Mt Big Brake Conversion on a Budget
04-26-07, 01:12 PM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: England
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mt Big Brake Conversion on a Budget
I thought i would post this info up as someone else may want to try it.
I wanted better brakes on my TII as i have a fair bit of power and i'm not the best driver in the world so i was over heating them on the track.
Big Brake kits seem to be big money so i thought i would have a go at doing it myself. It has been on a year now and they have been faultless and i couldnt ask for better brakes. They survived the Nurburg Ring with very high speed braking, also my local track which is 2 miles lone with 2 straights where i was getting to 120+ mph before braking hard and even doing 45 minute stints out there they never show any signs of over heating.
I started off by finding a Disc that i could make fit and was big enough, after a lot of research i chose a BMW 540 E39 front disc. Its 330 mm in diameter but is 30 mm thick.
I then milled the stud a pattern a little from the 120 by 5 stud down to the 114. This was very easy. I then put them on the lathe and removed a mm or so from inside the bell which was enough to perfectly centre them on the hub.
You can see how much bigger it is compared to the stock disc next to it
I them made a couple of brackets out of 12mm thick steel.
I was already using FD calipers which are a straight swap. I took them apart and bought an 8mm spacer kit which bolted straight in. I machined a little in the middle of the caliper to make it fit over the disc.
I also removed the ABS, use AP racing brake fluid, braided lines and fitted a bias valve on the rear to equal up the nias. I use hawk pads all round and stock discs on the back.
Beware, you will need at least 17inch wheels to fit over them
I wanted better brakes on my TII as i have a fair bit of power and i'm not the best driver in the world so i was over heating them on the track.
Big Brake kits seem to be big money so i thought i would have a go at doing it myself. It has been on a year now and they have been faultless and i couldnt ask for better brakes. They survived the Nurburg Ring with very high speed braking, also my local track which is 2 miles lone with 2 straights where i was getting to 120+ mph before braking hard and even doing 45 minute stints out there they never show any signs of over heating.
I started off by finding a Disc that i could make fit and was big enough, after a lot of research i chose a BMW 540 E39 front disc. Its 330 mm in diameter but is 30 mm thick.
I then milled the stud a pattern a little from the 120 by 5 stud down to the 114. This was very easy. I then put them on the lathe and removed a mm or so from inside the bell which was enough to perfectly centre them on the hub.
You can see how much bigger it is compared to the stock disc next to it
I them made a couple of brackets out of 12mm thick steel.
I was already using FD calipers which are a straight swap. I took them apart and bought an 8mm spacer kit which bolted straight in. I machined a little in the middle of the caliper to make it fit over the disc.
I also removed the ABS, use AP racing brake fluid, braided lines and fitted a bias valve on the rear to equal up the nias. I use hawk pads all round and stock discs on the back.
Beware, you will need at least 17inch wheels to fit over them
04-26-07, 01:36 PM
#7
idahorotary
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: lakeland, GA
Posts: 168
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i wonder if you could make a adapter/mounting plate so you could mount those bmw calipers. that way the brakes are using the entire rotor surface.......sh*t, either way this writeup is kickass
Trending Topics
04-26-07, 01:42 PM
#8
yes in deed i am already starting my list if they are 14" finding a good set of wildwoods or brembo hell even rotoras wouldnt be a problem,
they are under 200 bucks to make and the man is already been testing them on one of the worlds known tracks
i am going to do it
they are under 200 bucks to make and the man is already been testing them on one of the worlds known tracks
i am going to do it
04-26-07, 02:02 PM
#10
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: England
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by monterx7
i wonder if you could make a adapter/mounting plate so you could mount those bmw calipers. that way the brakes are using the entire rotor surface.......sh*t, either way this writeup is kickass
the bmw callipers are single sided things and not easy to fit, i also dont know if the TII master cylinder would be adequate. I think if i used more of the rotor i would be over braking on the front, as it is i have 50 /50 breaking now with the bias vavle fully open, otherwise the fronts lock up to easy
04-26-07, 02:04 PM
#11
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: England
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by El Nene 7
holyshit i want to do this now i just dont trust the milling of the rotors part so u can fit the 114.3 from the 120
i didnt make new holes, i just extended the existing holes by a couple of mm. Since i did this i have seen a set ot rotors from a Merc 600 sel W24 1990 which are the same stud pattern and look like they would fit ok.
Only reason i used BMW was i could get them on ebay for £160 and i have 540 bmw so if they didnt fit i would have just put them on that
04-27-07, 03:32 PM
#12
idahorotary
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: lakeland, GA
Posts: 168
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by El Nene 7
i am looking for the rotors right now so i can do this to mines whats is the outer size of the rotor 14inches the bracket u made is just for the caliper to bring it out a bit right
any luck finding anything?????
04-28-07, 03:44 AM
#16
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: England
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i think there are probably loads of rotors you could use, they only problem is getting hold of them to try, your neighbour might not be too impressed if you go and measure his rotors in the middle of the night 
I only used the BMW ones cos i could use the discs if i couldnt get the conversion done.
I only used the BMW ones cos i could use the discs if i couldnt get the conversion done.
07-22-07, 09:21 AM
#17
Fortified.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Grimsby
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Excellent work.
Can you explain how you machined or modified the FD caliper to fit the extra wide BMW rotor? Or is there enough travel in the caliper pistons to clear it? I know you machined the caliper housing, but what about the pistons?
Thanks,
Andrej
Can you explain how you machined or modified the FD caliper to fit the extra wide BMW rotor? Or is there enough travel in the caliper pistons to clear it? I know you machined the caliper housing, but what about the pistons?
Thanks,
Andrej
07-22-07, 10:10 AM
#18
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: England
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i used a spacer kit, it spaces the 2 halves of the caliper apart by what ever you require, in this case 10mm. or you could use RX calipers. Dont need to touch the pistons.
Just an update to this, i have since found that Mercedes 600 SEL rotors from a 1992 car are a much closer fit with the same stud pattern, you just need to enlarge the centre bore on a lathe.
Just an update to this, i have since found that Mercedes 600 SEL rotors from a 1992 car are a much closer fit with the same stud pattern, you just need to enlarge the centre bore on a lathe.
08-13-07, 03:19 PM
#20
Full Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: England
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Would this work for an FD?
I know the stud pattern is the same it just depends on the location of the disc itself in relation to the caliper. Wheel spacers could be used to get the wheel right, but its just if it sits in the right place on the hub.
I know the stud pattern is the same it just depends on the location of the disc itself in relation to the caliper. Wheel spacers could be used to get the wheel right, but its just if it sits in the right place on the hub.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Jeff20B
1st Generation Specific (1979-1985)
73
09-16-18 07:16 PM
Devon300zx
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
15
09-16-15 06:57 AM
Nosferatu
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
7
09-05-15 02:13 PM