s5 RX7 Hub/strut questions

[Lurkin]

Intention is to eventually have an ae71 track car.

Unlike every other car I've owned/ modified, I'm shopping round for all the parts first, then buying the car. Idea being that it can be modified immediately, rather than having to wait to find parts.

The original idea was to do ae86 hubs/ AJPS adaptors/ rx7 calipers etc.

However when I picked up the rx7 calipers, the seller was a champ and gave me the hubs, disks and calipers.

This has me thinking. Can I just use the s5 rx7 hubs, rather than bothering to switch to ae86 hubs (and avoid ae86 tax/ adaptors)?

Any idea of whether I would be able to get away with ae71 struts, or whether I would need rx7 struts + ae71 camber plates?

Could someone measure the bolt size and distance of an ae71 strut?

Lastly if anyone has buggered ae71 hubs locally (VIC, northern suburbs or city) or a front strut they are willing to depart with for cheap, pm me?

Ta

Roy

[slide86]

fd3s has COMPLETELY different suspension design to ae71......they dont run a macpherson strut setup. the only thing of use to you is the calipers.

im not sure how you think you will be able to use the hubs on a macpherson strut setup?

short answer is NO, the rx7 hubs wont even come close to fitting onto corolla struts.....in anyway. you need to buy ae86 struts and hubs, with modified rotors and caliper adaptors.

[Lurkin]

Series 5 is fc, not fd.

From what I can work out they did have a macpherson strut set up...

I'll go take some photos of the hubs, maybe that will help communicate what I've got.

[slide86]

yeah correct i was think of series 6 duel from link setup.

you are going to have to get a wheel bearing part number for the rx7, and get the ID of the bearing and see if it will work on the stub axle.......you also have to think about the depth of the hub, if it is too tall the outer bearing wont sit on the stub correctly either.

i think it will just be less of a headache to source the ae86 parts and adaptor

[Lurkin]

Dammit every time I try to upload a photo using the insert photo function it has an error! grr!

Not sure about these stubs, have been trying to google search to see what the bottom of ae71 struts look like -

these rx7 hubs seem to work much like this photo:



i.e. I'm just trying to work out whether the ae71 strut will have the same two bolt holes at the top of the hub at this stage.

[slide86]

errr no

thats not macpherson strut......which i was trying to hint at my first post. it seems that the setup you have is the same as an s13. there is no way you can adapt them to work on ae86/ae71 struts.......

which look like this:

[Lurkin]

Pretty sure its still called macpherson strut.

But either way - I see what you mean - the ae71 design uses a 'stub' axel, whereas rx7 uses a 'hub carrier' in one piece.

any ideas on the sizing differences of springs/ camber plates between the two? Looks like I'll get some rx7 struts and pair them with ae71 camber plates.

Do ae71 hubs still have a ball joint at the bottom/ tie rod end for steering etc in the same way as the picture above? (will try googling this in the meantime)

[Rice86]

AE71 struts would be same as AE86 in design.. and a total fuck around of a conversion + more money by the sounds of things for s5 Rx7 stuff..

you'll need camber top to suit AE71 and find out if it suit the Rx7 shocks
figure out springs and shock length in rx7 struts to suit ae71 chassis and your setup
what lower control arm to use?
what steering knuckle then tie rod end to suit steering rack..
what bushes and ball joints to use so it all gets held together..

or just go rx7 brake upgrade conversion on AE86 struts..or wilwood brake upgrade kit because direct bolt on = easy life