It's been snowing for a couple of weeks, so time to get Blackie up in the air, and swap on the fresh suspension bits. Because it's a street car, I have gone with stock rubber for the bushings, wanting to keep a quiet, hopefully supple feel for the car. The steering rack had been de-powered by the PO, but the pinion was not welded, so I'v sent that off to a guy in Pa., who tig welds the pinion, while set up on a lathe, so he can keep it true, and un-warped. New Le tie rod ends will go back on, and rack spacers to help with the bump steer. Stock rubber bushings are so damn expensive, I kept searching, and figured out it was cheaper to buy all new A-arms, with bushings and ball joints installed, than just getting the bushings, so other than the rear lower arms, she will have all new suspension. Swapped out the front hubs for a set of the Mazda Sport hubs, which seem not to be the great solution they were hoped for by the track guys, but are beautifully made, and will be fine for my street car. And I got them new, for a great price from a MT member who elected to go with stronger hubs. Also had a chance to get a set of used Paco cowl brace arms (thanks devious!) on MT, so those are now on. Front half of the car is finished, other than the rack install, so I can start in on the rear.

Blackie gets new diff, fresh suspension, and brake booster/MC
 

In the last few weeks all the A-arms have been replaced, along with the rubber bushings, (cuz she's a street car). A low miles MSM 4.1 Torsen, axles and driveshaft have been swapped in place of the original 4.3, and I'm installing a 15/16ths MC, and booster from a '05 MSM to get a little better brake feel.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a42e6be762.jpg
Out with the old viscous 4.3, and in with the much fresher MSM 4.1 Torsen
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...24c28f800d.jpg
The original '93 standard MC, and booster.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2d20610eb4.jpg
Slight issue in swap, is the lack of two front MC ports on the bigger MC.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9faf740a02.jpg
Bigger MC and booster installed; just lacking a line to feed the "T".

One odd thing in this swap is that this is the first "metric" car I'v worked on that has metric brake line fittings, but with inverted flare line ends. I'v only ever seen the bubble flare metric lines. Is this a kind of one-off for Mazda's, or have I been leading a sheltered automotive life? Pretty sure the Mazda 10mm 1.0M fittings are identical to a SAE 3/8's-24 fitting. I'm thinking to get the inverted flare ends I need, I will end up asking for a US spec, SAE 3/8's-24, which seems somehow wrong, a forboading vibe. Guess I'll learn more at the parts store, but welcome being enlightened by you guy's! Anyway, one the brakes are blead, she's pretty much ready for next Summer.

Inverted flare is pretty normal around the world.

From my 99 MX5, to my 82 Mazda 626, even to the 79 Holden Kingswood my fiancee owned for a while.

All had inverted flare. (the kingswood was one of those annoying ones built at the crossover, so some bolts were metric, and some imperial)



I've never seen a bubble flare in person

Pretty sure they wont fit, or at least they'll fit but the threads will be different and gall.

Are metric fittings not available locally?

I'll go to the parts store tomorrow and find out. Lots of past projects were Porsche's, and they all have bubble flare ends, as well as the VW stuff I'v messed with. Possibly it's a German thing, that I have mistakenly assumed was all metric. M10 brake fittings and 3/8's-24 do have the same thread size and count. Or damn near, as M10 has 24.5 threads per in. vs. the SAE at 24. Tomorrow will tell.

Euro cars, especially Vw/BMW/Mercedes often seem to do things strangely compared to the rest of the Metric world.

I had the misfortune of owning an MG for a while (2002 MG ZT), which was built when they were owned by BMW.

While all the threads were metric, it was full of annoying proprietary bolt heads and fittings (granted, I never needed to to brake work on that, in typical MG fashion is broke and I sold it for just above scrap value)

Well, right your were, so that made it easy, but had to ditch the stock banjo fitting I'd retained; there is not enough surface on the 15/16's MC for crush washers to seal against, so will have to back and get another new line tomorrow.