TieFighter88 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Been searching through the forums and online, doesn't seem like a hugely discussed topic, even on the rear-disc conversion threads and in the Brakes FAQ. So I bought my 78 280z and the handbrake assembly was missing... "no problem I can just drop in a new one.." My goal: Hydraulic E-Brake for fun, Cable E-Brake for parking... I don't mind having a cluttered center console... Is this a common setup? Do people have a cable setup to accompany their cables? I am already committed to start converting to the disc setup, but what is the go with the E-brake setups with these? Most of the disc setup's I see online don't have the parking brake portion on the calipers that I am familiar with... I see people everywhere using the 280zx rotors/calipers, but they don't elaborate about the e-brake... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 The Desert Z brake kit allows you to hook up the parking brake (cable driven normal style)You can then plumb an aftermarket hydro brake and voila! You would have both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) I have a whole thread dedicated to this subject in the brakes forum with pictures and everything. Go to that forum and search "drifting handbrake" and it should pop up for you. There are some issues with my setup. First and foremost is that I can't find a good place in town to practice with it without feeling like an outlaw. Folks just seem to really frown on anybody squeeling tires and leaving black marks on school and church parking lots. Also, locating the second caliper is really challenging (there isn't that much real estate inside the wheel well for all the stuff). I used the same Maxima calipers that are supplied in the Desert Z rear disc conversion kit. My second caliper is mounted at 12-o'clock. It looks great when you build the system with the suspension in full droop up on jack stands. However, when you put the car on the ground (mine is lowered to about 5" at the rocker), there is very little suspension travel between the e-brake portion of the caliper and the inner fender. The ebrake cable is also pretty crowded between the strut tube (all the time), the "frame rail" when the suspension is compressed. I also worry a lot about the extra brake line getting tangled up with the axle. I have painted it with a little primer so that I can inspect for rub marks and so-far-so-good, but it worries me. The racing pads that I have on that caliper work best when HOT and not very well when cold. Bleeding brake calipers when they are mounted at a different angle than they were designed for is very difficult. The bleeder has to be at the highest point on the caliper. So, I have to actually remove my calipers everytime I bleeed my brakes and bleed them in my hand (kind of a PITA). My plans for the setup are 1) switch to ceramic pads, 2) install rubber bump stops on the top of the gland nut on the struts to limit travel to keep the top caliper from hitting the bottom of the inner fender. If that doesn't help, then I got to get a saw out and build a little clearance cove inside the inner fender to clearance the caliper and c-notch the frame rail to clearance the cable. Everything is a trade-off. Also, it was a LOT of work for a system that I can't really use very often and stay out of jail. Now, if you want to build a set up with the same general concept that takes into account the short comings of my system, here are my recommendations: 1) trash the passenger seat and build the handbrake with a vacuum assisted booster so that it takes less effort to lock brakes (you really gotta crank on this thing). Maybe use either one of those electric vacuum pumps or a power-steering pump assisted hydraulic booster. 2) Say "screw it" to the cable-operated parking brake and just park with the car left in gear, using a chock block. That would allow me to use a great big caliper from the front wheel of a Z32-I hear they lock up super, whereas the Maxima caliper is pretty marginal. Honestly, the more I modify my z-car, the less I feel like daily driving it anyway (it is becoming somewhat of a spectacle), impossible to blend-in, and spiritually agonizing to have to drive slowly in traffic. 3) Build the system with the car sitting on jackstands on the spindle pin portion of the strut, so that true suspension clearances are represented. Think about where to place brake lines so that they are far away from the axles (someday you will do a CV axle conversion and they take up more room than the u-joint stock axles). Have fun! PS-like he said, the Desert Z parking brake works great. Super kit. Don't forget to take the check valve out of your master cylinder-the instructions omit this little tidbit, and your brakes will not release fully with that little check valve in place. Also, remove your stock proportion valve-these calipers don't really have the power to make them lock before the fronts. They are better than stock, but they are not "super stoppers." I have an aftermarket proportion valve, but it is adjusted wide open and I'm still not locking rears with the footbrake. Edited August 12, 2012 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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