Front brake upgrade and calliper rebuild

Sean d

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Cracking job, this is one upgrade that I plan to do.
 

Grumps

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They look great fitted :) Andy dropped down to the shed today to have new wishbones fitted, and brought the calipers and new discs with him. Actually the wrong sized discs, but a quick drive to ECP to switch them over and we were OK!

New wishbones...
View attachment 40945

View attachment 40946

New calipers, discs and pads...
View attachment 40947
Braided brake lines too.
View attachment 40948

Sadly as this point we sprung a leak. Brake fluid started flowing down from behind the arch liners. After removing the arch liners and plastic covers we found that the copper brake line had ruptured. The rupture is hidden away so unless someone noticed the brake fluid leaking it would have gone unnoticed until it split while braking. Scary... :(

Andy has just gone to halfords to buy some brake line, flaring tools and more braked fluid.
View attachment 40949
What a shame but better to have gone there than on the road. These things come to try us sometimes, they are old cars now and do test us sometimes. Hope you've got it all sorted now. :thumbsup:
 

t-tony

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This sometimes happens on an M.O.T. test and customers usually are happy that it happened in the garage, but you always get one don't you ............................

Tony.
 

t-tony

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They look great fitted :) Andy dropped down to the shed today to have new wishbones fitted, and brought the calipers and new discs with him. Actually the wrong sized discs, but a quick drive to ECP to switch them over and we were OK!

New wishbones...
View attachment 40945

View attachment 40946

New calipers, discs and pads...
View attachment 40947
Braided brake lines too.
View attachment 40948

Sadly as this point we sprung a leak. Brake fluid started flowing down from behind the arch liners. After removing the arch liners and plastic covers we found that the copper brake line had ruptured. The rupture is hidden away so unless someone noticed the brake fluid leaking it would have gone unnoticed until it split while braking. Scary... :(

Andy has just gone to halfords to buy some brake line, flaring tools and more braked fluid.
View attachment 40949
That would be the original steel pipe going by the corrosion?

Tony.
 

windym

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Better in the shed than on the drive home i say:thumbsup:
It would only have been a matter of time before a nasty brake fail, so a pain it happened but happy it did really. Could have been rather scary and no happy ending.

Andy
 

Dino D

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Will have to ask my garage to check those pipes at next service.
Rear pipes have been replaced already, very common I believe.

Can somebody please post up the part number off these calipers. When it comes time is like to do this but buy new calipers.

Question - can these new calipers work with the standard 276mm discs (I'm assuming that's what my 2.8 has, we fitted just last year brembo discs and have only done less than 10k so plenty of life in them).

I'm thinking to do the calipers and then when discs need doing get the 300mm. I suspect one of my calipers is not right, car pulls to one side on heavy braking (passed MOT fine though).

I guess I need bigger pads for the bigger calipers too?
 

windym

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Bit of a schoolboy error on the brakes, I got E46 325 callipers when I should have got E46 325i/s callipers.The 325 are 286 vented same as the 2.8/3.0 and the 325i/s are 300mm. So should be a marked improvement in braking and with the braided hoses even more so, at some point will go with Red/Yellow stuff pads as well.

Andy
 

GazHyde

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Back in the 'shed for a rare Sunday session, but we can't leave Windy stranded 90 miles from home can we.

A temporary fix has been completed, and Andy will source proper replacement lines on his return home.

Cut back the rotten section to a clean undamaged section, and replaced the whole section up to the where the brake lines are attached.
image.jpeg


This pic is a bit dark, but you get the idea!
image.jpeg


This is a better close up view of the line we took off.
image.jpeg


Andy is going to have a slow and steady drive back home tonight!
 

Brian H

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Bit of a schoolboy error on the brakes, I got E46 325 callipers when I should have got E46 325i/s callipers.The 325 are 286 vented same as the 2.8/3.0 and the 325i/s are 300mm. So should be a marked improvement in braking and with the braided hoses even more so, at some point will go with Red/Yellow stuff pads as well.

Andy
FYI, The 3.0 has 300mm discs as standard so same size as the 325i/s :)
 

t-tony

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Back in the 'shed for a rare Sunday session, but we can't leave Windy stranded 90 miles from home can we.

A temporary fix has been completed, and Andy will source proper replacement lines on his return home.

Cut back the rotten section to a clean undamaged section, and replaced the whole section up to the where the brake lines are attached.
View attachment 41022

This pic is a bit dark, but you get the idea!
View attachment 41023

This is a better close up view of the line we took off.
View attachment 41024

Andy is going to have a slow and steady drive back home tonight!
Providing the rest of the steel pipe is in good order there's no reason the replace it. Perfectly good repair, most cars have joints in their brake lines.

Tony.
 
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Low Rider

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Back in the 'shed for a rare Sunday session, but we can't leave Windy stranded 90 miles from home can we.

A temporary fix has been completed, and Andy will source proper replacement lines on his return home.

Cut back the rotten section to a clean undamaged section, and replaced the whole section up to the where the brake lines are attached.
View attachment 41022

This pic is a bit dark, but you get the idea!
View attachment 41023

This is a better close up view of the line we took off.
View attachment 41024

Andy is going to have a slow and steady drive back home tonight!
Excellent service guys
 

GazHyde

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Providing the rest of the steel pipe is in good order there's no reason the replace it. Perfectly good repair, most cars have joints in their brake lines.
Thanks Tony, interesting to know... and I'm not necessarily surprised that it happens.
 

Shoejohn

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Good morning gents. I have enjoyed this forum! So much information. I know nothing about brakes and wasn’t planning to upgrade. However this popped up on FB marketplace and are very close for easy pick up. This is a front brake set up off a e46 325ci. Is this one a direct fit upgrade to my 1997 2.8? If so $100 seems like a smart buy? Any thoughts?
Cheers.
 

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t-tony

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I would buy those, they‘re well worth $100 and you can sell on what you don’t use and really make it a sweet deal.

Tony.
 

Shoejohn

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Thanks Tony. I was hoping you would chime in. 👍. I’m reached out and hope to pick them up this week. I will do some research. I can tell the discs are larger and different. Are the calipers the same size just modified to fit larger discs?
 

t-tony

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IIRC the same pads fit, but because the carriers are larger the pads grip further out on the disc giving greater braking force. The actual calipers are the same size, it's the carriers which make the difference. The drilled and grooved discs alone are good. I just ordered some front ones for my car, just searching for rear ones now. Also replacing the rubber flexible hoses with Stainless steel ones is next on the list for a "firmer" pedal.

Tony.
 
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