Up the creek without a brake!!

[mikeb]

During our 'Chicken Run 1' Mid Wales runout last week I had a few issues with the brakes on the 450SE.

Had the brakes looked at today. Turned out that the front pads were really low and not only that the chrome had started to flake off the caliper pistons, they are also now siezed - Calipers up the creek ;-(

Now do I replace them with something more modern Brembo, Willwood etc or have the princess calipers reconditioned?. I ain't made of loot but I would like brakes that work - options, prices anybody????.

MikeB

[wedg1e]

Mike:
If you can get the pistons out and the bores are OK, you can still buy new pistons, seals etc. Not cheap but probably cheaper than new calipers.

[mikeb]

Hi Ian,

I have been quoted £90 a corner to get the calipers completely rebuilt and refurbished.

MikeB

[wedg1e]

mikeb said:

Hi Ian, I have been quoted £90 a corner to get the calipers completely rebuilt and refurbished. MikeB

Bargain! If they're doing the job properly that is: I think I was quoted £15 a piston...

[mikeb]

Well talking to the bloke who was having a poke around in the wheel arch he reckons that calipers like Willwood or Brembo are not much more thesedays, I was always under the impression that they were mega-bucks.....

I am trying to find somebody who has upgraded the clipers to ask how much they paid.

MikeB

[rev-erend]

Ask Tallbloke - he got some real nice 4 pots for reasonable money

[Gavinr]

Mike

I fitted Hi-Spec billet 4's to the Tasmin and have them fitted on the SEAC.
They cost me about £480 all in for 2 calipers, 300mm discs, pads, braided brake lines, and new caliper mounts.
They work extremely well having survived a track day on the Tasmin with next to no wear and 2 full days at Bruntingthorpe braking from 150mph at least 25 times each day.
Only problem with them is they are hideously slow to get anything out to you. I resorted to calling them every other day for the last 2 weeks before they arrived. The guy who fitted them to the SEAC said pretty much the same thing.

Cheers

Gavin

[leorest]

Gavinr said:

I fitted Hi-Spec billet 4's to the Tasmin and have them fitted on the SEAC. They cost me about £480 all in for 2 calipers, 300mm discs, pads, braided brake lines, and new caliper mounts.

Gavin
For the record, what size wheels do they fit in?
Leo

[rev-erend]

leorest said:

Gavinr said: I fitted Hi-Spec billet 4's to the Tasmin and have them fitted on the SEAC. They cost me about £480 all in for 2 calipers, 300mm discs, pads, braided brake lines, and new caliper mounts. Gavin For the record, what size wheels do they fit in? Leo

Gavin has the std 15inch (400SE split rim) type wheels..

[shpub]

According to Hispec 2005 catalogue the cost is £675 excluding VAT, pads, hoses etc. I won't comment on their ability to deliver product in my experience.....

Tower View should have their 300mm upgrade kit out soon. The prototype was on their workbench last work when I was down there working on the Cerbera.

Wilwoods are certainly pretty good.
Used them on the 520 and on the Griff.
Brembo and AP are the same company BTW and AP are supposed to be the budget side compared to Brembo. You pays your money etc....

[mikeb]

Well I gotta do something as my calipers have died.

The disks are fine and all my hoses are already braided.

All I am looking for is something that will directly bolt on in place of the princess calipers with some beefy pads and keep the same disks aned change the fluid to Dot 5.1

I priced up the Brembo calipers and these were quite expensive but as you said you pays your money.....

I have also heard horror stories about the delivery time of the other aforementioned make of calipers running into months.

Any suggestions for a direct replacement for the 450SE calipers that won't cost the earth, do the job and are able to fit without too much hassle ie bolt straight on??.

MikeB

[tallbloke]

I'm happy with the performance of these calipers, and they are pre-spacered to fit Granada vented discs. They bolt straight onto the uprights too.



Email [e-mail] for more info.

[islander]

I did chase Keri before christmas regards avalability and gave him some idea on my thoughts on prices etc.

Not heard a thing since!!!

Although he did say he was still waiting to find out that the fitting went OK on Tallblokes car, it looks like they fit from the picture.

[tallbloke]

There was an initial test drive on Boxing Day on greasy frozen roads, and a more serious blast down the twisties on monday afternoon. I emailed to tell him the brakes work well. And I just emailed him again: Keri! Customer!

>> Edited by tallbloke on Wednesday 9th February 21:11

[280bod]

Mike, saw a company called Classicar quoting £50 each to fully re-condition Princess callipers if thats any use.
tel [phone]

Rally Design are also now listing a 4 pot calliper and vented disc kit for Granada - could fit a Wedge??

[CerbyT]

280bod said:

Mike, saw a company called Classicar quoting £50 each to fully re-condition Princess callipers if thats any use. tel [phone] Rally Design are also now listing a 4 pot calliper and vented disc kit for Granada - could fit a Wedge??

Isn't that kit for a 1990s Granada Scorpio? I suppose you probably could engineer it to fit somehow (well outside of my mechanical skills!!!)

[CerbyT]

280bod said:

Mike, saw a company called Classicar quoting £50 each to fully re-condition Princess callipers if thats any use. tel [phone] Rally Design are also now listing a 4 pot calliper and vented disc kit for Granada - could fit a Wedge??

Isn't that kit for a 1990s Granada Scorpio? I suppose you probably could engineer it to fit somehow (well outside of my mechanical skills!!!)

[Keri]

Hi Guys, I've placed an order for the first production batch of the Works Motorsport kit -same as Roger the (very!) tall bloke now has- and I'll be starting the Works site up when they arrive.

Apparently it'll be a 3-4 week lead time, give or take ...

I can't say more than that as I don't advertise with pistonheads (yet), but feel free to email me in the meantime.

Thanks, Keri

[19560]

280bod said:

Mike, saw a company called Classicar quoting £50 each to fully re-condition Princess callipers if thats any use. tel [phone]

I've used them and so have quite a few of my friends. Very good service and includes s/s pistons.

[mikeb]

Had a chat with Dave from the above company and he indeed recons that reconditioning the calipers will be around £50 a corner.

He says that the price includes shot blasting, cleaining, zinc plating re-sealing and fitting new pistons etc.

Guy sounds confident that there should be no trouble getting these done in about four days turnaround.

Might give him a go.

What pads are you guys using???. I have never tried Mintex race pads and have heard that the fast road pads are probably the best as these don't need warming up as much as the harder pads?.

If I am going down this route I might also change the disks for grooved - worth the effort or not?

MikeB

>> Edited by mikeb on Thursday 10th February 13:06