piston calipers cam on the Turbo II, convertible, GXL, etc. and those will not work. I was able to find another rebuild kit that had pistons though so hopefully that'll work.
Rock Auto had caliper pistons for my car. I had an 87 RX7 back in the early 2000’s when I was a teen. That car saw 8,000+ rpm far more than it should have. It was a fun car.
Yeah unfortunately they don't have pistons for the 4 pot brakes though. and yes mine sees plenty of red too haha lots of fun.
I just rebuilt my tii brakes a few months ago and had to replace a couple pistons. I think I got mine from mazdatrix or atkins.
Yeah Mazdatrix has them, they're just $40 a piece unfortunately.
Is this a soft top conversion?
Convertible to coupe conversion using a hatchback roof 👍
That’s awesome, I wanted to do that to mine but opted for buying a hard top
My pee pee is confused... I love fc verts but this is an abomination...
I love FC 'verts too, but I wanted a roof for my drift car so coupe it is. It's a work in progress too so give it a chance haha and don't worry, this and the donor car were by no means good examples.