hello...

just wondering if anybody can give me the run down of rear disc conversion for a beetle... (im doing a 74 L bug, and maybe a 68 1500) i have been quoted for kits from places like Mr Bug in D'nong for like $800...... surely a set of discs and calipers are not worth that much......!! anything else that i can match up..... maybe like a corrola??? i dont know, i guessing....

thanks

help with rear disc for bug

hello...

just wondering if anybody can give me the run down of rear disc conversion for a beetle... (im doing a 74 L bug, and maybe a 68 1500) i have been quoted for kits from places like Mr Bug in D'nong for like $800...... surely a set of discs and calipers are not worth that much......!! anything else that i can match up..... maybe like a corrola??? i dont know, i guessing....

thanks

go grab a coralla it might be cheaper.

man 800 is not that bad. A sherman kit of (my opinion only)questionable quality is over 1k. If your handy you can make anything happen, George from Custom Offroad up here sells a nice kit 11' ventilated, internat drum etc.. for that sort of $$ or you could just chase down some Porsche bits that just bolt on.

Hi

EB Falcon rears can be made to fit, Jaks fitting some soon.

1302Steve

eb falcon!!!! huh...... i got an EA falcon.... might just pull that apart...... thanks for the helps fellas... much faster with the replys than i thought..... if u cant tell im new here, and im likeing it more and more.... :thumb

I agree with Steve $800 is not that bad. Most kits include new callipers, discs, pads, flex line and approval. Try doing it for less.
I just did one on Daz67's Manx. We used 2nd hand parts and had a lot of the other bits we needed already there. It ended up costing about $300 and took quite a few hours, ask Daz67 he ended up getting pretty pissed with it as it wasn't as easy as he thought.
I finished it off and I am sure Dazza would have if he had the time. What I am trying to say is that if you are pretty handy with a lathe and a weleder you can make anything fit, but how much is your time worth and it is stopping power we are talking about, dont skimp on it and hit a wall.

A price idea for new parts:

Rear Discs - $140 pr
2nd Hand callipers - $70 pr
Calliper kit - $100 pr
Rear flex lines - $50 pr
Brake Shoes - $80
New fixed brake lines - twin flanges - $30
Type 3 hubs - $80
Mounting plates 2nd hand - $30 pr
Machine work on hubs - $50 pr
Total - $630
Does not include the time to do the mods and it takes a while. You need at least a die grinder to make it fit.
Now you can see that we are getting up to $800 and you still need to work it out and hope your ides stop you. Then you will need, in QLD at least to get it tested by an authorizing officer to do a brake test so add another $100 at least.... Getting the idea ?

Don't get me wrong I have done a few now and am happy with them but I used a Custom Off Road designed and get it approved by the same engineer who recognises the kit.



[Edited on 29-8-2002 by Buggy Boyz]

[Edited on 30-8-2002 by Buggy Boyz]

As Brad said, If you are able to spend the hours and hours doing it, then make it yourself. But sit down first and add up the parts needed, then allow for some minor stuff ups, then approx the time required, then consider it being legal!!!

My advice after going through the above, Contact George at Custom Off Road in Brisbane. His kits are very good and he uses Recond parts and I beleive you can have it Blue plated at the end.

http://www.customoffroad.com.au 

Cheers

Yes George uses new parts and yes they get a blue plate once fitted.

From what (little) I know about veedubs, unless you are going to race the bug you don't need discs on the back. You front wheels do 70% - 80% of your braking. If you put discs on the back you may tend to skid your rear wheels.

I'm sure someone with more VW knowledge will reply though.

A properly balanced disc brake system will not lock up the rears, but if you want to stop dont use skinny tyres.

The beauty of having a motor in the rear is keeping weight on the rear tyres under braking, thats why ricers have tiny rear brakes.

I went from stock superbug rears to Type 3 rear drums, 914 Porsche with Golf calipers and now 944 Porsche with Boxster calipers and of course upgraded my fronts, I had more rear lockup with my stockers.

Got to agree there, balance is the key.

Std discs at front + rear discs = unbalanced.

You can get rear discs to work with stock fronts, you just need to pick the correct ones.

[Edited on 3-9-2002 by 1302Steve]

drums have more stopping power than discs because they are self energising right? and thats why u usually use a servo on disc brake cars?

So if you upgrade your front discs to something larger and leave the rear drums stock is this also unbalanced?

I upgraded my front dicks form standard with the standard drums on the rear & the braking power is awesome, at the moment I can brake about 50m later than the porsches at the end of Oran Park straight & after I finally get my Ford Falcon rear disks on it should be even more! Can't wait.
regards
Jak

well i've never driven a disc braked bug but i thought discs required more pressure, the amount of pedal pressure to stop my car is quite minimal considering it is unboosted.

the rotation of the wheel literally wedges the shoe into the drum, especially so because the shoes are of the floating design. Drums take little pressure to lock up once they are engaged because of this.

disc brakes have a better feel because the response is more linear than drums due to their non self-energising design.

[Edited on 11-9-2002 by Che Castro]

All I can say is,
My buggy started out with 4 wheel drums, then front discs, now 4 wheel discs, you can keep your drum brakes and I will see you when you extract your car from the fence/wall/tailgate of other vehicle.

For anyone who thinks there drums are better, drive a car with discs, then comment.

Jon,

I know what your saying. Drums are self energising when set-up properly. Beetle drums only have 1 self energising shoe, whereas the dual wheel cylinder kombi's had 2 self energising shoes.

The whole thing of drums being self energising in theory and discs requiring boosters doesn't seem to match up to reality very well.

I had 4 wheel drums, then I put discs on the front and the pedal pressure was lighter. The discs aren't self energising but must just be heaps more efficient than the drum which helps to give a low pedal pressure even without a booster or the self energising effect.

And not all cars need brake boosters. I think a brake booster just allows car manufacturers to put small inefficient brakes on production cars and still have an OK pedal pressure. Smaller brakes and a booster is cheaper than big brakes.

Look at the motorcycle industry. They aren't restricted by trying to make a cheap vehicle like the car industry. You don't see motorbikes with brake boosters. Instead they just put huge efficient disc brakes on.

Ride an early 80's drum braked then a late 80's disc braked motorcross bike and you'll see the discs offer far more power, more feel, and have a lighter application pressure.

Well Put Wes!

Discs are able to remove heat better than drums and this is what brakes are about, converting kinetic energy to heat energy. But on the other hand, look at 99% of Semi trailers still run drum brakes so they can't be that bad.

A lot of semi trailer brakes catch on fire, though!