Rear Disc Conversion

[Phaeton]

Thought I'd start a post about my next little project. Got myself a set of hubs, discs & hub carriers tonight. Hurried into the garage to try to fit them with the Saxo VTR calipers I aquired but it's not looking good at all. They are too BIIIIIIIIGGG & foul the carrier, can't be lifted or they will miss the disc. So need to get hold of some other type.

Alan...

 

[iank]

I think Rover rear calipers may be the way forwards.
http://www.muddybuggies.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=272

We know Sierra can be made to fit.

 

[Phaeton]

Just getting hold of a set to try that's the problem, if I buy a set from the scrappy & they're wrong it's more wasted money.

Alan...

 

[Cage1380]

Anyone want a set of drop bracket to fit ford calipers to mini disc set up?

I'm replacing my steel brackets with alloy ones

 

[iank]

Anyone want a set of drop bracket to fit ford calipers to mini disc set up?

I'm replacing my steel brackets with alloy ones

Are you doing the aluminium ones yourself or sending them out?
If having a batch made I'd be interested in knowing the cost - the way of life means if we got a bunch together the unit cost goes down massively.

Cheers
Ian

Otherwise how much are you looking at for the current ones?

 

[Cage1380]

As I work in an engineering company, I just got a pair made. If there is enough interest I could get them quoted as a proper job and let you guys know.

 

[iank]

As I work in an engineering company, I just got a pair made. If there is enough interest I could get them quoted as a proper job and let you guys know.

I'd be interested if the price is sensible.
How much for your steel ones?

 

[Phaeton]

Well been watching Sierra calipers on eBay & currently they are going for silly money, well being a Yorkshireman I think they are silly money. Cheapest I've seen went for £57 & also saw a set for £87, so started looking for something a little cheaper.

Came a cross a set off a MK2 Golf GTI, got them for £9.99 complete with brackets which is the important thing, so went & fetched them today. Nice little 80 mile round trip in Mary, yep I know it would have been cheaper to have them posted but any excuse hey.

So here is the bracket above the mounting holes so you can see how they line up.
Looks like I will be able to drill out the Mini calipers with a 12mm drill to give clearance & mount the Golf calipers behind.
The brackets need to go further over
As you can see from this the caliper mounting bracket needs to move further out, but can't go down outside the current mountings as they foul the disc.
Position they do need to be in From this image they will line up nicely if I narrow the mounting lugs on the hub by around 6mm. The question I have for you is, should I talk them to a mchine shop & pay them to do it, probably cost £50 or do I use the angry grinder, but if I do how can i be assured I get them even & perpendicular

Handbrake Mech

Caliper in placeish

Alan...

 

[iank]

I think grinding off (or even having machined off) 6mm will leave the brackets rather thin and potentially weak if I understand what you are proposing.

Rather than doing that (and potentially easier) I'd make a bracket that attaches to both calipers and upright on their current mounts but moves the caliper to the right position - the caliper will need to rotate around the disk a little to make room obviously.

I realise this doesn't make much sense without the picture which I'll try to draw later (boss is sitting opposite me today :roll: )

 

[hmalan]

I would agree with Ian, cutting that much off would probably weaken it in what is a critical point.

You would have to be good with the angry grinder to get it even and if you don't then this would probably cause more problems longer term

 

[Phaeton]

Well my first hope was that I would have been able to make a bracket with two sets of holes to mount the bracket directly over the existing holes as per photos in other post. But that makes the pads too high.

I know what you mean Ian/Alan but to move them round you end up with

OR

As you can see from these two it wouldn't take that much metal to come off for the bracket to go behind the existing ones.

Alternatively, how about putting some shims in here 3-4mm to get he clearance.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j81/gsx550es/mary/DSC00042.jpg

Alan...

 

[R1FREESTYLE]

Alan,
I must admit I am with the others and dont really like the sound of removing too much metal oof the lugs.

However allways looking at comprimise and the fact in your one shot it didn't look that far out.....how about removing a little off each (possibly more off the mini lugs as they seem beefier) until you have the clearance.
Also being on the rear they dont have a great deal of work to do, it's all on the front brakes.

I wolud suggest you dont set to them with the angle grinder, as well as making a right mess of it all, the heat generated may soften things as well.

 

[MattBlack]

If you were to have a bit removed from each (which from the looks of the pics seems most viable).. Once you bolt them back together tightly, wouldn't the strength of both halves be combined to make one stronger mass..

I'm just thinking along the lines of threading pipe.. when you remove material whilst cutting a thread you seriously weaken the integrity.. but when you screw a fitting on it, the strength is again increased (not back to its original.. but certainly higher).

Laminated strength or summert!

 

[MattBlack]

Plus.........................

isn't the great majority of the load in a lateral direction (as the brake is applied). Wouldn't you only be weakening it against a sideways load which wouldn't be that great anyway?

 

[MattBlack]

Jeez... i sound like i'm trying to get Alan killed in a major brake failing mess of mangelled buggy!

DON'T DO IT BUDDY.... THINK OF THE CHILDREN!! PLEEEEZE FOR GOD SAKE ... THINK OF THE CCCHHHIIILLLDDRREENN!!!!

 

[Phaeton]

Alan,
(possibly more off the mini lugs as they seem beefier)

I wolud suggest you dont set to them with the angle grinder, as well as making a right mess of it all, the heat generated may soften things as well.

I was only ever going to take metal off the mini lugs, they are 13mm thick & I'm after removing 3mm. I feel that the 10mm left would be quite sufficent as the Golf ones are only 10mm to start with. I intend to look at moving the disc further out to gain the extra couple of mm required. Alterbatively I may return the Golf calipers to their rightful place on eBay & stop (ha ha) with the drums.

Alan...

 

[R1FREESTYLE]

despite the look of drums they are more efficient than discs at lower operating temperatures, I wonder if the rear discs on mine will ever get up to temp on the road, given the low weight of the car and the braking biased toward the front quite a bit.

 

[Absenthe]

hey Cage1380,

I m interested in a set of sierra converter plates, do you still have yours? if not how much will it cost for a set?

Or would i be able to get a drawn profile of the mount so my old man can make them for me at work.


Phil..

 

[Phaeton]

Well Mr Bumble has sat on the drive now for too long with no progress. Did manage to do a little last weekend but it was only a case of going backwards. Anyway I had the hubs machined a couple of weeks ago at MK Engineering at Maltby, I spoke at length with Martin & he was as happy as I am about the strength issues of the machining. However when I tried to reassemble them, as he had only took off minimal amount of steel the disc was just fouling the carrier. The solution was a 2mm spacer to be put in behind the bearing/hub which pushes the disc out by the same amount. The threads in the hubs for mounting the Mini calipers were drilled out to allow the Golf calipers to fit. It was at this point when I had the sudden thought that maybe the caliper would foul the wheel rim, but that is not an issue. So managed to get them mounted & on the buggy today in between the rain/snow/sleet along with the glorious sunshine.

Nearside view
Nearside again but from rear showing the cable route

Ideally the carrier would sit a little lower which would mean all the pad is touching the disc, as it is there is about 5mm pad above the disc, I will have to see if this becomes an issue as the pad wears.

Don't have the braided hoses yet so can't try them out, not that I could anyway as currently no longer have any front hubs or calipers fitted.

The handbrake I'm hoping is going to be fairly straight forward, The cables have a long 6mm thread on the end, so it's just a matter of making a plate to hold the outers, then another plate with a swivel point in the middle with a bar going forward to the lever.

Costs

Hubs, drive flanges & UJ's = £40
New Mini Discs 2x £10 = £20
Golf Calipers = £10
Golf Pads = £15
Golf Handbrake cables 2x £9 = £18
Machining of hubs = £30
Hub Spacers = £5
Braided Hoses = £35
Balljoints = £12

Total = £187

Alan...

 

[Phaeton]

Just to add my brake pipes turned up today, nice they are too, but I had them made at 350mm which is a little on the short side. I have no wheels on & the suspension is at it's lowest it can be & the curve is quite tight. I'm sure once wheels are on & suspension has the weight on they will be fine but I would suggest getting another 25-40mm added.

Alan...