Hi Folks,
Wasn't sure if this was better here or in the model specific section but here goes anyway. I'm trying to find out what the handbrake calipers on my Coupe are from (without having to dig through the box of paperwork that came with it). The rest of the rear brakes are standard Mini 8.4" front discs and the handbrake is a second caliper mounted on a welded bracket that's bolted to the hub. There is a makers name of Airheart (I think) cast in the caliper. Anyone know what they're from?

Iain

A quick google search and:

http://www.airheart-brakes.com/calipers.html

I've never heard of them........

Any pictures of what it looks like?

I know that my old K3 had the handbrake caliper from a 2CV. The pads are the size of a 50p and was a fairly poor set up. Apparently they are known for spitting the pads out, leaving you with no handbrake.

I did a search after I posted the question and found that page too. The ones on my car look to be the MB1 series. Pads the size of a 50p is around right. I've got them working by adjusting them properly but I'd like to stick a new set of pads in there.

Unless there's something easier available..... I know it's relatively easy to fit Fiesta front calipers to a Mini hub so is there a similarly simple conversion with a combined hydraulic and cable brake?

Iain

Iain,

I'm part way through doing an mgf conversion. It only needs a small mod to the hubs and gives you an integrated system, that has self adjustment.

It's an option for you.

I'll write it all up when I've got it finished.

Also as to add a further option, i have a big brake design that will give you 10 inch stoppers on the front and 9inch on the rear [i currently have the rear done on mine] and hopefully if i can get it to all work out smoothly will be alot cheaper than some of the other available mini upgrades to say the least.

but of course you would had known about my rear conversion if you have a newsletter handy was in the last edition.

WEST

Tim - any chance of some more info on this? I've obtained a set of MGF calipers (coz I saw a set going cheap). I've had a quick look at the fit on a spare front hub and it looks like they attach to the opposite side of the mounting lugs on the upright. The hole centres are wrong and they don't fit between the mounting lugs on the upright and the disc. I'm thinking that Metro turbo drive-flanges pull the disc into the wheel a bit further (I seem to remember 3/8" being mentioned somewhere in the dim and distant) so they might sort the problem of the fitting between the lugs and the disc. How did you sort the mis-match of the centres?

Or are there different types of MGF caliper and I've got the wrong ones?

West - I know bigger is almost always better where brakes are concerned but I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible for the moment whilst actually getting a handbrake.

Iain

To sort this out you need some jiggery and some pokery, in equal amounts.

I used the metro flanges on a mini hub. This does give a bit more room between the hub and the disk, but not enough. There does need to be a little bit of machining. Don't ask me what any of the measurements are, but you need to machine enough of the none machined side of the hub, so that the center of the caliper is at the center of the disk. Also the holes need opening out, so that the are inline with the fixing holes of the caliper. Roughly speaking it leaves about 10 to 12 mm of material on the hub, with clearance holes to bolt the caliper on with.

I wouldn't want to give any amounts to machine off, as the castings of the hubs means that differing amounts need removing to get the required amounts.

All this needs to be done on a miller, I asked my friendly machinist to do it, but any machine shop would be able to carry out the work.

The hardest bit is clamping down the hub onto a face that is flat, to do the machining!

Thanks for that Tim - a couple more questions.....

When you say 10-12mm of material on the hub do you mean that this is the new thickness of the mounting lugs? This should now be a measurement that can be transferred to any casting as the rear face of the lugs hasn't been changed and should be a fixed relationship to the faces of the brake discs. I understand that you mean you might have to remove different amounts from different hubs due to casting variations but that thickness is what you need to end up with on all of them. If that's the case is there any chance you could give an accurate-ish measurement. Being sliding calipers it's not that critical that the disc is central as it will compensate for a millimetre or two.

As for the bolt centres - did you simply drill the holes in the lugs out until the inner edges allowed the MGF calipers to fit? or did you "pull" the centres of the holes closer and drill at clearance for the 10mm MGF bolts?

Iain

I'll have a measure of the thickness that I have left, I suppose I should have made a note of it in the first place!

Rather than opening out the holes for the caliper bolts, the centres were measured and then bored with the correct centres. There was a bit of the original hole left, but each hole stops it from going in one direction!

Cool - any idea what the centres of the MGF calipers are?

Iain

Just to add to this topic i origonaly did this convertion about 14 months ago , I was using the origional gtm handbrake leaver and cabiles the mot tester was not happy with the results ,But my mate was . anyway i am now using the mgf handbrake and cabiles and the car want through the mot no problem .The hanbrake uses the front mounting hole in the tub for the rearhole in the leaver and a small fabricated bracket with a small plate for strenght for the front also i bolted a 10mm thick plate in the tunnel just behind the inspection plate to bolt the cabiles onto they then come up the center ,over each side and down and round to the calipers they are a bit long but you can fit them ok , as they are all mgf they all fit together nice ,the whole job only took a few houres also they were only £20.00 from my local tat yard cheep as chips

That is good to hear Nigel, as I am part way through fitting mine at the moment. I wasn't sure if the disk being smaller than the MGF ones would cause a problem. How good is the handbrake? Would you trust it on a steep slope, or is it still around the same level as the old handbrake?

The handbrake works on a diffrent ratio is very good ,as long as its not a very steep hill .I now would have no worry about it , as i said before it was a easy fix the cabils are a tad long but i was able to fit them in with no sharp bends in and my mate the mot tester was happy with the results

Have you got any pictures of how you modified the cable brakes? I know mine are a bit too close to the tie bars. Did you just cut a wedge and then weld them back together?