Yet Another S1 Brake Upgrade Option, Fits E Series Too

[sly]

Picked up a copy of "Street Machine Fords" Issue 13 the other day. There's a story on a front brake upgrade for EA - AU1. It's an exchange package based on modified uprights (stub axles, spindles, steering knuckles, depending on which school you went to). You fit it up and send your old uprights back to the supplier to do another kit.

The upright is modified by machining off the pad retaining lugs and enlarging the holes to fit a dog bone which carries a new caliper. Calipers used are PBR units, either VE Commodore (requires 17" wheels) or C4 Corvette which allows 16" wheels to be used. A BA caliper was tried but wouldn't fit under 17's.

It's not cheap at $1695 RRP, BUT it does include:

• new calipers
• new rotors
• new pads (low-dust based on BMW compound, other options available)
• new ADR-compliant braided lines
• new upper and lower ball joints
• new hubs and bearings
• the dog bones

and only requires changing the uprights, you keep the existing lower control arms and swaybar. While a complete s/h BA setup is cheaper (anywhere between $500 to $1000), if you just bought the s/h suspension bits then added new calipers, rotors, pads, braided lines and balljoints, it wouldn't be hard to spend this much.

And of course the BA route isn't available to E-series owners AFAIK.

Apparently this kit from UPC is available through Autobarn.

[StealthAu]

interesting, more to look into now

[The Monty]

Good to know someone out there is trying to look after us people with 1920 style brakes.

[sly]

Funnily enough it wasn't a giant leap for them to develop. It's the same kit they do for saloon car racing.

[GK]

Thanks for sharing that info Sly, good one!

GK

[private9]

I'm not sure if this is the same kit, but there's a kit recently launched that uses neither the E or A series offsets - might be something to look out for.

[sly]

Do you mean "neither" or either? Neither would be difficult as none of the E- or A/B-series wheels would fit...

Sorry, just having a smartrrse moment... AFAIK this kit can be ordered with either E-series or A/B-series offsets, not sure if they just fit a hub to suit or supply the upright from the same model. Probably the same kit.

[private9]

Originally Posted by sly

Do you mean "neither" or either? Neither would be difficult as none of the E- or A/B-series wheels would fit...

Sorry, just having a smartrrse moment... AFAIK this kit can be ordered with either E-series or A/B-series offsets, not sure if they just fit a hub to suit or supply the upright from the same model. Probably the same kit.

The one I'm referring to uses neither offset IIRC. Basically the wheels will either fit something like 20mm in on an E series and like 10mm out on an A series. This is all from memory though, so I'll try and find where I read it and confirm.

[SammyDen]

these sound incredibly similar to those ones with the offset problems.

[private9]

Originally Posted by SammyDen

these sound incredibly similar to those ones with the offset problems.

That's what I was thinking too. I think the ones with the offset prob used a Mustang rotor.

[twr7cx]

I've spoken to Tony from UPC and he has informed me that these kits do not give E-series AU-onwards offset. These only give a 20mm increase, which is not enough to equal AU-onwards offset. He says aset up providing AU-onwards offset is still underdevelopment.

You can purchase these direct from him (, or on ebay (username MR-SPARES) as well - but he doesn't seem to provide any discount for by-passing Autobarn...
His details:
UPC-Ultra Performance Components PTY LTD
Factory direct 03 9723 9924 or 9723 9961, 8.30am-5.00pm
competitionengineering@optusnet.com.au
http://stores.ebay.com.au/MR-SPARES

[SupahStah]

does anyone know what disks they use? if you knew that then you could make a "dog leg" out of decent thickness and strength steal and some vy calipers from holden or something else. im sure it can be done for under 1000 bucks.

i heard some were about somone running vt twin piston brakes on an e-series? anyone heard anything about this?

[sly]

They make their own rotors. You would also need to grind off the pad lugs.

You would also need to know what you were doing, engineering-wise, so as not to weaken the uprights. This kit's dog bones are designed (ie engineered) to absorb stresses internally. It ain't as simple as hacking into a chunk of steel with an angle grinder.

Something tells me the C4 Corvette calipers are not a million miles away from the VT ones. I'm offline for most of this week, will check the PBR cattledog later, see if the C4's are listed and compare with the VT part no's.

[twr7cx]

Got an e-mail from Tony, says that the brake upgrade kits in the AU-onwards offset to suit E-series should be ready by the 8th of January.