Mazda Rotary Club

right told bit in blue circle below is "carrier" & it is a bit bent & needs replacing which is does look more bent than other side, out of interest is this just a bolt on part or is it welded?
Also would this on it\'s own explain the reason bloke was having so much difficulty getting the strut off or would/could this be related to sumin else, or any thoughts?
Would this explain the slightly funnt aligned bit in the red circle below.
Looking at needing the carrier, wishbone, possibly top wishbone & antirollbar, all of these & anything else sound cunning? & if MAzda didn\'t have them readily available anyone know of anywhere which definately has such bits, yes i guess Ross etc will be best bet to call if needed but any thoughts etc greatfulyl needed......
Cheers
Si

carrier? :

looks like the anti roll bar bracket to me

pass, it\'s the front passenger side if that helps any knowledgeable types at all....?
Si

is that sumin people upgrade i recall talk of improved roll bars etc but didn\'t know full spec of bits or otherwise?
Cheers
Si (desperately after car bits )

now i think about it i think fella did call it anit rollbar carrier......
But any more roll bar or other info keep it coming..
Si

I think they are easilly damaged and people uprate them from what I remember reading somewhere on here

having a quick look does this re amemiya strength bar (http://www.dragonperformance.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?intProductID=43) totally replace my potentially bent bits/antirollbar then?
Any idea offhand if so how much more that is than a standard Mazda part or any other options?
Cheers
Si

that looks very much like a solution ... no idea if its cheaper than Mazda bits ... wouldn\'t suprise me !!

i\'ll find out tomorrow wot story is with all the prices & availabilities then but cheers for yer help so far Mike.....
Any ideas on the likely state of the wishbones or whether the rollbar thing alone would/could lead to the problems getting the strut itself off?
Si

It is the anti roll bar carrier and bottom radiator mount.The anti roll bar bolts to this bracket and the bracket bolts to underside of chassis rails,IMO very poor design.Looking at pic above where roll bar link is out of line, i would say the bracket is bent for sure.This could cause car to handle differently,wear tyres unevenly,pull too one side and if bent excessively could cause the trouble with removing the strut.
 Best thing to do IMO is to replace parts you know are damaged then have the car lazer wheel aligned which checks camber,castor,toe,everything basically.Car must of taken a pretty serious knock to bend that bracket,what else is bent????????????? Strut/shock could be bent also,even the slighest bend which is not visible to the eye could/would cause these problems.Suspension is really quite delicate,even a slight clip of a kerb cornering too tight could knock it out of line,but you wouldnt be thinking of that when your trying to find the problem cause it was just a slight clip of kerb.
  Hope this helps????????

Regards

Gary G

Gary (engages stupid mode) when you say roll bar link + bracket are you referring to the bit in the red or blue circle?
Current plan is i\'ve ordered some wishbone bits from Ross incase they\'re mullered & for the primary bent bit taking one of the RE-Armemiya strengh bar things which has all the mounts on it, since this is a an on to the roll bar rather than a replacement you reckon the roll bar itself will be OK & it;s just the mounts that will of bent?
Struts already replaced although nothing obviously up with the predicesors....
Will be getting the full alignment treatment anyway but any other thoughts or plans would be good...?
Cheers
Si

Bracket in blue,roll bar link in red.The roll bar link has bushes top and bottom so will give to a certain point.Roll bar itself is quite difficult to bend so unlikely that it is damaged from a knock.Normally it is the roll bar links that give first being the weakest link.Roll bars are normally mounted directly to chassis,rx7 has these brackets at front(blue circle)which are also quite weak,and being solid mounted(no bushes)will bend as they have no give like roll bar link.
  It is difficult to know sometimes which part is bent causing the problem,a slight bend at one end that is hardly visible will make other end way out of alignment.Replace parts that are obviously damaged,after that it is process of elimination really,the cheapest part being the first you try.If possible borrow brackets and links to try,replacing them in turn.Once you know what is damaged buy just the parts you need,not the lot!!!!!!!!!!
  Hope this helps,if you need more detailed explanation PM me your phone number and i will try and explain it by phone.

Regards

Gary G

Cheers Gary well the well the actual flimsy mount is definately mullered so already now got bits WIP to sort that out, but glad you mention the roll bar link as this hasn\'t been sumin mentioned so i\'ll get on the case & see how much mazda want presuming they have them....
Si (bends over for nice mazda prices lol)

Re Amemiya strength bar would replace only bent brackets,not roll bar(unlikely) or roll bar links to bottom arm.Looks good though,eliminates weak link in brackets and together with uprated roll bar would improve the handling no end.
  Example of trouble trying to find bent part/problem..........

A friend of mine crashed is Rx7 hard in the front,panel work was replaced/straightened using lazer alignment jig.Car was fitted back together,fitted original subframe as looked fine,fitted engine which went in ok but just looked different for some reason,seemed to be sitting out of line front to rear of car.Carried on putting car back together,no real problems........come to fit torque tube between gearbox and diff and found it to be out of line.Would go on but with slight modification to mounting holes, very strange as damage to car was frontal, engine suffering no visible damage.
  To cut long story short,spent ages trying to work out why,ended up dismantling car again,and only by process of elimination by buying new parts which he felt could be damaged did he find the subframe to be bent where engine mounts to it. Only when you put them side by side could you see the difference.
  That is sometimes the only way im afraid,best of luck mate.

Gary G

now playing devils advocate what could be the worst possible result if the front antiroll bar did totally fail?
i appreciate it doesn\'t sound likely given it\'s hefty nature but just wondered how seriously it would/could suddenly balls up handling/car control if it did suddenly fail?
Cheers
Si