alright, i've read like 3 different tutorials and searched quiet a bit, but there a bunch of different variations. i'm keeping the 1.6 calipers. some people suggest swapping caliper sides, flipping the brackets upside down, only reversing the fronts, and not swapping any sides... whats the right way to do it?

 

You're going to swap the front brackets side-to-side. It's pretty obvious when you're doing it. Nothing else needs to be done, aside from trimming or bending the rear shields.

 

thank you very much
edit: i see what you mean about it making itself apparent, instead of worrying about sides, you just use the one that fits... pretty easy... assuming one of the caliper bracket bolts doesn't decide to not move even with *really* tough love.

 

update:
snapped a slider pin that was completely rusted in, YAYYYYY!!!!!

any suggestions on how to fix it short of getting a new caliper?

p.s. to future upgraders, save yourself a lot of trouble, grind the rear dust shields, don't bend them unless you have a heat gun. i managed to pull one off well, before i sourced a grinder, the other i ended up whacking with a mallet one to many times and isn't seated quiet properly any more. don't hit with frustration, in fact, use a mallet as little as possible.

 

whoops.

 

whoops indeed, looks like a new caliper is in the works. another week on jackstands .

 

is that just the bottom bolt if so just get a new one at ace etc. make sure its grade 10 or better though

 

no, its a completely rusted in slider pin, tried wd40 with a vice grip and a mallet, no cigar.

 

More info needed. Was it the threaded slider, or the fixed one? Front or rear? Motorsports lists the threaded slider, p/n BW0H-26-998A rear '97, ~$5.50, p/n 8173-49-114 and 8239-49-114 front '97, a lil over 3 bux each. Also for the front, check out p/n NAY5-33-26Z, again '97, it looks like a whole kit of sliders, boots, caliper seals, bleeder boot, $43 per.

Check on your own to make sure, though. Trick may be to get the broken parts out, I think. Going forward, these should be a regular maintenance item, I'm sure you know. My two cents, if it was that frozen I'd do the calipers. I had one weeper when I just got the car, right before a track event. I changed my tampon and did all 4 calipers for personal safety.

 

it was the rear right caliper larger upper slider pin, the one you thread first and then insert after a good lube, its the fixed one. its a car with a lot of miles, and i guess the rears weren't touched. it snapped when i was attempting to "pull off" the 1.6 caliper bracket and is completely stuck inside the caliper. i could give a flying **** about the slider pin and the bracket, i've got a spare and an upgrade, it's the caliper thats the pita.

 

Yeah, I would think that the cali will be pretty galled when/if you can get the pin out. Def new caliper here.

 

well, i guess worse things have happened; for instance, having that caliper lock up on a freeway on ramp.

 

On a side topic, does anybody run their rear pads without backing plates and those springy things?
if not, I think my miata is trying to slowly kill me with tiny frustrations.

possible partial answer: i was worried it was used for more evenly distributing load.

 

get some of the blue spray on stuff if noise is a concern imo it works great.