Volvo Upgrade DIY

[fullswing]

I have a set of Girling calipers that will need rebuilding and an E12 MC to go along with it. $75 shipped.

please email me at fullswing at e21legion dot net.

thanks!

[TheBestCow]

Any idea of the cost of rebuilding the Girling calipers?

[fullswing]

Any idea of the cost of rebuilding the Girling calipers?

The easiest thing would be to use them as cores.

[Tom D]

The easiest thing would be to use them as cores.

i'm going to disagree. brake calipers are one of the easiest things to rebuild, providing they are not severely pitted by water damage.

a caliper rebuild kit list at bavauto for $13 without pistons, $30 on realm with pistons. i have found few times that new pistons are needed.

[fullswing]

i'm going to disagree. brake calipers are one of the easiest things to rebuild, providing they are not severely pitted by water damage.

a caliper rebuild kit list at bavauto for $13 without pistons, $30 on realm with pistons. i have found few times that new pistons are needed.

For you, Tom or for others similarly inclined. For most, it's time vs money so swapping them might be easier if you needed a pair you could slap on right away.

As a professor of mine used to say, arguably, the best answer is "it depends".

[Tom D]

As a professor of mine used to say, arguably, the best answer is "it depends".

well that all depends….., but i'd have to agree!

[Boosted20th2886]

While I was at the junkyard I found a 93 240DL and inspected the calipers. They looks identical to what you guys are using, except only have a single brake line instead of the dual lines. They only wanted $20 for the pair so I picked them up and compared to the photos on here and the factory E21 calipers and they are identical in every way except the single brake line. Not sure if this will make a big difference in braking power.

Just an FYI. I didn't come across anyone mentioning them, so it just opens up more possibilities I suppose.

[ThePrussian]

I'll bring this one back.

I'm about to do this in the next week, w the 240 calipers. How are ppl bleeding these w the 2 ports? I've never had a car that had 2 ports on the caliper. I can see it being easy w 2 separate lines ... I guess I am just wondering if I tee the 2 fittings and do them both at the same time or maybe the inside first then the outside?

Thx

[Jester323]

It's just two more fittings to bleed, you can't bleed both ports on each caliper at the same time. They are so close to each other, with similar line lengths that it doesn't really matter which one you do first. I bled the lower port on mine first.

Not to confuse the matter, but some of these 240calipers actually have three ports to bleed, I haven't been able to figure out why yet, maybe a high point that creates an air pocket? But if this is your case, just bleed them all, one at a time.

[majorg]

I picked up the 91-93 240 w/abs calipers - they have a single line but are otherwise the same as the dual-line calipers. They were a little more expensive, but there was much less hardware to buy, and install and bleed time.
I've been running them for about a month now and they work great. Thanks for all the helpful info guys!

[iferro]

going to bump this.

I want to do this swap but am uninterested in slotting the rotors as well as all the mods needed to run the mini calipers. Has anyone ever thought about contacting a manufacturer about making a rotor? Wouldn't we just need the 323i rotor but 15mm larger in diameter?

I contacted Stoptech and spoke to Eric Briefly about this. He said minimum orders for new rotors would have to be a couple hundred pairs.

obviously i am not going to buy 200 pairs of rotors

My thought is that if e21 and 2002 owners alike express the need for such a product that a parts provider I.E. VAC motosport, Ca Tuned, Bimmerheads, Ireland Engineering, Bav Auto ect. would step up and make an order or collectively make and order from Stoptech or another OEM provider.

Thoughts?
Ian

[Allenwilson33]

My rotors are still being grazed ever so slightly by the brake pads. I checked the pins and everything appears to be following JR's tutorial to the T. I also grinded off the backing plate portion which interferred.

Any suggestions on torquing down the two caliper retaining bolts?

@iferro there's an ebay seller in La Habra, CA from whom I bought a pair of authentic Brembo slotted, vented, and zinc-coated rotors from. I'm certain the rotors are correct, but as you can tell, I'm still having fitment issues.

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...the inside of the calipers needed to be ground down approximately 1mm to make clearance where they conflicted with the outer edge of the rotor.

Can you elaborate on this please, as I'm not clear on which part of the caliper you are referring to.

but the outside is dang near perfect in my opinion, and not worth slotting.

How much clearance should I expect between the rotor and pad?

[DrewDude320i]

going to bump this.

I want to do this swap but am uninterested in slotting the rotors as well as all the mods needed to run the mini calipers. Has anyone ever thought about contacting a manufacturer about making a rotor? Wouldn't we just need the 323i rotor but 15mm larger in diameter?

I contacted Stoptech and spoke to Eric Briefly about this. He said minimum orders for new rotors would have to be a couple hundred pairs.

obviously i am not going to buy 200 pairs of rotors

My thought is that if e21 and 2002 owners alike express the need for such a product that a parts provider I.E. VAC motosport, Ca Tuned, Bimmerheads, Ireland Engineering, Bav Auto ect. would step up and make an order or collectively make and order from Stoptech or another OEM provider.

Thoughts?
Ian

Orrrrrrrrrrrr I have all the hardware for sale in my other thread, you could just buy that

[iferro]

Orrrrrrrrrrrr I have all the hardware for sale in my other thread, you could just buy that

what rotors do you have? I am trying to avoid having to slot the calipers. are your calipers already slotted or did you buy the modded ones from IE?

[Allenwilson33]

what rotors do you have? I am trying to avoid having to slot the calipers. are your calipers already slotted or did you buy the modded ones from IE?

Drew's kit is the way to go, now that I look at it... I'm trying to convince him to sell me the master cylinder and pads alone...
My Brembo rotors were slotted in the original casting btw.

[iferro]

Drew's kit is the way to go, now that I look at it... I'm trying to convince him to sell me the master cylinder and pads alone...
My Brembo rotors were slotted in the original casting btw.

I know your rotors were slotted. It is the caliper mount I do not want to slot.
Are you running mini rotors?

Drew, I pm'd you

[Allenwilson33]

I know your rotors were slotted. It is the caliper mount I do not want to slot.
Are you running mini rotors?

Ah, yes, I increased the mounting holes with a round, cylindrical hand file about 3mm.

[Allenwilson33]

Still trying to align the Girling calipers on my vented rotors (rotors for 77' 320i).
One pad always seems to graze the rotor ever-so-slightly, and I've tried different tightening sequence and different torque on the two caliper mounting bolts.
Should I try some brake pad shims to aid in aligning the caliper?
Bump.

[iferro]

Do you already have washers between the caliper and carrier?

[Allenwilson33]

I got m12, grade 10. Is that sufficient?

[bflan2001]

Has anybody done this upgrade without changing the master cylinder? My brakes feel like crap after doing the calipers and rotors, wondering if it's because my MC is stock. Thinking about going back to stock, I really just want to drive the damn car!

[Tom D]

I have argued this so called 'upgrade' for years and no one has convinced me yet that it's anything more then a change of hardware. seriously guys, if you want better brakes then buy better tires.

[DavidD123]

I have argued this so called 'upgrade' for years and no one has convinced me yet that it's anything more then a change of hardware. seriously guys, if you want better brakes then buy better tires.

Brakes stop your wheels, but tires stop your car. I agree, though I am on the fence on doing the upgrade. My current calipers need to be rebuilt and upgrading them is tempting.

[Allenwilson33]

Yes, if you are still using your original master cylinder, it most likely needs servicing, using the proper hone and new seals, a process I believe Tom has covered in depth somewhere in the forum.
If your e21 master cylinder has been tuned up back into good condition, there is no need to opt for a larger bore size master cylinder (especially if you've already ran new brake lines for two-port Girling calipers) unless you prefer the feel of shorter pedal play
I opted for the master cylinder used by BMW E12 models --with a larger diameter bore and two brake line ports on each caliper.

My refurbished MC cost about $80 refurbished (most likely using Chinese rubber unfortunately,) or you can find the superior ATE MC for more than $200.
I did replace the calipers' rubber with Swedish stuff.

I am one of the less mechanically-inclined forum members, but I have been spinning circles in my head for a year or more now, trying to figure out the flaw in Tom's argument- that the weakest link in the chain is an inadequate amount of tire on the ground. I have yet to disprove that theory however, as much as it bothers me

[sbcrockett]

trying to figure out the flaw in Tom's argument- that the weakest link in the chain is an inadequate amount of tire on the ground. I have yet to disprove that theory however, as much as it bothers me

pretty sure Tom isn't referring to the amount of tire on the ground (size) but to the quality of the compound

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Brakes stop your wheels, but tires stop your car. I agree, though I am on the fence on doing the upgrade. My current calipers need to be rebuilt and upgrading them is tempting.

rebuild your calipers and put some Hawk pads in them. don't have to be HP+'s, even just HPS. I've become a fan