260DET

Thanks all, I'll check that Hallman setup out. The proposed solenoid idea would just bang the wastegate wide open once the set pressure had been reached. Which is what I want.

Thanks, Mike, I'll try the Hawk blue.

Have a set of Hawk black compound pads but apparently that is their lowest grade. Haven't tried them yet. So, for road and track use, what are the options? Medium price, low rotor wear, available on the net. Preferably some you have personally used. Name of a reliable supplier would be handy, too.

Douglas, you may wish to try your search from a different angle. Contact local adhesive suppliers and state what you want to bond together eg metal to metal. Don't mention car use, that may throw them. Sikaflex for one may have something, marine suppliers are good for wood and fiberglass adhesives.

Further to my previous, DBA claim that on test from 100kph to stop, slotted reduced braking distance from 42.2 meters to 40 meters on average. Can't answer your question, therum. DBA do claim longer life as well for their slotted, hint at higher quality material but don't go into any detail. Apparently police tests for their vehicles confirm the improvement using slotted.

Rather than using a pneumatic controlled wastegate with its attendant problem of wastegate creep, has anyone tried making up a control using an electric solenoid? The idea is to use an adjustable air pressure switch tapped into the existing turbo outlet and wired to a solenoid to open the wastegate when the set amount of boost is reached. Would not cost a lot to make. Anyone tried this? See any problems?

Yes, the rod should have a slight clearance to the master cyl piston, with the brake pedal out, not depressed. Forget what the clearance should be, measured at the pedal foot pad. Around 10 mm should be ok, doesn't need much. You can feel this clearance as free play by gently pushing the pedal in with your hand until the rod make contact with the piston. Other than that, it could be that the bleeding process is incorrect. Z's can be a real bitch to bleed.

As far as slotted rotors go, DBA (Disc Brakes Australia) claim that in tests their slotted rotors significantly reduce stopping distances. Can't find the leaflet but they did publish figures to back up their claim. The number of slots and their angle may have something to do with it. Their Z31 rear rotors for example have nine slots on each side, each at about 45 degrees to the direction of travel of the rotor face. Any advantage of slotted over cross drilled may be because the entire face of the pads is swept by the slots.

Toyota 4 Spots on Solid Rotors. Having been through the upgrade process myself, it seems fair to those thinking of doing it to put this upgrade in perspective. Certainly it works OK with a 15/16" master cylinder but then so does the stock caliper in good condition, with a stock master cyl.. If you are going to fit the bigger master cyl., then IMHO going to a 20mm vented rotor is a better option because that improves the cooling situation as well. As I previously said, it depends on use. Warp a set of solid rotors thru overheating and any savings are down the drain, been there, done that Even small cars these days have vented fronts, most of your Japanese/European 2 liter engined cars have front rotors around the same size as the Z ventilated rotor/Toy 4 spot conversion. And we Z punters drive harder, don't we

If you use Loctite or similar, the stock bolts with stock flanged nuts should be OK without washers. But if you want to go aftermarket, make sure that the plain shank of the bolt is the same diameter as stock and not less. And as DJ said, the plain (unthreaded) shank of the bolt should be long enough so that it goes through both mating holes.

Those FWD racers often use a left foot braking technique when driving through a corner to get a higher cornering speed, not something for everyday use. FWD's (and rear engine/drive) also have lower power losses through the transmission, which gives them a slight edge. My everyday car is FWD, the only problem with it is a lack of instant traction when taking off in a hurry, bloody annoying when you are trying to slot into heavy traffic. And, yes, major servicing......... aaagh!

Depends on how much $ presently available, use and future plans. But my experience is that the Toyota 4 spots on standard rotors are pretty useless as an improvement. They weigh a ton, don't solve the heat problem and you end up with more brake pedal travel using the stock master cylinder.

The chart I have from an aluminium supply house gives the following ultimate tensile MPA figures. mild steel : 200 - 300 6061 T6 : 310 2011 T4 : 310 7075 T651 : 570

The caliper setup zedskid is using is neat and simple. Mines a bit more complicated, am using the left caliper on the right side and vice versa, mounted at about 2.30 o'clock on the right side. This gets the bleeder nipple to the top but means that the handbrake cable runs near the halfshaft and the chassis brake line and bracket will have to be relocated. Both can be solved with a bit of work, this time its going to be done right Be glad to post the results but it will be a while, the front brakes are being done, too.

I used 25 x 50mm under the sills, on end, tied into the front tension rod mounts to stiffen the body on my coupe. But if you are chopping the top you would need much more than that, specially on a +2. Did see an article once on a 'chassis' kit for a convertible conversion, can't remember where. If the reinforcing is going underneath keep ground clearance in mind. Other than that, it will need to be pretty substantial and well tied in to front/rear structural members. Good luck.

Thanks Doug for raising the question in the first place. I am now in the process of fitting Pintara U12 calipers and Z31 4 stud rotors which looks like it will end up a neat and effective combination. Have found out that the Z31 calipers have a larger diameter piston than the U12's and are generally heavier in construction, although the pads are very similar. But the U12's handbrake connection setup will suit better by allowing a straighter cable run.

Some data on the following rotors, courtesy DBA, www.dba.com.au Z31 4 stud, rear: weight 5kg, centre hole 68mm dia. Falcon EF, EL, XR6, 8, rear: 6kg, 70.5mm. Commodore VT, front: 9kg.

Removing the drip rails really makes a difference, cleaning up the body as you have done emphasises the great Z lines. Good job, I like it As far as the petrol filler goes, as you probably know some cars used to hide the filler under a hinged rear number plate arrangement. Usually spring tensioned to keep it closed, hinged at the bottom.

Been doing a bit of research on the Pintara/Z31 type calipers. While the U13 Bluebird, U12 Pintara, R31 Skyline and some Maxima's all use the same repair kit, the Z31 uses a different one. What the difference is I don't know. Anyway, the Pintara caliper seems to be a good conversion option, thanks to those who mentioned it. Incidently, I have been using the earler RWD Pintara setup with PBR calipers. Its OK, the PBR calipers are light and durable, but the U12 etc caliper uses wider pads which suit the Z31 rotor.

quote: Originally posted by ZROSSA: Brakes are for braking. Not transmisions. ........................................... Douglas You do get engine braking with a manual as soon as you lift your foot, as we know. Using the gearbox to slow down is different from changing gears down as the car slows under braking. If you don't do that you end up having to change gears at the time when you should be doing other things, like accelerating.

'day Zpeed, I'm from Brisbane in the Sunburnt State. Those FWD Pintara calipers, are they iron or aluminium? They look a lot like Z31 calipers which are iron. Can't see why the bigger diameter Z31 rotors couldn't be used with that setup, DBA have a slotted version but they are a bit expensive. Stony, anything is possible but fitting the late Holden Commodore front rotors would take a lot of work IMHO.

Well I bit the bullet and bought some DOT 5.1 grade brake fluid, non silicone Motul brand, made in France. Given that I hate changing brake fluid and the high temperature situation, 5.1 grade has a higher wet boiling point than 4 grade and therefore should preform satisfactorily for longer.

Douglas, I already have a couple of sets of Outlaw calipers, am using a 3000 Series set on mine together with heavily modified Commodore 28mm rotors and made up adaptor plates on Datsun 240K hubs. The Outlaws bolt straight on, after using Recoil inserts to rethread the stock lugs to 7/16 UNF, and allow 290mm dia rotors to be used. A lot of work but if you want good brakes........

For anyone who can access an old Datsun 240K sedan, their hubs fit the 240/260 and give about 10mm more out spacing. In other words, fitting 240K hubs gives the same result as fitting about 10mm spacers on the stock hub. And you don't have to fit longer wheel studs. My tip for the week

So what brake fluid do you use, Randy? I have been using Castrol SRF but at around US$55 per liter.....Now I'm thinking of using a DOT 5.1 grade borate ester based synthetic. As far as brake pads go, for my new big front Outlaw setup I'm getting custom pads made using a AKHF2R material, whatever that is. Recommended for road and moderate track use with low rotor wear. We'll see.