Thread: Series 2 Disc Brake conversion?

The basic problem with fitting coil spring axles to a Series Landrover is that the track rod is right where you want to put leaf springs. There are ways round this but none of them are particularly satisfactory. The simplest is to put spacers between the spring and the axle, but this decreases ground clearance under the springs and lowers the whole vehicle, which is OK if that's what you want, but it usually isn't (and the coil spring Landrovers have unequal angles on the front prop shaft, which is likely to cause problems with vibration. The other way of doing it is to tilt the axle, but this upsets the steering geometry and the angle on the U-joints on the front prop shaft, and a third way of doing it is to make a cranked tierod - but I doubt that you would get engineering approval for that anywhere in Australia.

Interesting chat gents but there IS a much easier way of doing all this using a bolt on system just like what Zeus and TIC offer. By the way I e-mailed Phillip of YICAN to see what the Aussie prices were for the Zeus per axle set and it's bloody $1800 AUD odd for one axle pair!!!

There are a couple of guys at the UK Landy fanatics forum who have done it for about 40 pounds ... I'll get onto them and actually report back to this thread with the details incase others are curious. You certainly don't have to change diffs and grind things off ... these guys have done a simple conversion kit just like those companies without needing to pay through the nose. I believe however that they spoke at length to some guys who had some kits to get specs etc.

More to come ...

Interesting chat gents but there IS a much easier way of doing all this using a bolt on system just like what Zeus and TIC offer. By the way I e-mailed Phillip of YICAN to see what the Aussie prices were for the Zeus per axle set and it's bloody $1800 AUD odd for one axle pair!!!

There are a couple of guys at the UK Landy fanatics forum who have done it for about 40 pounds ... I'll get onto them and actually report back to this thread with the details incase others are curious. You certainly don't have to change diffs and grind things off ... these guys have done a simple conversion kit just like those companies without needing to pay through the nose. I believe however that they spoke at length to some guys who had some kits to get specs etc.

More to come ...

Hi Simon
There is the other method of upgrading the front brakes dramatically,I did it on my "Toy"
It involves using the wider drums from the original 6cyl Landy or Stage1.
These drums are 3'' wide compared to the standard 21/4"wide.As you can appreciate an extra 3/4"inch wider over the friction area makes for a lot bigger surface area for the brakes to work on.
The brakes are a straight swap no mods needed.You MUST get all the associated parts from the 6cyl axle,backing plates,wheel cylinders,drums and shoes.
Its very easy to spot the difference in drums,the 3" drums have "square shoulders" compared to the 21/4" "round shoulders".
Standard wheels still fit the same.
It would work best using a series3 booster and dual brake line setup.
The 3' setup will also fit the rear axle,but some sort of proportioning valve(holden 1 tonner) would need to be fitted.I intended doing this on the "toy" but didnt find a second 3" drum set.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT 8) 8) 8)
Andrew

The original question by tikirocker was to avoid cleaning and adjustment problems by going to discs rather than to improve the brakes - and your proposal certainly is effective. Not sure whether the wider drums are needed on the back, certainly not on an 88, maybe on a 109. If you need a proportioning valve to reduce braking - did you need that much braking in the first place?

Another point is that the 3" brakes were apparently fitted to all models S3 in late production - certainly fitted to the 1981 2.25 diesel I have.

Hi JDNSW
I only added the rear option just to let him know they fit,as I tried mine to see at the time.I think you will find County/Early Defenders have the rear 3" setup.
My Toy has a Ford 302V8,stock at the moment but if the project is ever finished it wont be a stock motor and probably a 351V8.If it goes it has to stop.The proportioning valve would allow full brake force on the rear axle suiting the load that was on board at the time.
Andrew

Saw this add in the REMLR.COM supply shed page

Shazzymann Custom Chassis
Contact 'Grant' -a fellow Land Rover enthusiast- for wheelbase modifications to your Land Rover chassis, rust repairs and rear cross member rebuilds, suspension mods, Rover V8 and disc brake installations for short and long wheelbase Series 1, 2, 3. Ph Grant 02 66366148 NSW.

might be worth a look

J

I've seen Shazzymann and might give him a shout to see what kind of Disc mods he does. Here's the limk to the thread by Tonk which shows what the English boys have been doing for home made bolt on disc conversions ...

http://www.landroveraddict.com/ubbthreads/...true#Post232059

I'd be interested in what you boys think.