Manky Monkey Motors

http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/Trikespageimages/discbrake/disc.htm

Is there any chance that the template show below could be made with exact dimensions, so that I (or any other member) could take it to an engineering company and get them to make it from that template ?

Cheeky sod arn't I..... ;D

Yup! I've got a Reliant axle sat in the garage at the moment so I'll try to remember to take some measurements tomorrow. It's nothing special -just bolts to the 4 drum back-plate mounting holes on the end of the axle tube. The hole in the centre's big enough for the hub to fit through & small enough to retain the bearing in the end of the axle & the 2 top holes just accept the carrier bracket from the VW Golf calipers. T'ain't difficult really!  ;)

Thanks Manky, ever since I saw the link that Sue put up on CB, I knew thats the route I wanted to take, and besides, it'll look a damn sight better than the drums, even though I've had them blasted and are nice and shiney now.... ;)

Since writing the piece for 100% Biker I've discovered Audi A4 & A6 calipers will bolt directly to the VW Golf carrier brackets. They've got slightly bigger pistons & pads &, being a newer car, might be easier to get hold of.

to do the above you will need to use the mk2 golf caliper carriers! and the later calipers! they are a straight swap!!! and really work much better than the standard gti ones. listed below are the ones that will fit!
audi a4-a6
volks golf mk5 onwards
seat alhambra
seat toledo
volks sharon
plus a few more that i cant think of right now!
oh an one last thing! you must use the pads for that specific caliper. or you gonna end up with a scraping noise from the disc area although the mk2 pads fit they do not have an anti rattle spring fitted! as i found out  other than that its just the same set up that andy did in the first place i,ll try an post a piccy later take care toad!!! :-*

tried to post piccy but our website wont allow me to remove piccys so look at www.trike shack.com take care toad!

www.trikeshack.com

Thanks Toad. I'll get Yoda to sort out a link on our Links page when he gets a spare minute.
Any chance of a few piccies & some words on your supercharged Goldwing trike for the Motors section?

Mr Saddlebags, you there?
I've measured up the caliper mounting plates on Flap's trike so am ready for you to make some up when you are. PM me or email me cos I've run out of mobile phone credit!
Your payment of one Reliant axle is sat under a Reliant on Ska Man's driveway waiting for you to remove it!

Is there a drawing to accompany those measurements Mr Mankster?

Sort of! Yeah, I made a paper template from my last set before swapping them with Critch for his old Sportster tank, but the hole positions were a bit iffy so have checked them. As asked here , if anyone can transfer my scribbles to CAD or Photoshop or whatever & produce a full size drawing we'll post it here for people to download.

Look at these beauties!
The latest components to roll off the Saddlebags production line. After shaking his head at my fag packet diagram & recoiling in horror from my Christmas cracker micrometer, Saddly Bloke's come up with these gorgeous rear brake caliper mounting plates for the Reliant axle disc brake conversion. They're machined from 10mm thick aluminium & recessed to sit over the end of the axle tube. Very, very nice. Thanks mate. In true MMMotors fashion, 4 sets of these have been bartered for an axle for saddlebags' planned trike project.
Look out for a full sized CAD drawing of these on the site soon -the definitive measurments in the form of a downloadable drawing that can be printed out & used as a paper template for readers to produce their own copies.
This particular pair are destined for the guy who MOT'd my van, in payment for the test. 

Very very nice work.

Yeah, a bit sad to get excited over a lump of ally I know, but them's puurdy!
All our previous ones have been cut from flat steel plate, between 5 & 7mm thick, but the ally's easier for SaddleBags to get hold of & machine & the extra thickness allows him to recess them for a much nicer fit. He's got a CAD drawing with all the relevant measurements on it, so we'll get it onsite soon with a couple of photos to show how it fits. Although the caliper hangers are all the same, the calipers themselves vary slightly from one model to another, so the curved top of the plates should allow clearance for all models.

This i look forward to seeing.

I've got something here that is in dire need of machining, it's a huge slab ot aircraft grade titanium, it's round 11" diameter, 2" thick, but i can't find anyone that will touch it.

PS and it's worth a bloody fortune. :D :D

also worth making a not of one reliant axle i have in my garage has three bolt holes holding the back plate on! tis not a problem if your gonna use flat plates for your disc conversion as you just need to drill one whole in a different place the other two line up perfect

3!! What on earth did that fall off? Never seen a 3 bolt one. Yeah, obviously if you've got one of those, (whatever it is), just drill your plates to suit. We've made plates from whatever we've had to hand in the past, hence the difference in thickness. Just means some have needed the caliper hangers spaced out off the top of the plate with a washer to keep the caliper aligned centrally over the disc.

defo a reliant one! swapped it for an old regal one coz a mate wanted to do a chain drive conversion! the axles in ians goldy trike in my garage it,ll be here when you pop down.

Does it still use the Leyland Mini style drum brakes?

yep sure did!!! my guess is it might have come from one of the last jelly mold cars!

Wish I had some of those, they are really lovely to behold. It's not sad to appreciate beauty ;D ;D

Got a spare pair if you want 'em. Yours for 40 quid, plus postage.

if anyone has a good pattern  or one we could copy,, could get some more made, but we're not on cnc at my mates still old,, fashioned engineers here
 ;D

Hi spanners i will try and email you a cad drawing if i can get it sorted the outside shape of the brackets is not so important as long as you get sufficient clearance on the caliper and all your holes are pitched correctly.

Hiya Mr Bags.
You ready for your frame yet?
Still waiting for you to send in that CAD drawing so we can post it here for readers to download.

Hiya Mr Manks hows you?has your frame gone to the powder coaters yet?i haven't made my axle clamps or my headstock yet been so busy with other stuff,got skamans fork brace finished today looks good,dont know if its the right size but it sure is shiny.Ive got about another two weeks frantic stuff then hopefully the trike is back on all i need is to scrape the pennies for the tube then my friend that is where you come in.Are we gonna bend the frame at the saddlebags shiny outlet or in one of your many lodgings?

Mr Bags, your frame will have to be done at your establishment I think. Any more stuff in Nige's garage & I'll get told to sling me 'ook! Will also be handy if we need any parts quickly knocked up while we're doing it!

totaly stupid question  ::)but would it be possible to cut out the inside pattern and center with say errr a router :D if so would ya after make up some kinda jig,was jus wonderin is all ;)

Techy question -that'll be one for Mr Bags then!

Hi dynatrike,cutting out the center with a router sounds scary to me but if you did manage it i suppose it wouldn't be impossible to make some kind of jig to locate off the center hole and correctly pitch the other holes,but the best solution would be to contact your friendly engineer and commision him to machine them for you,failing that you could always pm me .

   the router is a truly wonderful tool and ,in the right hands ,capable of most things. I frequently trim aluminium and not so often steel (but never on purpose) the question is really "is it worth it", a wan**y trade TC cutter is going to cost at least £25 and last next to no time , a reasonable pro PCD cutter for the job will go about £140 and then you want a machine capable of turning it. If you settled for one of the softer ali's I'm sure that with some careful template making this could be done, it would never approach the accuracy of CNC machining but in this case it probably isn't needed and anyone with reasonable sight and a steady hand could set it out adequately. If you do go this route remember that most routers capable of doing what you want will be turning the tool at better than 35000 rpm and if you let it get away from you it will hunt you down without mercy, happy routing

hmm i just thought the inside diameter which is only a couple of mill depth could be routed out and a hole saw one o them circular thingies ya puts on a drill to whip out the centre hole,so it may come after me with a vengance  :o so i best wear me crash hat and gloves if i ever attempt it , ::)orrr get wife to have the trial run??  on second thoughts my wife and electrical tools do not mix to well ;D ;D nevermind just a stupid idea i had ;)

Hi Dynatrike, you could cut the hole with a router, seen it done throught 1'' ali no problem but you need a jig and a bloody good router bit TCT I believe. Be very very careful and use the safety specs just in case. Make sure that the piece is really well clamped down too.

UPDATE
 I've just read Brocks reply, Duh or what, did'nt realise that the cutters were quite so expensive :o, never thought to ask the bloke that I saw doing the cutting :-[ I'd listen to Brock if I were you
Regards
K

My Rialto 2 axle has 3-stud backplate fixing. The picture of the Kitten axle in my Haynes manual also has three studs.
Incidentally, I just had the hubs pressed off the axles with a big hydraulic thing that bent both my hubs. Anybody got a spare pair on scrap shafts?
I have looked at the brakes and wonder if the twin-leading shoe mini front backplates would fit? I could then mount a pair of those gorgeous aluminium minifin brake-drums I saw last week in the Huddersfield Mini Centre and have slightly better than standard brakes.

Did anyone buy that spare pair Andy ?

Real class they are.... 8) 8)

Manky boss says you can have one of his spare pairs for £30 plus postage, (whatever that will be). The last spare set is mine.  ;D

The only thing I need to know is: Are they a guaranteed fit ?

If so, P.M. me your details inc postage, and I'll bang a postal order off to you. ;) 8)

They definitely fit on the axle -I know cos I've got a set on mine, but Saddlebags has got my caliper mounts at the moment. Our adaptor plates bolt to the axle, then the VW Golf caliper carriers bolt to them, then the calipers bolt to the carriers. SaddleBags made the adaptor plates so yes, they should be a perfect fit, but I'll check with him to make sure then PM you.

If i made them theres no question of their perfectnous. ;D

Bad news I'm afraid :'(

While buggering about with my trike today, I realised it has custom hub adapters fitted, which need the drum to sit on, so I'm screwed, as I love the slots and don't want to change them.
I've added a pic of me trike, you'll see the stud pattern there, that's why it's not the normal PCD.

I'm gutted to say the least, as this is one modification I've wanted to do for quite some time. :'( :'(

That trike looks fantastic Ziggy really like it,if you change your mind in the future about a disc conversion i may be able to help you with all the machined parts,are you sure a special plate cant be made to replace your drums?

To be honest I don't know, if I were to remove the drum and then try to replace the adapter, most of it would sit outside the hub. Fitting a plate may be an idea though, but the best thing I can do is, the next time I'm down the garage I'll take some pics with the wheel off, so you can see for yourself, perhaps you can help from there.

As your a man that knows summit about machined alloy, you may be able to help me with another problem I have, I've got two nice slabs of billet alloy that I'd really love to have made into a nice set of yokes for me trike, but everywhere I've tried thus far, I've drawn a blank, mind you, where I live that's not hard, coz even the simplest of things have to go away to be done.
I've never done this before, so I could do with all the advice I can get.

The two slabs are:

Length: 505mm

Width: 170mm

Depth: 30mm

They are aircraft grade if that means owt to you, coz it don't with me..lol

Trike's looking sweet Ziggy, I'm still trying to get TP back on the road, engine is almost ready to go back in the frame, as for yokes I know there is a program on the works CNC will try to find out what size the yokes would be.

Hi Ziggy i could make you any shape yokes you care to dream up,your trikes crying out for a nice set of slabs. ;D

Any chance of a write-up for the site Zigg?
SaddleBags, can you make pedal linking rods too?!  ;D

Too right it's crying out for some :'( At the moment it's running with the original yokes which are the molded type, and they have horrible sticky outy bits, they are bloody awfull.

Is it possible for you to PM me your phone number so we can have a wee chat ? I'll be sat down in case of any shocks when ya tell me the price :o......... ;D





It'll be my pleasure Manky dude, as soon as it's finished I'll get it off to you, and I have to do one anyway, as hopefully it'll be in the Brit Chopper magazine too :o..... 8) 8) 8)

Will do Ziggy ,when you see the blood sweat and tears that go into making a set i practically give them away. ;D ;D

Hoping to pick mine up from the powder-coaters tomorrow morning. They've been fitted once but needed a little re-working, (my fault, not SB's), so had to be re-coated.

are these wonderful articles for sale and how much ?

Hiya,
here's the diagram SaddleBags did for us of the plates he made. He only produced 4 sets, all of which have now been used. Last time I spoke to him he had a 3 month waiting list for private work, let alone the stuff he's supposed to be making in work's time. I think it might be worth putting an order in with him for a few more sets though. Not sure of the cost as the last ones were bartered, not bought. I'll check.

cheers MM Im in no great rush at the moment just getting the things i need together gonna start welding and building in the next couple of weeks but dont envisage the thing being ready before spring next year

No problem. Lots of clever guys here with lots of info -all you got to do is ask.

It understanding the answers !! :) :) ;)

Just pretend you understand it -that's what I do.  ;)

 ;D ;D ;D

Had some done in stainless will post piccies when I get them

Great. Stainless tends to be quite brittle, so make sure it's high tensile. Saying that though, most of the forces on the plates will be going sideways, trying to turn the plates around the disc, rather than across the thickness of the plate, so should be fine. Yup, piccies please.  ;)

If you do place an order I would def be interested thats a DEFINATELY INTERESTED - if the price is right , showing my North East Scottish grippyness now!

let us know a price when you can not in rush by any means

cheers

Donut

Haven't done yet, but I'll go see Mr SaddleBags in the next few days. It'll be literally a couple of months before he can do them though.

CAD file is now available for the plates here..
And a huge thanks to Valleysboy who is also hosting it so that it can be downloaded direct from him. Thank you Gareth.
(The picture here will not print 1 to 1 scale but the CAD file does, its for viewing only.)
For those that dont know....
download the file
Right click on it and select `extract here` or to your chosen folder
double click the new icon that appears, the file can then be viewed and printed.
To print....
select the print icon on the top toolbar
a new box opens, bottom left, select Active sheet AND to scale (1 to 1).
select ok
file will now print in black and white to scale.

manky monkey might host it for you if you ask

Cannot do it yet, to retain a scale print it has to stay as a CAD file, it can be converted to other image types but looses the scale, hence the .jpg wont print correctly

here yuhs go ....

 CALIPER DIA (http://www.ratrods.co.uk/caliper mount1.zip)

Thanks tbone and Valleysboy. We do not have CAD on our computers so it's not something that we can do.

This is what the end product should look like

Well nearly, the pic Tazet posted is of the MK2 version. These are made from 10mm aluminuim with a 3mm recess machined over the mounting holes and have a different profile were the caliper carrier bolts on. My CAD drawing is for the original brackets, made from 1/4" flat steel plate. Size wise, they are the same so would be able to use on either material but you`d have to mark the recess yourselves if going down the ali (or should that be alley) route.
Give this a go for the MK2 version...

Thanks for that guys.
Yeah, the top of the plates SaddleBags machined for us is slightly curved to allow clearance for other models of calipers -Passat ones fit for example & we've found the Golf ones vary from year to year but the mounting holes stay the same. Some have larger diameter pistons than others, hence the curved section. Obviously you need to check your own particular calipers against the drawing before cutting.  ;) 

Evening , a couple of quick questions  .......

but 1st  .....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/template.jpg)

Printed off Tbone's template and stuck it on a bit of ply , not got the calipers and brackets yet but the 4 x 8mm holes line up spot on ..  ;D
( thats the plate that was on the backplate ).

Now for the question ... 
How big should the whole in the middle be ?
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/which.jpg)

1)  just big enough to let the shoulder on the hub through ? , ( does the hub go all the way through to the bearing ? )

2) the same size as the plate that was on the backplate ( its smaller than the 47mm marked on the template , and  the hub goes through about an inch ) .
 
3) same size as the backplate which seems to be bigger than the template and the plate .. ?

or

4) stick to the template and stop asking silly questions  ...   ;D

sorry if this has been brought up before  .. :)

cheers  ..  Hagar

Hiya mate,
               Yeah that is the question. there are 3 of Andys diagrams scattered around this site somewere, 2 of them show that  centre hole marked at 47mm and the 3rd marked at 40mm. I opted for the 47mm as that was the more common of the two sizes. In reality it doesnt matter as long as the hole is large enough to slip over the shaft and allow the hub to sit back through it but small enough to keep the bearing in place.
Can you do me a favour tho n let me know the diameter in your option no.2 please
I hope your taking loads of pics like we discussed  ;)

What he said.
Reliant used both Metric & Imperial bearings & at least 2 different diameters of drive shafts. 47mm seems to work with everything, but obviously, just use a little common sense & go with whatever your particular axle uses. The centre hole only has to be big enough for the hub to sit in without fouling but small enough to retain the bearing. Definitely not rocket science!  :) 

Evening , the hole size of option 2 is approx. 42mm ( I think the cat has eat me calipers so I'm down to a steel rule  :) ) , the shoulder on the hub (1) is about  7mm .. so in theory if I give it a couple of mm clearance  on the diameter of the shoulder (34ish mm ) that should do it , just a thought does the bearing get hot ? and would the larger hole on the original backplate allow (a minute amount of ) cooling ? , or am I just making this too complicated  ;D

cheers  ..  Hagar

Evening , not sure the old backplate was holding much in ...  ;D   you can see the whole rubber surround through the plate ....

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/size.jpg)

cheers  ..  Hagar

I think you`ll find the larger hole on the backplate is to allow it to fit various vehicle axles. The older vehicles generally used one of two systems, Lockheed or as in this case Girling. You`ll find that a lot of the brake parts are interchangable as long as you stick with the same manufacturer, E.G 3 different wheel cylinders would all be made from the same casting but would differ only on the bore size.Something like the backplate doesnt locate on its centre hole, but the four mounting holes, so it makes sense to produce one plate with a centre hole diameter large enough to cover different applications.
As for the bearing getting hot, its job is to centre the halfshaft within the casing and allow it to turn freely, obviously as with all friction, there is heat generated but nowt worth worrying about.
Are you gonna do a write up on the boat too?  ;D

Evening ,


so many projects so little time  ..   ;D

cheers  ..  Hagar

has any one mentioned that you cant use standard wheels once you have changed the drums to disk,you have to get bigger wheels..........shabba.

Yeah, its touched upon in the original write up that Mr Mankey did

Evening ,
think these will do the job ?


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/1fromrear.jpg)

cheers  ..  Hagar

Evening , I've not got the calipers through yet , but I've just had a quick offer up of the nova discs    ......  and I've got about 2  1/2" inch clearance all round ....  will this be enough ?   ( she sits on revolution wheels and 275/50R15 tyres ) .

cheers  ..  Hagar

yall be alreet as long as yer calipers are clear from inside of rim hagar slip disc over studs ,put caliper on offer wheel back on ,but you will need more than two hands to do this  ;D im runnin suzi jeep 15" alloys and discs granada calipers with big tyres an they fit an work like dream  8) ;)

Evening , cant check till I get the hubs and discs back , I'm using nova discs  and golf calipers ( was told they were off of a 1.8 gti ). Do you think I should invest in some longer studs ? .

cheers  ..  Hagar

Hiya,
a very quick check of my trike's arse end says the caliper stands about 2 inches up from the edge of the disc. I'm running 15 inch alloys. I used 1 1/4 inch spacers from SpeedShack, (their details are in the Links for Commercial Purposes bit of the forum), to space the wheel away from the disc & caliper to give some extra clearance. The spacers come with stud extensions. Check the thread on my trike frame in General Discussion for photos & descriptions of everything on my trike so far.

HELP  Wanted can any one send me a paper or cradboard template for the back plate conversion as i dont seem to be able to down load the info thanks in advance

Sounds like a job for Super TBone!

Evening ,

Downloading and printing it off is the easiest way , what sort of problem do you have with the download ? ..

cheers  ..  Hagar

I`m on to it boss   ;)

this is how Andys look with the spacer fitted

and minus the wheel you can see how high the caliper sits off the disc

Afternoon , thanks tbone the pictures help ..   still collecting bits , can anyone recommend a small'ish handbrake lever that'll work with the Golf mk2/3  calipers  or is it best to stick with a Golf one ..

cheers  .. Hagar

Any lever will work, depending how hard its pulled lol, i think you`ll find most OE car levers are of a similier size, but it is time to start thinking about mounting points for the lever and cable connections to it. I always trawl the local breakers yard, its the old fanshioned type were you go round ad have to remove the bits yourself.

Evening , I was thinking more of compatability with the golf brake cables without too much messing about to get it conected (ie .. shorter cables connect up and away you go  ;D )  ....

cheers  ..  Hagar
 

Hiya Hagar,
I've got a Leyland Metro handbrake on my own trike, simply cos it was fairly short so would fit in a confined space & also has a contoured grip, (dimpled, like a Golf ball), which makes it easier to operate with gloves on.
Taz's trike will use a stainless steel aftermarket lever, bought from an autojumble stall earlier this year, (check her trike build thread for a photo). Whatever you decide to use, the cables will more than likely need shortening to suit. VW Golf cables end in a short length of threaded bar for adjustment. Easy enough to do, either with a screw-on, solderless nipple, or a looped cable end & a clamp, or as I did, send 'em off to "Speedy Cables" & get them professionally done.
Most older style handbrake levers finish in a simple bolt hole at the bottom of the lever. All you need to do is make up a round bar to pass through that with holes cross-drilled either side to take the ends of the cables, or a T shaped plate that will bolt onto the lever with holes in for the cables. Anything that attaches the cables to the lever & still allows free movement of said lever, as well as adjustment of the cable, will do the job.

??? Stoopid question, but are the plates handed? and if so do you just turn the template over or what?

It does look to me that they are handed and to do this you just reverse the template, but being a complete novice thought I would ask.

Many thanks and grovels. ;)

take care when using the template ,the flat part on the template does not always line up with each individual axel ,i just cut the plate fully rounded and ground it off once fitted to the axel.

Yes they are handed but its not a problem. If your going for the mk1 version then simply make two the same and turn the plate over when you fit it. The mk2 plates differ due to the recess cut out, again the same template can be used for the shape and hole centres, just ensure the recess is made on opposite sides (the outer faces) of your plates.

Many thanks Mr Techy guy T-bone ;D ;D

Hi just starting this conversion on my trike , any advice regarding the removal of the hubs ....do they come off easy with a puller ....what sort of puller is best? . I know it is a odd question to ask but any advice would be welcome thanks

Hi, Welcome to the site and the home of this conversion.
Seems an obvious thing for me to say , but yes, all jobs are easier if the right tools are used, in the past, forum members have tried all sorts of ways to shift stubborn hubs, including whacking them with an axe  ::).
The general concensous seems to be tho, that some will fall off whilst others wont and your not gonna know till you try. I`d start with a 3 legged hub puller, then move onto a slide hammer, if that dont shift it then your looking at gettin them pressed off.

Hello Brains -& welcome to Mankydom.  ;)
Best tool to use? A gurt big 'ammer in my experience! The hubs fit on a tapered shoulder -as they're bolted up they ride up the taper until they're wedged tight. If you can access one, a hydraulic bench press is my favourite. Like a glorified bottle jack, you can stand the shaft upright in it & wind the piston down on the centre of the shaft, pushing it out of the hub. They can tale up to 30 tons of pressure to shift though & usually go with a hell of a bang when they finally part from the shaft. Most decent back street garages will have a press.

hey look, two replys, typed at the same time and coming up with the same answer! steady on, we are almost looking professional  ;D

Hi and thanks for the info....It looks like I may need the remove the shafts   do they remove easy ? sorry never stripped one down before regards brains ( I used to work for thunderbirds puppets a long time ago so all my brains have been used up)

The shafts are located into the diff via the splined ends which locate into the diff wheels, again a few sharp whacks with something suitable will pop them out. take a look at the exploded view axle pic, posted in this section.

thanks again just found the exploded view on the site , so ok I will get stuck in this week with my big hammer and have a go... just had a bit of luck bought two new nova front discs on ebay for £2 for both plus £10.50 postage  so I am on my way to be able to stop my trike at last  ;D

Professional?
Harrr, ha, ha, ha!!!  :P

Hi guys  has anyone got a part number for the carrier brackets , tried to order them today from a motor factors but need part number. or can you only get these from breakers ? regards brains

Hmm, good question. I've only ever picked mine up from breakers, but they must be available new/old stock.

Hi guys,i priced up the caliper brackets the other day with the main dealer-£54.00 plus vat each :( :( :(
I made a load of phone calls and it appeared they were a main dealer part only :( :(
Luckily a mate of mine in the local breakers owed me a favour i had them for freeeeee ;D ;D ;D

just a thought has anyone had an axel twist downwards with the extra force of these new brakes. My trike has the original spring set up held with the u bolts etc will that be strong enough ?

thanks chubby  ...£54 each  plus vat  wow.... does your mate need any favours doing !! or has he got anymore he wants to pass on cheap ?

Hiya Brains.
You shouldn't have any problems. A well set up drum brake will work just as efficiently as a disc. The main reason we swap is for the looks & simplicity of design. Discs are just prettier than drums. On my last trike I found the wheels would lock up under heavy braking but the trike would slide. More weight above the rear axle would probably have given better traction so better braking.

hiya thanks manky monkey thats put my mind at rest , my drum brakes seem poor even though new shoes and slaves and fluid etc fitted and it has a remote servo and still acts like a 1970 reliant . so hoping that these will cure the problem . I have checked all the leverage and pivot points etc and its about 7 to one on the pedal. regards brains

Never quite got my head around the leverage/pivot ratio thing. I tend to make pedals & stuff to fit the available space, then figure out any changes that need making afterwards.

Hi everyone been around my local breakers but no luck with the mark two golf carriers . anyone got a good breakers that I may contact and get some via post  i live in hertfordshire happy xmas to all

Right Mr Brains, (did you really used to work with ThunderBirds -tell us more), I've been out to the Manky Shed of Mechanical Delights.
I've got a spare pair of caliper carriers, including the pins the calipers slide on & their rubber boots. The carriers are already powder-coated in gloss black ready for fitting. These were originally fitted to the orange Flapster trike. We changed 'em cos Flap had a problem with one of the brake discs rubbing. Can't remember what it turned out to be, but pretty sure it wasn't the carrier brackets.
Yours for 30 quid, including postage. Bargain or what.  :)
PM us your postal address if you want 'em.

Hello Brains!! And no Andy, he isn't from thunderbirds!!  ;D

Bloody 'ell UB! I thought you were dead! Nice to see you back mate.  ;D

Don't write me off until you see the coffin going into the ground!! ;D ;D

 ;D

Hi andy sorry did not see your message till tonight . I have managed to source one mrk 2 carrier and two seat leon rear callipers complete with their carriers. the mounting holes are the same will they fit ? The story is that on my travels for work I went to one breakers and got the one mrk 2 carrier then went to another breakers and got the calipers and carriers. So I may still need one mrk2 carrier if the leon ones dont fit.
Got busy with the big hammer and the shafts are out and the hubs are off... only just, it took nearly 24 tons of pressure to get one off with some heat as well.

I know urban well as I am also a Renegade,
Yes my first job was a runner and scene painter for thunderbirds puppets some 38 years ago then went to work for the gas company because they paid more..... 5 shillings in old money a week which was alot then....

Still is to me.  :)
Wow! Did you meet Lady Penelope? Was she as sexy in real life as her screen image? I saw Brains in a TV ad for bottled water recently, but you never see any of the other guys do you. I guess they've all retired now to live on their royalties.  :P
Told you those hubs are a bugger to shift didn't we!
I'd rather sell my carriers as a pair than end up with an odd one myself.
Willl Seat Leon caliipers fit? No idea! Try 'em & let us know! I only originally used VW Golf calipers cos I had some to hand at the time & they incorporated a mechanical handbrake assembly. Any caliper that fits over the disc will do.

hi andy  yes I have seen the lady p naked ... she was about 1m high and perfect in every way. but like most women she was better with clothes on...... I was never allowed on my own with her.......  as I was sixteen at the time....and would have .......got tangled in the strings...
Still the seat leon callipers do fit the mrk2 carriers ok and the carriers have the same spacing that fits to the adapter plates so I will try them to see if they fit over the disc central and let you know...

Hi everyone
I have been trying to work off the christmas dinner doing the rear axle and have been too heavy handed and messed up one of the end nut threads on the shafts. Does anyone know what size and thread they are or have a spare one ? . Andy if you read this  would like to buy your pair of carriers as the one I have seams to be wrong. Please pm me if you still have them , thanks Brains

Hiya B. Yup, still got the brake carriers, as mentioned before. Still 30 quid. Pm me your address & I'll get them in the post to you in the next few days. Just arranged to sell the spare axle we had & Mouse had our last pair of spare driveshafts, so no more here I'm afraid. Not sure of the thread size. Give Michaels of Selby a ring, (their details are in the Links for Commercial Purposes section). They'll know. Probably easier to get your existing shafts re-threaded. Any competent lathe operator should be able to cut a new thread for you. Doc, ("Twisted Patience"), does small lathe jobs. Check the Members list for his email address.

I believe the Nyloc nuts on the half shafts to be 5/8" U.N.F, also, its very common to require 20 tonne+ to remove the hubs from the shaft, using a vertical garage type press, bring the pressure up gradually, and before resorting to heat, a slight tap on the shaft end with a copper mallets will allow the "hamonics" to pop the shaft! usually! probably!....possibly,does the job,( leave the nut on a few threads to prevent the shaft taking off!) Morrag

Thanks morrag for the thread size   I messed up the nut on re-assemble have already had the nightmare of getting the hubs off  regards brains

This is the stage i'm at at the moment.

I assume the hub needs to be removed when doing the conversion so that the 'old' back-plate/brake cylinder carrier can be removed and the new carrier plate fitted.

Anybody taken any pictures of getting the hub off.

Also, I got 2 front brake disc's off a Vauxhall nova, but there not originals.

There 'vented' type.  20mm from front disc face to back disc face.  Will the recommended VW gti disc brake carrier still fit or is there an alternative.  I hav'nt managed to source any carriers yet and don't want to waste money on the wrong type.

While i'm asking questions, got some wheels given.  55/195/R13's, too small or OK.   Everybody seems to go for R15's.

Comments welcome. ;)

Wrong discs mate. You've got the later vented ones there. You need the earlier unvented jobbies. I think they were fitted on the diesel model. Just nipped out to the shed with a tape measure. The jaws of the caliper carriers are only 12mm. Any decent autofactors will sell you a pair of the correct discs for about 12 quid.
Wheels- we've used 14s & 15s, but with low profile tyres. Overall rolling diameter, (tyres on wheels), averages 24 inches. If you go for 13 inch rims just use taller profile tyres. Check the Tyre Size Calculator in the Motors section of the main site. Smaller diameter tyres will give you quicker acceleration but less top speed. Taller tyres, higher top speed but you'll struggle to pull away. 24 inches seems a happy medium.

Dicky, See my earlier reply to Brains, re removing the hubs off the half-shafts. As Mr. M has already stated, you need the unvented discs, and their not worth buying second hand, its the carriers that are usually the most difficult to find.Morrag

Oops!, should have credited Mr M for the very excellent pic of one of his machines,showing a view of what you have to achive, sorry, Morrag

'Tis my own personal mosheen is that.
-Yeah, I know it's still not finished.
No piccies of the hub mid-removal, but if you unbolt the 4 bolts that hold the drum brake back plate to the end of the axle tube, you can give the back of the hub a sharp whack with a lump of wood & a big 'ammer & it should come out of the axle tube with the drive shaft still attached to the hub. Then, as stated elsewhere, you need to get the hub pressed off the shaft at your local garage, or anywhere else that has a suitable hydraulic press.

ive tryed to print off the axel plate pic and it will only come out the same size as the pic on the screen,what am i doing wrong.

Oh, we've had so much fun with this!
I own this website Tony & I've got no idea how it's done. I'm told there's a way but buggered if I know how. Anyone? If I can find them, we were sent a couple of photocopies which should be full size. Let me have a rummage & I'll get back to you. If we've got them I'll post you one.

heavy sigh........ read the posts on page 5 of this thread. why do i bother?  ::)

 ;D Now you know how we feel mate!

 ;D

Found 'em Tony.
Taz is on her way to the local postbox as we speak to send one to you.  ;)

Bugger, they cleaned up nice as well. :( >:( :'( :P :P

But thankyou very much for all your input.

Will measure the wheel diameters tomorrow. ;)

sorry  tbone im nearly 41 ill ask me 3 year old to do it for me hes more computergenic than ill ever be

once again andy you are a life saver mate,please thank tanya for going out in this god awfull weather and freezing her ..........erm....ah.........eee.....er...........feet,yeh feet off for me .thank you .

 ;D She has her uses!

That's quite ok Tony  ;D

hi all
thought I was getting on great with my disc conversion untill I came to bolt the caliper on to the carrier......then found it fouled the rear leaf spring ooops back to the drawing board . Looks like I will have to convert the trike to solid rear end which I did not want. any thoughts ???(http://)(http://)(http://)

? how do you make file size smaller so can post photos ?

I've done a thread in the News and announcements bit of the forum.

thank you tazet for the help in resizing photos ...I will try again...
these are the pics that should be with the above post of mine

Its a wonderfull what a few beers and a good party can do for the thought process ... after drowning my sorrows of the thought of a major rethink of the suspension on the trike and the rally season looming fast I had a brainstorm in the middle of the hang over from you no where.....
If I turned the adaptor plate round rearwards one bolt hole it may miss the leaf spring.... OK the plate would not mirror the shape of the flange on the rear axle but it may work out OK. As my trike is not a show trike it does not warrent all the extra work for cosmetics that wont be noticed.  After more tea and biscuits out to the workshop to see if I could get myself out of the fix.. Here's the photos
The calipers are seat Leon and do fit to Mk 2 carriers :)

Only problem might be bleeding the brakes if the bleed nipples are now on the bottom. You might have to bleed them off the disc, then bolt them on. The spacers normally go the other way round by the way.
Handy to know other calipers will fit. So, back on the road in time for the Monkey World run?  ;D

thanks Manky for the advice on bleeding the brakes , The spacer has a instruction stamped into the alloy ...wheel this facing this side... ? so that's how I have placed it could It be incorrect or am I silly ? or need more beer? I am a professional DJ and if not booked on the date of the Monkey Run hope to be there.
My first Bike Rally is on the 24Th to the 26Th April at Mersey Island near Colchester   The Bum in the Mud Rally so Trike must be done soon. Is anyone else going ?

Nah, that's fine then B. Id've thought the flat base of the spacer would sit against the flatter face of the disc centre rather than the back of the wheel, but if it's stamped that way it must be right.
We'd love to see you on the run. MUST finish my own trike too!

hmmmm, re read the stamp on the casing, as Mr M says, they usually go this way.

If its going to be your first rally, don't forget to tell them your a rally virgin at the gate.  They'll treat you really special.    ;D ;D ;D ;) ::)

I afraid that I have been to many Rallies being quite old , Used to be one of the main organisers and Silly games Master of the Pissed Indian Rally in Kent , I am still a member of Renegade MCC being one of the founder members . Now I am a DJ of bike Rallies and other Parties , Weddings etc and hope to Party at many more yet,  so if you need a DJ with a Large PA for a Monkey Party or Show just let me know......and if I am not booked would love to do it.
I will double check the  instruction on the spacer and let you know when back in the workshop tomorrow.

Now that was a very nice little rally. I miss it much :'(

Thanks for the Praise my members and I miss it too but not the hard work, the main Man who did the planning was Mad Dog of Kent it took a whole year and 50 or so members and lots of helpers to put on . It finished on a high, we could not make it any bigger or better and with the new regulations and Laws it was time to downsize. We now do the Redskins Rally on the Isle of Sheppey in August, which is a back to Basic Rally for approx 500 . ? will anyone be at the Bum in the mud ?

Post details in the event listing and if I can make it i'll be there 8) ;)

regarding the wheel spacers on my trike and which way they face. I took  a snap of them and it says THIS SIDE TO WHEEL on the big flange side ?

Fair enough.
My very first rally was on the Isle of Sheppey. The Pegasus Rally in 19 ...79ish. Rode there on my little CB200 Honda with 20 or so members of my old bike club, the Fox & Hounds MCC. We won the club turnout trophy, the tug of war trophy & one of our guys won the best bike trophy with his Kwacka cafe racer.
I'm back row, 4th from the left. Whatever happened to that young Monkey.

Evening , a 'numpty' caliper question ..  I've just got round to fitting  the disc conversion on my axle ... got it all together and stood back to admire it    .. as you do  .. and thought to myself  'that calipers going to be a bit close to the axle mounting bracket'  looked at the other side and the gap was a bit bigger , so I thinks  .. ' bugger ' put it together wrong  , checked it all  and nope everything where it should be ... then I noticed the calipers are different  .. one is slightly longer than the other and the handbrake bracket is different and the bleed nipple is in a different position  ..... I never noticed when I gave them a wire brushing .. and the guy I took them too to wind the piston back in for me never said anything . As far as I know these came off the same motor ( a 91 G60 corrado ) they both had the small pipe with the bracket still stuck to them  , so now the 'numpty' question  ...  will it make any difference  ....  they both seem to fit ok  ...

cheers  ..  Hagar  .. 

That's odd mate. Presumably someone's replaced one on your donor car at some point then. As long as the caliper pistons are the same size & the pads cover the same area of the discs, they should brake at the same rate. Maybe just from a different year of manufacture or even just a different parts supplier.

Evening , the carriers are the same .... the pads are the same (the original pads were still in them , straight swap for new ones ) and everything seems to work ok , I just cant believe I did'nt notice they were different , both sides lock ok when you push the the handbrake lever/bracket , the only thing I can think of is one side was replaced over the course of the original cars life .. I'll get the old girl back together and see whats she's like .....

cheers  ..  Hagar  ..

Looking forward to seeing piccies of it all.

Evening , still got to clean 'em up but I need to get the old girl mobile so I can build a shed for her .....


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/rightend2.jpg)


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/right2.jpg)



(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/leftend2.jpg)


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/left2.jpg)

Both calipers have  "38" stamped on them  ......


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/all2.jpg)

And heres my  "Limited Edition"  Salvador Dali gazeebo , its the last gazeebo he designed before he went into rehab for his 'jaffa cake' addiction  .......

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/gaz2.jpg)

cheers  ..  Hagar  ..

Different castings, but i`m reading the 38 thats stamped on both as the piston size, shove the wheels on and away you go,noone will know any different mate.
Now i do have a question though, is the bench holding the gazeebo up or is the gazeebo stopping the bench blowing away?  ;D

Evening ,


thats just shows the genius of Dali's design ...  all I know is they both fall over if I cut the string  ....


..  Hagar  ..   ;D

I'd assume it's the bore size or piston diameter too, so sounds like there's no problem.
Gazebo? I thought it was an oxygen tent for poorly tricycles.

Afternoon , should there be a return spring on the handbrake bracket on the cleaner of the two calipers ?  ...

cheers  .. Hagar  ..

its the gazeebo that needs some time in  in'tent'sive  care  ..   ;D

 ;D
So your trike's loitering within tent?
Both calipers should have a coiled return spring on the handbrake mechanism.

Evening ,  its more like 'littering' within intent after a winter in the dodgey gazeebo  ....

return springs  .....  bugger

cheers  ..  Hagar  ..   ;D

I'm in the same boat, took my axle apart only to discover 3 bolt holes also. I'll have to get plates made with the holes in different places. I rang a couple of breakers here, looking mk2 golf caliper carriers, and the afore mentioned calipers, but to no avail, 1 had A4 calipers but no carriers, plus he was looking an extortionate price. I was wondering if any of you knew of any other calipers that would do the job.
Wouldn't you just know it, I ballsed up one of the big nuts on the end of the halfshafts that hold the hub on. Now to get the hubs pressed off the shafts.

I've never seen a 3 bolt axle. All the ones I've ever worked on have been 4.
Reliant didn't make their own brake systems, they bought them in from whoever was cheapest at the time. I was told the 4 bolt jobbies use Leyland Mini brakes & the earlier ones, (presumably the 3 bolters like yours), are Triumph Herald or similar. 
Any caliper that has an integral mechanical handbrake mechanism will do the job.

hi xj750
I used seat leon calipers and golf mark 2 carriers of which I have one spare one. You can get new nuts easy and somewhere on this topic is the thread size as I messed mine doing the same. Someone on ebay is selling the plates made up for approx 5 pounds each last time I looked.. look in the trike section. You could redrill them to suit you axle. If you need one carrier I can sort it for you in about 2 weeks time as I am in the usa at the moment. PM me if you are interested. regards brains

Afternoon , I need to source something to hold braided brake lines to my frame , the frame is about 27mm and the lines are 7mm , I dont want to use cable ties on it if I can help it  , anyone got any ideas ?

cheers  ..  Hagar  ..  ;D

i spot welded a small metal tag onto the axle then bought P clips and fixed um onto the tag m8

 ;) hi hagar i can help you with your calliper plates as im sheet metal worker..ill post you some with the 47mm hole in but leave the axle holes out  so you can drill them youself... free of charge ::) thats y they call me gazzagood ;D ;D

 ;D ;D oooppps i meen xj750  ::)

Evening , I was thinking something like these ( only shiney ..   ;D  )

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/codpiece/clamp.jpg)

Anybody seen anything similar ?  ...

  ..  Hagar  ..   ;D

How about trying your local cycle store I think something like those were used to locate cables around the frame ?

It may be that you have a Kitten axle, as the backplates look very similar to mine, which also had a three-bolt fixing.

Thanks for that gazzagood, very kind of you, i'll "pm" you my details at once..

peanut, you're probably correct. The 'blank' caliper plates will work a treat though :)

can anyone tell me how to get the pistons back in as i,ve wound them out too far when i was freeing them off and i cant get the calipers over the pads ???

hi m8 there wind back pistons you cant just push um back
you need to turn them in a clockwise direction
there is a special tool to do there not expensive you'll get one form halfords
hope this helps ya m8

cheers mouse,i did try that,but obviously didn,t try hard enough,i,ll have another go today. ;D

they can be very stubborn if they get stuck m8

Evening , took mine down to the local   "Quickfit" and they rewound them for me , took em' 2 minutes .. and the did'nt charge  ..  ;D

  ..  Hagar  ..   ;D

they were bloody stubborn,but after a lot of nuckle bashing and swearing i did it. 8)

xj750  ;) your plates are on there way let me know  when they arrive.... ;D ;D gazzagood

I will do gazza, thanks again mate, nice one.

;D Update:
They arrived safe and sound, very tidy job I hasten to add,
thanks, you're a gem.

According to the Reliant forum, the three hole mounting is from either a bond bug or a later robin with 12" wheels.

Ooh, someone with some Reliant knowledge! You'll go far here Sir. Welcome to the site Manfred.  ;)

Ta,
I've been trawling for a while, since the disc brake conversion raised its head on R3W.
Around the time I got my first pig (now nearly triked).
I'll get around to re-finishing it eventually.

It's usually about now I start hassling you for piccies of your handiwork.  ;D

They will be forthcoming when I re-start it.

Got to finish the sleeper trailer prototype first.
Currently looking at donor trailer plus 100 quid and a total weight under 150kg.
The only bits I am having trouble finding is a pair of gas struts with 24" stoke and a strength of about 250N each.

Maybe worth having a word with Two Showers, our resident teardrop trailer expert & distributor for "Sleeper" trailers

Sleepers (http://mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/Misc/sleeper/sleeper.html)

He builds & sells complete units so may be able to sell you the component parts.

Yep, been there, looked at that, far too big. I wanna sleep in it when pissed, not have a party.
Still 1500 quid built last time I looked.
If I could build a casket on wheels cheaply I'd have done it years ago.
But I ain't about to pay 800 quid plus shipping for a new one!

Yes, I'm a true Yorkshireman, money is for counting and drooling over, not spending.

One small point re the 3 hole flanges, wouldn't it be easier to drill the flange to match the adapter plate?

right then got a set of plates on the way to me ( gazz ) i have got a set of discs £14 and brakes with carriers of a sharon £45 with handbrake cable
will the carriers work before i get my sandblaster on them

will the ixisting master cylinder work of the pan

Anybody know?

Check the distance between the mounting holes on the carrier, 90mm is what your after.  ;)

i love you 90mm bang on ;D

great broken 2 hub pullers and not budged

A hydraulic bench press, (like a glorified bottle jack in an upright frame), seems to be the favourite method. The Reliant hubs sit on a tapered shaft & can take up to 30 tons of pressure to shift. Any decent repair garage should have a press. Usually they'll do it while you wait for a couple of quid beer money. Be aware though that they'll go with a bang when they finally release from the shaft -frightened the poo out of me the first time.

i left the whole lot with the engineers and picked it up today
all done machined the hubs down after pressing them out done a lovely job £30 aint bad
and i found a place that done me two 6305rs bearings for £10 the pair (make a note of that number for rear bearing)
got 8 new wheel studs but the studs are a bit long may get some spacers

There ya go -yesterday you were all set to give up & bin the lot!  ;D

Hya Guy n dolls. My first post on here and its not gonna be my last. Read the whole post and what a wealth of information.

My missus is building a trike in our garage and I thought some shiny stuff was in order so I made these
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/haggis1138/005-27.jpg)

When finished it will look summat like this

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/haggis1138/001-23.jpg)

Looks good dont it??

Anyway back to the point of my post on this particular part of the forum. I have access to a CNC plasma cutter at work and I am going to slightly alter the design of the caliper mounting brackets drawn a few pages back and get some cut from 6mm stainless steel.

Anyone want any????   

ehup haggis, found your way to the font of knowledge of all things Relianty then ;D ;D ;D

Dang there purty lookin' tubes!

Welcome aboard Mr H.  ;)
You made those tubes?! From stainless? Wiill you marry me?!

Already married but if ya fance a bit on the side I'm game if you are  ;)

 :-*

missed this ,dint know it was one of 'those' forums! :-* :-* :-*

Could be -depends how good you are with your hands.  :P

Could anybody advise me on what type of master cyl' would suit for this conversion as I have a BMW K75 trike with drums and want to do this conversion,but I want to retain the existing brake lever,would a bike one do or will I not get the fluid movement with it?
many thanks!

Hello Graham  ;) I tried a bike cylinder on my first ever trike -a Yamaha XS750. The standard XS cylinder didn't seem to have enough oomph to operate the standard Reliant drums. Personally I'd go with the Reliant cylinder or similar. Not impossible to create a linkage to turn the up & down motion of the bike pedal rod into a side to side movement for the car cylinder -I think Alec covered it in an old issue of 100% Biker magazine.

There ya go, a little more useful info -thanks Steve.

wow haggis them half shaft pipes are awesome !!!! i already want some conversion plates off you but would you consider doing some more of those and how much :o :o

Hya Mate. Yes I make them tubes to order but they aint cheap as the price of Stainless Steel tube has gone through the roof. I can squease em out for a tad over £200 without mounts. upwards from this depending on what you need.

Cheers
       Haggis

Hi All,

i am currently rebuilding a Honda NTV 650 trike and i am in the process of converting the rear drums to disc.... ( i would also like to say this thread has pretty much everything you need to know)

I have a question about the caliper mount material, what is the thinest ally i could make the caliper mount plates out of ???

I know most of you make them from 5 to 7 mm steel, but i have a sheet of grade 2 6mm thick ally... is that going to be man enough to do the job ??

Cheers people

Hiya -& welcome to the forum.  ;)
My originals were hand cut from 6mm steel plate -took forever with a hacksaw & a file.
Local engineer & occasional forum poster, SaddleBags, then machined up a few sets in 10mm aluminium. They were stepped over the end of the axle flanges by 3mm though, so the actual caliper mounting points were 7mm thick. They work fine.
I'm not an engineer & don't pretend to be, usually working by the Try It & See Method, rather than delving into the theory of it all, but Id've thought the bulk of the forces acting on the plates are rotational -trying to turn the caliper mounts with the wheel, more than across the thickness of the plate.
Any thoughts anyone?

Hi Ya Mankey monkey

I agree that most of the force is indeed of the rotational type but there is a certain amount of twisting force when the pads first come into contact with the discs, also because the calipers are a float and only push from one side, you tent to get the front of the pad on one side grip the disc first and then tries to get ripped forward before the rest of the pad and second pad come into contact ( you can see this by the way the pads wear out.

seeing as this piece of ally has been in my garage for about 5 years, i am going to make them from it and see what happens :)

but thanks for the reply anyway.

Regards,

YellowMelos

I JUST TRIKE MY UNCLE BUNT CHOP FRAM AND USED A RELIANT BACK AXLE BUT IT ONLY HAD THREE BOLT FIXINGS FOR THE DRUM PLATE BACKS ANY ONE KNOW WHY???

Going to be making a start on my conversion in the next couple of weeks..ive got a set of the plates all I need to do now is track down all the other bits I need...anyone know were I could buy the carriers etc new?....Voodoo....

Yeah i do.........its a Reliant Kitten axle

have a look in here http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Volksbits-shop?_rdc=1

any advice i got some of those brackets .but the caliper wont let the disc go far enough on to hub .
pads holding disc off . iam using mk4 golf  calipers on nova corsa disc is that ok . its for aspencade and will the brake be ok with the standard pot thanks . oh yes hi to all first post .

Take calipers off, fit disc, then mod the brackets to fit the calipers?

sounds like you hace the wrong discs.......Nova is what you want, Corsa ones are too thick

Didn't this come up fairly recently? Do the mark 4 caliper brackets have a step in them?

Now you mention it.... and you say your memory is bad  ;D

The calipers are fine, its the carriers that have a dog leg, you have to use mk2 carriers regardless of caliper.

hi i sorted the mk4 are no good they have like you say dog leg . wether you have the nova disc or corsa disc still no good . i did  try to get some mk2 carriers but went down scrappy they aint got none they all on drums so i took 1 off a t reg passat estate and a 1 off audi a4 treg estate so i hope that helps anyone else out with same issuse thanks guys they must be straight carriers without dog leg in them

At least you've got it sorted Tony. We should draw up a proper list of just which bits fit.

hi i just completed my disc brake conversion, i used mk 3 golf calipers and carriers because the spring on the pads stops the calipers seizing and the nova discs but i had to turn down a step in the disc so it sits flat to the hub, the hubs were machined to suit the diameter of the disc hole centre, also my plates are 5mm thick (ebay!)but feel 6mm is better as the new pads in the calipers compress the rubbers a little creating a little pressure on the disc but should be ok.
The holes in the discs are about 13mm to mount on the hubs so upgraded the studs to M12 x1.5 pitch, i.e knock out the studs drill and tap m12 x1.5 and put a long stud in to suit my wheels with a nut behind and weld the nut to the stud. I used 70's slot mags so got the nuts and washers from graystons.. hope this helps steve....... one big lurnin curve..:)  ;)

A variation on the theme, but sounds like it will work fine Steve. At this rate drum braked Reliants are gonna become something of a rarity!

iv just gone to get the nova discs for the vw disc conversion and was told by the spotty herbert that there is a multitute of choice. someone told me to get 1988 1.6 solid discs which are 256mm but a supplier on e bay says all nova discs are 236mm. can someone give the definitive on which disc , year model ect and indeed the calipers and carriers i can use.

Hi dobber and welcome,the discs you need are nova 1.0 or 1.1 88 to 91,236mm.
try these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAKE-DISCS-FRONT-VAUXHALL-ASTRA-BELMONT-NOVA-KADETT-/250711685621?pt=U

Aye, welcome to Mankydom Dobber.  :)
Keep saying it -we ought to put together a definitive list of the parts for this so we can update the conversion article on the main website once we get it running again.
So.
Discs
Vauxhall Nova front. 1.0 or 1.1 litre, 1988 - 1991. 236mm diameter.
-thickness?

Calipers
VW Golf, mark 2, I used GTI. What years? Any other models that'll fit? I switched them over, left to right, cos it made routing the handbrake cables easier. Any other updates or suggestions?

Caliper carriers
VW Golf, mark 2?

Mounting plates
Anyone got a copy of the diagram we posted here earlier in the thread. After the Great Website Crash of 2010, we lost a lot of photos posted on the forum. A JPEG with all necessary measurements marked on it would be great if anyone out there can put one together. Also a selection of photos, showing the various stages of the conversion, from removing the original drums, to fitting the mounting plates, machining the hubs to suit the discs, fitting hubs, discs, carriers & calipers etc. Plus any hints or tips that would help newbies. Let's get this sorted once & for all!

is this what your looking for

http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/Trikespageimages/discbrake/disc.htm

were the disc not 12mm thick

you will not get better than this. from the MAN himself  M M  8) 8)

cheers for that fellas, been keeping  photos as going along so will keep doing so till done conversion then send em in.

Yeah, that was the original magazine article I wrote a million years ago. Yoda, who originally set this site up on my behalf, accidentally copied a paragraph of text twice & I do think it might be easier to understand if we had photos of the axle on it's own, without being attched to the trike. A couple of pics of different trikes with the same conversion might help readers see how it could look on theirs too.

i thought you wanted a copy of to diagram for the mounting plates

We do Terry.
The one I sent in to 100% Biker magazine was literally drawn around one of my own plates. The hole centres weren't accurate at all. There was also some debate about the diameter of the centre hole -it just needs to be big enough to clear the drive shaft but small enough to retain the wheel bearing behind it. Someone here came up with a CAD drawing with all the correct measurements marked on it, but we had trouble posting it on the site. Anyone able to produce a JPEG drawing we can use?

I happen to have copies of the caliper mounts (the engineer diagrams that I think were supplied by T-Bone). If you would like a copy, e-mail me and I'll send you a copy ;)

1-remove brake drums and shoes
(http://i56.tinypic.com/245kppj.jpg)
2-remove hub this can be the longest part of the job.dont rush you could damage the thread bend the shaft.i use a puller and blow torch
get the hub machined to fit the discs .corners rounded of and the raised centre machined to fit the disc
you might what to change the wheel studs at this time to12mm
(http://i55.tinypic.com/14418vb.jpg) (http://i53.tinypic.com/260q5jn.jpg)
3-remove back plate and fit calliper bracket to axe.you will need longer bolts
(http://i51.tinypic.com/v7a9on.jpg)
4-5-fit the hub and disc use a wheel nut to hold the disc in place
(http://i54.tinypic.com/2je6za1.jpg)
6-fit the calliper carrier bracket and pads then fit the calliper
(http://i56.tinypic.com/ayu9a0.jpg) (http://i53.tinypic.com/16krs03.jpg)
7-fit the hand brake cables brake pipes bleed brakes
8-fit the wheels making sure that they clear the callipers
(http://i54.tinypic.com/211s37s.jpg)
9-check all nuts etc.then test drive
10-parts required
calliper brackets from gazzagood forum member
disc delphi bg2149
pads delphi lp571
carriers and callipers vw mk 2
hand brake cables

somewhere on here i did post a list of what calipers and models of car they came from i,ll sit down one evening and try and find it again

Here is the link to download the CAD file. Once printed its 1:1 scale.......................

i`ll sort a pic shortly, see if i can sort a jpeg that will print to scale.

Thats the cookie ;D.
I thought it was from you ;)

just fitted the front foot peg mounts onto the trike off the fj 900 donor via  homemade brackets. they will polish up good and have heel rests and the brakelight switch as well as the master cylinder on the right which i am sorta hoping will work the calipers, bit of a long shot i guess.. anyone else tried it.

Andy got pic of plts. ;D tbones orignal drw and done you disc of it.so you can put back on site.and every one can print it.
 send it to ya monday with copy of the drawing.

gaz

ive got golf mark 4 carriers and calipers will they fit or do i have to modify anything to make them fit or is it a case off mark two only carriers that will do  ??? ???

i believe you will need the mk2 carriers to fit the mk4 calipers

Yes MK2 carriers are strait,MK4 are doglegged.

  and dave 67 with a avatar like that you should post more often.

is it possible to convert front and rears to disc. i have a kitten thats undergoing a bike engine transplant and want to keep kitten running gear . i see i can buy the caliper carriers . is anybody out there doing the whole process eg making carriers,maching the hubs and re holing and threading for bigger studs . (with hubs supplied from me) . for a price of course. so all i got to do is buy the discs and calipers and fit it all .   what discs and capilers would i use for front axle ? thanks . any help would be most welcome

Hi Dave -& welcome to the site.  ;)
I'm not sure of the axle configuration on the front of a Kitten -do you have any photos?
Early Reliants used Triumph Herald brake parts I believe, while the more common later models used Leyland Mini components. I'm guessing the 4 wheeled Kittens would use the same Mini drums on the front as they did on the back, so I imagine you could use the same disc conversion.
Several forum members have sold the plates -anyone still doing them?
One of our former forum members trades as Edinburgh Trike Services. They now sell a complete disc brake conversion kit for 330 quid, using our idea, (nah, we don't mind).
Edinburgh Trike Services (http://www.edinburghtrikeservices.co.uk/index.php?cPath=21_55&osCsid=cf032320d328f96d972ebbef7cb44150)

i used

sstyresandwheels09

off ebay for mine £10 per set

 ;D Firstly, 'LO to you lot.
i normally lurk in the darkest depths of the UK TRIKER forum, but today i'm on day release!

ive been buildin the 'mongrel', an xs1100 derived trike, for a while now, and have run up against the proverbial brick wall while attempting to disc convert my newly aquired reliant axle.

i've fitted new wheel bearings, new oil seals, new pinion bearings and seals, new crownwheel bearings, cleaned and de-rusted and enamelled entire axle.
oh, while i think of it, i cant get a pinion crush spacer anywhere on planet earth- anyone advise if really essential or where i can get one? there wasnt one with my basket case axle.

anyways, i've bought, cleaned stripped and serviced golf mk4 calipers and carriers.
bought new nova 236x12.5 front discs
bought flea-bay axle plates (hey, that was YOUR idea, how come every sod is sellin them?)

fitted plates, ground off hub corners, and......

it dont fit!!!

the mk4 carriers foul the discs, and the slots are too narrow! aarrgh!

is there an answer to this, or must i try and get mk2 carriers, and will my now-shiney mk4 calipers fit 'em?

help please as i'm at wits end!

respect,
LEV

All right levvin.you found us then were a bit tame here as apposed to uk triker but are verry helpfull. any way welcome
you need 236 x 10mm thick disc. 12.5 are to big as you have just found out  ::)
and you need mrk 2 carriers

 :(

i was dreadin that!

booger!

never mind! i'll have to send discs bsck, and keep lookin for mk 2 carriers!

only ones i can see on fleabay are stupid expensive. matey's just greedy!

SEE YER BACK HOME ON ukt!

respect
LEV!

You can use MK1 or MK2 carriers.

I seem to remember there was a difference in the pad thickness as well.

your right rod they come in 15mm and 17.5 he needs to use the 15mm the calipers come in two diffrent bore sizes as well 36mm and 38mm the 38 mm are favoured over the 36mm

 :)Get on, you lot!

i've trawled the cornish scrappies, and lady luck smiled on me!

i've gotten my greasy paws on a pair of golf mk2 gti carriers, my nice shinry (cos i stripped, cleaned ,painted and serviced 'em!) mk4 alloy calipers fit a treat, and after a good clean up with betsy the dewalt grindette, the discs fit in the caliper slots with a couple of mil to spare either side.

phew!

the mk4 handbrake cables and pads turned up today also, but the pads arent gonna fit mk2 slides, so i havnt opened those. Will get more to suit.

Any particular pads to suit mk2 slides with mk4 calipers and 12.5 discs?

married the axle up to the frame and drilled out the 'shoes' that take the axle (simular to lord mankymonkey's green meanie reliant trikes) to accept 12mm cortina suspension 'u'bolts.

looking good at last!

the guys off uk triker will know the hassle ive had getting a reliant axle over past 2 months, being ripped off and that, so i'm well pleased i can at last press on and get frame painted now i know the axle fits and the slight mods i had to make to the frame to change from a suzuki carry axle (5.8-1 ratio!!!) to a reliant have now been welded, so i can get in the sinister blue pearl and finish my bodywork!!!!

respect

LEV
(TRIED TO ADD A PIC, BUT CANT DO IT ON HERE!!)

Hi Levvin -welcome to our World.  ;)
My missus, Taz, wrote a piece on adding photos in the General Discussion section. Hope it helps.

http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4469.0

Why not start a new thread on your trike build & bung a few pics on so we can what you're up to.  ;D

Sir Monkey!!

experienced advice requested please!!

im disc converting my reliant (850 robin) axle, and keep running up against problems.

ive fitted new bearings throughout, and diff turns freely.(well, a little 'lumpy' but that could be cos its got no oil in it yet)

the wheel bearings are fitted as far in as theyll go, and are flush with the ends of the axle tubes.

the drive shafts are in as far as they will go, oil seals against the raised part of the shaft, wheel bearings butted up against that also.

the woodruff keys are correct, and hubs tighten down to @2mm off the wheel bearing inner race.

the faces of hubs are machined flat, raised ring gone, corners ground down..

the problem i have today, is that when i fit the discs, they are dead flush to the hub face, but when i try to fit the golf mk2 rear carriers, although everything lines up, there is a gap od @ 4-6mm between the conversion plate and the face of the carrier where it should bolt to the plate!

how do i get around this?

there is no mention on 100% biker pdf axle conversion of having to put spacer washers between the carrier and the conversion plate,

but is this the correct way of doing it? am i missing something?

or must i machine 4-6mm off the base of the hub tube? (cant see that would work as hub is down on shaft hard with 2mm bearing clearance)

help please!

oh, and ive asked this on the ukt forum, i cant get a crush spacer for pinion anywhere, obsolete, tried everyone who deals in reliant, Terry t has posted a pic of the spacer and metric dimentions, but can you give me dimentions of spacer tube in metric for my machine shop guy? especially internal tube diameter.

thanks, lev

soz!

terry gave me imperial dimentions!

its past bedtime!

ALSO, SIR MONKEYUS MAXIMUS,

I'm not 100% happy that i've got this axle set up right!

the shafts are an absolute sod to get in and out, jam solid and certainly dont slide into splines easily.

im really hoping i havnt got to try and seperate diff again!

im new to this axle lark, but have a good engineering background, and am an OFTEC engineer by trade, with 15 yrs as a railway signals engineer.
 
when i turn the pinion by hand, considering this axle has been dry for years, the pinion turns, as do shafts, but there is a very signifigant drag.

the unit certainly wouldnt spin freely if pinion spun by hand.

the feeling as you turn the pinion is best described as lumpy, with resistance simular to that you would feel turning a rear car wheel with the brake pads j-u-s-t touching the discs.(the disc conversion isnt fitted yet, by the way!!)

like said, theres no way the pinion will spin freely by hand, but isnt so stiff that its very hard to turn either.

is this normal for a dry axle, or have i got summat binding inside? or shafts not in far enough cos of seizing splines? or am i just getting paranoid???

regards, Lev

me 'gen!!

yeah, i'm an insomniac!!

i've just experimented by slackening the diff side stud nuts, leaving a gap of barely 1/2mm between the diff halves, and now everything spins totally freely and super smooth!!

whats wrong??

theres no gasket between halves, but dont know if theres meant to be,

and as soon as i tighten the diff halves up again,literally enough to just close the spring washers, the axle goes stiff and lumpy again!

the lumpyness feels like the crown wheel teeth.

is one of the crown wheel bearings not down on its seat far enough?

should i be removing a shim or three from crown wheel bearings?
if so, what side?

gets worse when i tighten down the shorter side of axle, with the flat diff casting.

oh bugger!

i've got to try and get the shafyts out again, havnt i??

lev

its sounds like the crown wheel carrier brg,s arnt sitting home.

or the pinionbrgs arnt set up right

you say that you havnt been able to get a,crushable,, spacer for the pinion shaft.?  so what are you using instead ? ?

My 2p..........Are you trying to fit the shafts with the axle bolted in to the frame?If so,and you are using the cortina U bolts as described,have you a)tightened the ubolts too much causing mis alignment,OR b) are the brackets on the frame out of square,causing the axle to bend as the bolts are tightened to pull the axle 'home'? .Remember the 'Manky' style brackets dont crush the tubes to hold the axle ,they fit tightly round it ,and actually prevent(if set up correct) the axle being crushed. Just my thoughts........
      Rod

fair point rod  thats another possiblity

Another thought, just to start with there is no gasket between the two faces of the diff housing,if you don't know the history of the axle you have,at some point it may have had a shaft changed,some reliant shafts all though they fit are longer than others, and if you have one that is longer than the other one, the longer one will only fit one side of the axle correctly, what i would do is remove the shafts to see if there the same length and at the same time remember as you remove each shaft witch side each shaft came from then swap them round, on the xj900 project we had a simler prob when we had to replace one of the shafts the replacement one was longer and we landed up having to cut a good few mm off the diff end of the replacement shaft to free it up and get it moving smoothly, the shafts can vary in length from a few mm up to about an inch we had one that was about an inch longer than the other so we could not get a way with swaping them round and had to resort to cuting the longer one down at the diff end, if this is the prob you have as you can close the diff housing it could be that you have one that is just a few mm longer and it will have come to rest against the pinion inside the diff making it tight,  swaping them round may do the trick  .....or in short you can fit to short shafts in to a single axle but if one is longer than the other they will only fit one way round,  all the best zak

thanks for replies bros!!

1/ the axle has not been fitted to my frame permanently yet.
2/ the 12mm u bolts havnt been dogged up tightly, just slight nip to check axle clearances
3/ i have moved the reinforcing plates inboard to line up with u bolts-carefully MIG'd!!
4/ the frame is dead true, had a suzuki carry axle aboard(5.8-1 ratio-yuk!)
5/ there is no spacer in pinion at moment, but making one asap-problem isnt on pinion, but when diff tightened.

will seperate diff tomoz, im dreading getting shafts out again!! real tight fitting!

i'll take off 3-4mm off the ends of both shafts to make sure (if this is ok?)

i'll check if diff bearings are seated correctly

i'll close up diff without shafts to check if free without shafts in.

if pinion turns tight when no shafts, i'll take out a shim or two behind differential bearings to see if that cures it.
brand new bearings throughout.

regards
lev

 

I think you`ve answered your own problem......
The axle would be shimmed to the old bearings, replacement bearings stand more than a good chance of being fractionally wider than the originals.

Oh and hopefully the plates you mention were sold to you by Gaz, a forum member  ;)

cured !!

took out shims behind diff bearings bar one each, and runs like silk!!

and got plates off ebay, not called gaz im afraid.

chap doing lots of laser cut stuff.

lev

PDF file for the mounting plate. Make sure you printer is set to print 1:1 scale ;)

just picked up an axle won on ebay with the disc conversion. its had the thicker nova discs on so they have put a 2 washer spacer on carrier mount. will this be ok or do i need the thinner disc. can the thicker disc be lathed down. prob cheaper to get thin ones??. got a full coversion kit as it were, as only needed axle tubes. whats it worth for hubs,discs studs, adapter plates, alloys [3of] carriers and calipers all ready to fit bar new seals on calipers

I think we need some picys. :P

will photo n list all bits hunter. be handy purchase for someone in a rush.

Anyone know what size bolts are needed to bolt carriers to caliper plates?

Umm think I got same problem...

Hi shafty on my carriers to calliper bolts there m8 x 1.25 25mm long hope this helps

gaz

hiya

im trying to fit the golf calipers to the regal axle , and i have 14" nova alloys , the calipers are hitting the wheel, im looking t fitting wheel spacers , or which size of wheels do i need and if so off which car .
my email scaz36@hotmail.com
look forward to hearing from you
lee

you need at least a 15 inch wheel for this conversion  ;)

We fitted widened 14" Morris Minor wheels to Taz's trike project, but had to fit spacers to bring the calipers out clear of the back of the wheel. They were about 1 1/2" I think, bought from Ebay. Spacer width will depend on your particular wheels, so just sit the wheel in place at a point where the calipers will clear & measure the gap between wheel & hub. Excessively wide spacers can put strain on the bearings on the drive shafts, so if the gap's too wide, you may have to move up to bigger diameter rims as Zak says.

thank you for that , ive now got the 15" wheels and they clear it fine.
only prob now we are having carnt get the back brakes to lock on fully ,using the master cyl from the bikes
master cyl off the front brakes,
would like to know which master cyl off a car would work or boost the pressure/flow to the rear calipers
cheers
lee

i always use this type its a copy of the landrover master cylinder, using the bike master cylinder will not be enough it will bottom out before there is enough pressure to bring the pads on to the discs        http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brake-Clutch-3-4-Master-Cylinder-Race-Rally-Autograss-/271000877064?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f18e93808

me too with all brakes linked to one pedal it works super dooper ;)

how do you link that upto your front brake lever , i carnt use a rear pedal set up

bit of a pain but you could use a mini ?slave cylinder powered by your front lever to push the master cylinder witch the brakes are linked to.

HI  im new to the site and thx for letting me join in   :)

ive just started the disc conversion ive bought mk4 golf gti callipers, carriers and Nova disc`s and bought the conversion plates off ebay had hubs milled at work came to start putting together dont seem to go together if i put carriers on out side of plate discs dont fit big cap at back 0f discs  try to put on inside wont fit all together can you help me with this many thxs ....bryan ???

Hello Bryan & welcome. Tis the carriers that your using, you need MK 1 or MK2 carriers.

Welcome Bryan. ah disc convertion again. :)  you want Mk 1or2 carriers. Mk four don't fit as you have just found out. don't know if you can put some spaces in to help line up.  ???
what part of the world you from mate
just beat me again tbone

Sorry mate, but I hadn`t posted anything in a while  ;D

ok. how are you any way.

Bryan. what trike have you got. bike or car engine.  also what sort of brake setup have motorbike mastercylinder or reliant/landrover master cylinder.

hi guys thx for quick replys

terry t i am in middleton manchester are the carriers thinner on the mk1 and mk 2 if so then this could be great  ;D
terry ive have a yamaha maxim 700 picture on left <-- only have threw months back brake been hopless since ive had it was going to renew all brake bits but conversion seemed a better idea it had a car mastercylinder but changed ti one of a motorbike but may go back to car one after conersion depending how it goes ..

Yeah, i`m good Terry, hope you are too.
I`ve been up to my ears in engines lately but starting to get that feeling that I need to build something again!

You`ll need a car one again to operate those calipers

ado bryan youl find with the disc conversion that you need a bigger m/c, most use a landrover 3/4 clutch one, also my disc coversion use's corrado vr6 callipers and mk3 carriers i was told mk3 were the same as mk2 so i got them as there easier to find now 2nd hand and they work with no issues or mods,  welcome to mmm by the way

Hi Bry' -welcome to the Land of Mank.
As you've probably guessed, the disc conversion crops up quite regularly  :)
When I first came up with it, I literally threw together the components I had to hand at the time & it seemed to work. I didn't put a lot of thought into the mathematics or engineering behind it. It got a lot of attention at shows, so I wrote a quick article for 100% Biker magazine -& the rest, as they say, is history. Now there's several guys selling the caliper mounting plates on Ebay & at least one company, (Edinburgh Trike Services), selling a complete disc conversion kit, based on my shed-built design. 
If I remember right, the usual answer here is that one set of caliper carriers are straight & the other are dog-legged. As you'll discover though, my poor memory's legendary & I honestly can't remember which model are the right ones. I use a standard 5/8" Girling car master cylinder by the way.
 

hi guys thx for all your reply .. i wlll start looking for the mk1 or mk2 carriers thie week hopefuly that will sovle it then will connect everything up with the Girling car master cylinder that was fitted to the trike when i bought it see how it goes then ill have to try get  my head round the hand  ??? im new to all this so a site like this is great for all the feed back and must say its a great site and great fast replys many thx ...

Next!  :D

Hi guys well struggling to get hold of the MK2  carriers as rare as hens teeth ive been told >:( so im looking for the back covers of the reliant axcel if anyone got any spares need the big and small ones that fit to axcel at back of drums  if anyone can help cheers ...bryan

have a word with zakboy, i gave him and his mate some a few months ago with new cyliders and shoes, and i think they wanted early ones instead, so they might not have used them,   on the disc front i used mk3 carriers, i was told there the same as mk1/2, so brought them and they fit/work no mods needed ;)

Hi oab thx for that ill phone round today about MK3 and see how that goes then ill try zakboy thx again  ;)

Hi guys well managed to find carriers today ;D from local scapyard i phone them all last week they said they had none ??? so went to look for myself found the carriers on a R reg passat so all fitted now just need to connect pipe work thx for your help ....bryan

Cool.
We really ought to draw up a definitive list of the necessary parts for this conversion -this comes up here every couple of months!

hi MM i looked at mk 3 they are same as mk4 & mk5 unless early mk3 are the same  mk1-2 i just looked at passats with the off chance they would  do !! W reg same as mk 3-4-5 i took mine off R reg so earlyer models  seem the same as mk 1-2 cant wait now to some out pipe work and hand brake !!! do we have a size for one of the handbrake cables to make the handbrake easyer to sort out  ????? and thx again for your help  !!!!

Really depends what lever you're using & where you mount it etc. I had a cable made by Speedy Cables, (I think they're listed in the Links for commercial purposes section of the forum), using standard VW Golf end fittings.
Eventually we're gonna reach the point where every Reliant axle on the road has this disc conversion & no-one will remember they left the factory with drums!  :D

has any one heard of the conversion being done on a reliant  car.

Are there any Reliant engines still left in cars?! Actually, there's one in Basingstoke. Looks like one of the last models, (different headlights etc). Kids nowadays must wonder what the hell it is!

glad you got it sorted, early mk 3 are mk1/2,   the later ones have the dogleg and im sure would fit but not as simply ;)

speedy cables, i need some new ones and im moving the hand brake to make it easyier to apply for test, whats the round about figure for a set mm if you can remember, or a phone number ;) all the auto factors round here are pretty close to less than useless :(

http://www.speedycables.com

This is there site oab let us know how you get on be a couple of weeks before i sort mine out now with working and going away with Mrs  ;)

Hi guys I'm new to the forum and would first like to congratulate you on the wealth of knowledge available to a first time trike builder like myself,, I've just stripped my reliant axle of all it's brackets, this part went bell and the axle cleaned up nicely,, however trying to remove the hubs from the half shafts was a whole different story!! 2hrs lots heat foul language large puller big hammer removed the first one!! 2nd one 2 mins and it was off,, welcome to the world of trike building eh,, next job fit disc brake conversion,,, top forum guys

Welcome Rocket :)

Hi Rocket

Welcome to the mad monkey house  :)

Well Helloooo there.  ;)

Hi Rocket!

Many methods have been tried to remove the hubs from the half shafts - this wasn't a particularly successful one!

 Hey BG, that's a big rotisserie you have there. :D
Welcome to the funny farm forum Rocket

Jeez, that was a long time ago.
That's me in that there photo that is.

hehehehe i remember that weekend :)

 :D :D :D the BBQ method that's superb,, I remember cleaning carburettor bodies in my parents dishwasher many years ago :o
Thanks for all the welcomes ill start a thread on my build soon

Just joined and am afer help on this rear brake conversion thing but a bit of history first.

A very good friend of mine brought a 2l pinto auto rat style trike about 8 years ago and he has always complained about the brakes on it.
basicly, if you think your not going to stop half a mile prior then its already too late! lol
Its unusal with a beer keg as a fuel tank ( did enjoy emptying that!) 3 seats with opel manta alloys front and back ( can and will put picks up for a laugh )

Basicly, i done a deal with him that if he gets me a load of fence panels/posts etc ( there is a national shortage so are bloody hard to get hold of ) then i would sort his brakes out as payment for them.
I have looked on here several times but am getting quite confused on what i actully need.
I was looking at possibly using drilled and vented discs, upgraded pads and decent calipers on it but am struggling to work out what i need.
Ive read the attachment to this advising you need nova discs, golf mk 2/3 calipers and carriers with pads to match and the back plates ive seen on ebay for about 30 quid.
Trouble im having is there are many different models for both the nova and golf's with what i can see looking on GSF/euro carparts that they seem to be different sizes/off sets on different models.
Did see a conversion kit on edinborough trike services but read on here that they nicked one of your members ideas so would like to avoid them in that case out of princple.
Im hoping to buy all new and am aware the caliper carriers are 60 + vat but he is spending about 600 on the fencing epuipment so am hoping to get what i need for roughly this price.
Any help and advice would be very gratefuly received.

Many thanks in advance

Monkey Magic ( Andi )

Hi Andi Welcome to the forum,
Plenty of knowledge here,You wont be able to use vented discs,To thick,
You will need some MK1 or MK2 calipers and carriers,Later carriers are offset no good,And i think 1981-2 nova front discs.

Think I see a potential problem here.
Weren't standard Manta wheels either 13" or 14" depending on year etc. From what I remember you may need 15" or spacers.
Surprised a Reliant axle has survived 8 years behind a 2L Pinto. Perhaps being an auto helps.
Welcome to the forum and yes pics are always welcome :)

Again, its probley me being thick.
so are the calipers and carriers the same on all models ie the same on a 1l to a gti?
same for the nova discs??
and yes - wheels are opel manta 14's - will it still work??

Surprised the whole thing has lasted the way he drives it!!

Another Newbie...
Well I've read through the forum and I'm not really that much further forward with my project.

Does anyone really have a definitive list of compatible parts for a Reliant "A" axle disc conversion. There is talk abot a list being made in a couple of comments.
I don't mind spending the money but I do mind buying the wrong parts and wasting hard earned cash.
I'm working with my brother to convert a 96 Guzzi 1000cc to a trike. We have got the swinging arm done and the axle has been cleaned and prepared but the huge number of parts and variations for rear brake caliper. carriers ad disks is really mind boggling.

If some one could point us in the right direction we would really appreciate the help.

Martin

I have just needed to remove my caliper carriers from My MK2 galaxy to repair my brakes. Looking at the caliper carriers they have identical dimensions to the Golf carriers I have for my reliant axle conversion to disks, apart from the mouting bolt diameters. I will take some measurements and pictures tomorrow.

Hi Martin have you read this
http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/Trikespageimages/discbrake/disc.htm

so here is a picture of my Galaxy 2.3 - mk2 - 2005 caliper carrier up against the golf mk1 carrier of my trike. I have put the slides through the caliper mount bolt holes and they line up perfectly. The mounting bolts for the carrier to the main vehicle are slightly larger but on the same centres

and here are the two carriers butted up, slide pin to slide pin holes. Again they line up perfectly and all the other dimensions seem identical as well. Based on having a really good look i think these carriers could be used for the published disk brake conversion system, and will probably be easier to come by than Mk1 golf carriers.

Now that's an interesting development in the disc brake saga. I assume that's Ford Galaxy Andy? -one of those people mover things? Wonder how much they are new? How do the Galaxy calipers compare?

That is interesting, that could mean the Volkswagen Sharron and also the seat version could al be used as they are all the same floor plan and most if not all the brakes and suspension and interior are interchangeable. My brother has the Volkswagen and if he needs parts he uses any of the three from the scrapyard

Yes Andy, Ford Galaxy. The calipers were about £50 each from a local brakes specialist (new original VAG calipers, not refurbs) they are 38 mm and looked very similar to the golf ones I have. I'm sure they would have worked.yes Merv, you are right, they all share many components, but best to visually check as well!

Well,myself and good buddy started disc conversion yesterday morning,I purchased golf mk4 calipers carriers and pads with 10mm Nova discs.and ready made backplates off eblay.
I downloaded the write up on page one of this thread and off we went,
2 to 3 hrs it said,,,YEAH!!!!!!!!! Sure.
spent 5 hrs yesterday just pulling half shafts with huge slide hammer and then pressing out the hubs with a 15 ton press, NO FEGGIN JOKE!!!!!
Today we go to put it back together after relevant lathe work.
 and first the hub will not fit inside disc housing have to grind off all four corners
All stud holes in discs are too big for studs.
AND 2 outa 4 holes in my pre made ebay backing plates wont match up to backplate holes on axle tubes.
This only took us another 4 hrs n we still aint finished,by time we do pipework bleeding,handbrake etc theres another 3 to 4 hrs on monday

SO a 2 to 3 Hour job,,
NO WAY !!!!!!

Well I did get the job finished with great help from my buddy who is a bloody good engineer,
We enlarged the holes in the backing plates to fit then loctited everything in tight,the calipers went on ok from there but we had to use spacers which were cut fom a long reach 10mm socket in the studholes of the discs to get them central,we then mounted the wheels and fortunately every thing fit into the available space,
We bled everything up and its working not too bad apart from I need to change my pedal linkage a bit.
What we have yet todo is drill the disc and hub with a flat bottomed drill to put a holding set screw in which would hold the disc in place when wheels are removed.
At some point though I want to get some new longer studs and chrome wheel nuts.

Glad it went O.K in the end.  :)

Andyrennisons post re Galaxy calipers made me think about the mondeo 1.8 I'm just scrapping. So. I've liberated its calipers and carriers, for later on you understand ( trike no 2).
They look like they'll fit.

Anything will fit anything if you hit it hard enough!
Let us know how you get on with 'em please.

Evening gents. I've just joined the forum and I'm part way into a brake conversion on my reliant axle trike.
Any joy with using different carriers? I'm struggling to get hold of mk2 golf ones for a sensible price. I phoned VW who told me the same part number is also used in;
Golf 1984-1989
Jetta 1984 - 1989
Passat 1985 - 1988
Scirocco 1984 - 1992
Audi 100 1985 - 1994
Audi 200 1985 - 1991
A4 1995 - 2001
A6 1995 - 1997

If ford have a couple that'll work with the VW callipers and nova discs then that's much more affordable. Any success stories with carriers other than mk2 golf?
Cheers
Mike

hi,mike ,,welcome .

what part of the country are you in ????
somebody on here maybe near you and may know of the wherabouts  of parts

we all try to help one another

North East, Middlesbrough. Plenty of scrap yards round here for parts but no chance of finding a pair of mk2 golf carriers. I'm hoping somebody has had some success using other carriers that are more readily available and also work with the standard plates and nova discs. My poor little trike is up on axle stands and I'm hoping to have it all done ready for the last rally of the season.

I know Lunatic's selling a complete axle with disc conversion in the For Sale section -maybe ask him if he'll sell the disc set-up on it's own? Or buy the whole thing & be back on the road tomorrow?

I'm only a set of carriers and callipers away from having it done. I just need to know if golf mk2 carriers are all that fits or if anybody has other options.

I really don't know why people insist on converting to disc - my trike uses the reliant drum brakes and stops with no problems!

Looks good.

Same as me. on a gl1000 no problem stopping or the brake test for mot
trouble with doing a disc conversion is the master cylinder may not be man enough for the callipers. then you got to change that as well it could go on?
I will be using the reliant brake set up on my new gl1500 trike as well

It's not just the looks that do it for me, although they do look good. The most important thing for me is better stopping performance. Drum brakes on the rear are just as good as disc brakes on the rear initially but once they get hot the performance drops dramatically. For all the weight in general is over the front wheel I often tow a small combi-camp trailer tent. It's not massively heavy but it does add weight and that weight isn't over the front wheel so the rears get hot under braking and it's noticeable. I've tried back brake only on the flat after a long run and the trike just keeps on rolling. When cool the rear drums can stop the trike on their own without an issue. Obviously I use the gears more than the brakes and on the road I use the front more than the back but for a test I've tried rear only before and after a run and there's a massive difference due to drums not being able to disperse the heat efficiently.
So for me looks are important but the biggest factor is brake efficiency.
I'm not even sure what rear master I've got but if that needs changing then that's next on this list. Front is twin discs and works fine. Engine braking on the old GL1100 is pretty good too. It's just the rears that are the weak link, especially with the trailer on, so that's my project at the moment. I'm new to trikes and new to this kind of work really but the information I'm finding on here is great. The only thing I'm stuck for is a tried and tested alternative to the golf mk2 carrier.

Have you looked at these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231503125949?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Do they fit?  Has anybody used anything other than the original method of the mk2 golf carrier?  I'm hoping somebody has used different parts with some success so I'm not wasting money on the trial and error method.
I phoned VW and got a list of other cars that use the same part but was hoping on some advice on an alternative part that others have used.

If you look at the link Terry has posted,
Look at compatability page 8,Suitable for MK11 golf.

I've gave up on the hunt for mk2 golf carriers. Couldn't find any anywhere. Local VW dealer gave me a list of cars that use the same carrier. One of them was an Audi 100 and I managed to get a pair of carriers from one. Had a quick trial fit last night after scrubbing them up and it's too tight on the disc. Could be just the build up of rust etc over the years so going to use the dremmel tonight to really clean the inside out. It's a close fit already so won't need a lot to get the disc spinning through the carrier. The carriers came with a set of mk2 golf callipers so a bit of a bonus there as somebody at the breakers had just upgraded from mk2 to mk4 callipers. Hopefully tonight I'll have one side fitted up and looking right. Then I'll strip down again to do the full clean up and paint. This is my first project so everything seems to be a learning curve.

Loony & I were chatting recently about the feasibilty of making your own carriers from flat plate. Maybe several pieces welded together. They could be made with integral adaptors to bolt onto the axle in one piece. Possible?

yep.. feasable,,  seen it done using sierra calipers aswell , but you are limited to the size of wheels you can use as the caliper tends to rub the inside of the rim..

Has anybody had any issues getting the disc to sit true against the hub? I'm assuming the hub is fine and it's misalignment in the disc but it's got a slight wobble to it so it catches on the carrier at one point of the turn. Other than than the Audi 100 carriers fit nicely on the standard template plates. I had to put a couple of washers between the plate and the carrier but not sure if that's due to the carrier being different to the intended mk2 golf or if it's because the plate is only 5mm thick.
It all fits now. Just got to find a way to level up the disc so it spins true and then get the mk2 callipers I've got wound back.

Could be the shaft is bent is the disc sitting hard back on the hub.put the wheel on and re check to see if there is any wobble

flange not sat on taper and key correctly ,,

or hub bent due to undue force being used when removing it from the shaft

continued from F/S,
also again from memory. there were two types of pads ite the thinner ones. I sure there was a write up on here listing various parts?
I will see if I still have the boxes in the calliper set up I have on the shelf

Yep Terry. Been reading through and it looks like there are two pad thicknesses 15 and 17.5mm. Ones needed are 15mm according to previous posts.

Getting back to the disc not sitting true.
Was the centre part of the hub machined smaller.or the centre hole in the disc machined larger?

I had the hub machined to fit the disc.  The remaining shoulder on the hub isn't much after it's opened up to 60mm dia so had it chamfered to match the inner edge of the disc.  It was a machine shop that done it and they measured the chamfer to make sure it matches perfectly.  Off the shaft it sits perfectly flat but that's when it's laid flat on the floor.  The issue is when it's in situ it doesn't seem to line up as well.  I can get it lined up better by using the wheel nuts to adjust it but that's not something I want to rely on when it comes to fitting the wheel too.
At the moment there's nothing to secure the disc to the hub other than the wheel nuts so I'm wondering if drilling and tapping it for a flush fit bolt would help, after aligning it using the wheel nuts.
The hub on the other side needed a press to release it but the side in question just popped right off with a gear puller and literally a few taps with a rubber mallet, nothing that would cause the shaft to bend.  All I can think of is that it's dropped a bit as I've held the disc up to the hub and that's pulled it out of alignment before I've nipped the wheel nuts up.  I'll try using the wheel tonight as at least that has the chamfered holes to match the wheel nuts and seems to line up ok with the 4" PCD.

There only held on by the wheel don't know any one that's drilled and bolted them on. once the wheels are on the disc arnt going any were

If you can 'adjust it ' using the wheel nuts, then it is not sitting flush with the hub face to start off with.
Sounds like the face has not been machined flat. Put a known straight edge across the face to check.
Or the chamfer on the hub is touching the chamfer on the disc slightly. The chamfer on the disc is not meant to be a locating point. It is there to provide clearance for the small radius at the base of the hub spigot and can vary in size from one manufacturer to another, or even between discs from the same manufacturer.

I suspect I might have to machine the hubs again. Just measured with a DTI. the hub face without disc on is +/-0.2mm which I'm comfortable with. That was as close to the outside as I could get without fouling on the wheel studs. Same exercise with the discs on and it's +/-1.8mm. I can't leave it at that. It's too much for the brake carriers and will catch on the pads. Not sure what an acceptable tolerance is but 1.8mm seems too high to me. Back to the machine shop I think. Gutted I paid the lad £40 to machine those hubs too.

You mentioned drilling the hub for a securing bolt. I did exactly that on mine, using an existing hole on the disc & a countersunk headed allen bolt.

Is that the outer 4 corners of the hub to fit inside the disc tight?

Good point Terry. Check the across corners dimension of the hubs and compare with the diameter of the machined mating surface inside the disc.
Disc runout should be less than 0.15mm ( RDA EBC suggested maximum)

The hub run out was 0.2mm which would obviously be compounded with the larger dia of the disc but even with that it couldn't have been the hub that was making the disc alignment so far out.  I've just noticed the sides of the hub are raised slightly.  It's not a lot but certainly enough to prevent the disc sitting flat to the hub.  Possibly from gear puller used to remove the hub.  The inner section is flat and true as that's been machined so if I sort out the outer part then the disc will sit flat on the hub as it should.
The next issue will be reducing that 0.2mm misalignment but maybe a bit of a rub down of the end of the half shaft will soft that as it's a bit rough on the surface, not bad but worth a clean for a better fit maybe.
The outer 4 corners are fine though, they fit in nicely with a touch of clearance.
I've heard drilling a brake disc is very difficult.  Is that a job that can be done with a hand drill?  Struggling for workshop type tools in my pokey little garage.
I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this being my first project but I've started so I'll finish.....

Just clean the burrs up with a file or grinding disc if you haven't got the tools just have the wheel hold the disc even if you spend time drilling it and tapping it. it won't make it any more efficient when braking? it just holds it in place while your fitting the wheel  

Can you post a photo of the hubs and disc so we can see whats been machined?

Ah. If the hub flange has distorted The studs should be removed and the whole contact surface machined or at least any raised areas filed flat.
It is quite common for the flange on these hubs to distort while being pulled off the taper.
Not sure why you need to drill the disc.

brake discs drill suprisingly easy,, quite soft material really,,

I suspect it's the face of the hub that's causing my alignment issues.  I turn the half shaft with nothing on it using a DTI and it's spot on, barely a flicker of the needle and so slight I can't even see the movement enough to measure it.  When I fit the hub and put the clock gauge to the machined face it's way out.  Obviously even worse with the disc on.  It seems the gear puller I used has pulled too much on the hub and bent it (I suspect).

The machine shop done the face for me but only to open up the centre part to allow the 60mm centre hole of the disc to fit.  The studs weren't removed for this so it was literally just enough to make the 60mm disc centre fit over and done with a parting tool as that's pretty much all that would fit in with the studs present.
I'm taking the hubs and half shafts to the machine shop today to get the full face machined with the half shaft attached and the studs removed.  By doing it this way I'll be getting a true face of the hub machined from the shaft itself.  I am also going to ask them to drill a couple of countersunk bolts in so once the disc is lined up and checked it can be secured tight to the hub.  To save removing and refitting the hub once lined up, I'll get the mounting bracket slipped over after the machining but before final check that the disc is running true.  At least then I'll know I'm bringing home a perfectly lined up half shaft, bracket, hub and disc and I don't need to disturb any of that to refit to the trike.  Fingers crossed.

Sounds like the right plan Mike. Do the job properly & it won't need doing again.

So your getting it machined with bearings and collar and back plate on shaft ! ??

I thought he'd have to remove the back plate as it's loose but it was fine.  He just wedged it up against the back of the hub and taped it just to hold it but it didn't move at all anyway.  Got the hub face machined from gripping the half shaft in the chuck with the back pate between the hub and bearing.  Then bolted the disc up against the hub with the wheel nuts and clocked the disc face of the disc.  It was spot on.  Sadly when I fitted the half shafts back into the casing last night and clocked it in situ it wasn't so good but still close enough and way better than previous.
I thought by leaving the backing plates on I'd save myself the job of removing the hubs again and disturbing the alignment, it was a good idea but getting my fingers behind the disc to get the bolts into the casing was a bit fiddly for my fingers.  Got them on though, nipped up and a test spin with the carrier on.  New MK4 calipers arrived yesterday, masked up and received first coat of paint last night.  Wheels are away being powder coated too.  It's all coming together now.  Need to get some brake hoses and then have a look at the handbrake system and consider how to lock both wheels rather than just the one that was previously done with the reliant drums.
Red calipers and dark grey alloys.  After all this work I want them noticed.......

What paint are you using on the callipers ?

Red merv

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

 ;D Nice one stumo.

Just standard cheap red caliper spray paint.  About 8 quid a tin on eBay.  I'm hoping it lasts but if not I'll have to take them off for a rub down and a coat of better quality stuff.  Only got one more rally this year and then the trike will be back in the garage for the other jobs I want done on it anyway.
Managed to get the discs drilled at the machine shop before machining them so drilled through the hole by hand to drill out the hub then tapped at M6 for a countersink type bolt.  It's not much but should hold the disc in place when the wheel nuts come off for the wheels to go on.

I didn't ask what couloir :P

I'm sure you've all seen and read enough to know this job inside out by now.  I finished my conversion a few months back in time for the rally but it took a bit longer to get the air out when bleeding so they weren't right.  Eventually got it though and now they work amazing.  Still using the original rear master but it's more than enough for the job.  They have plenty of power and no issues with heat causing them to fade out like the old drums when I had the trailer on the back.
Here's a few photos I've taken during the job.  I got the old wheels tidied up so the finished job looks good too.

Removing the hub to be machined ready for the nova front discs.....

I foolishly got the wrong discs.  Should have been 10mm nova discs, I got the 12mm ones.  It was a quick job to open up the inside of the carriers with a grinder then dremmel and the calipers had no trouble opening up far enough for the pads to fit in.

The finished job.  I'm impressed with the performance and the added bonus is they look good.  A few lessons during the job but well worth it.

Another happy triker :)
Looking good Mike.

mk2  golf caliper brackets (carriers)  on ebay  NOW==

NEW  £21.74  free delivery ,,ITEM NUMBER    301895377325

get them bought guys,,, the cheapest new ones i,v ever seen 

Sorry Mike, cant find them

These are a lot cheaper. he has two types.   ebay item number 232151041369

I think Mike is refering to the caliper carriers not the MM design axle adaptor plates.

yep ;)

Hi guys,
I've been a member on the forum for a while, but never posted, as was going to do this conversion a while back but funds/time etc didn't allow it to happen.
I'm now half way through the conversion(purchasing the bits and all stripped down) and was wondering if the mk2 alli mounting plates made by saddlebags, were still available for sale? I've gone right through this thread for info, and none of the photos/files in the earlier posts show up on my iPad. Do I need to use a pc to see them?
Did anyone ever do a compatibility list for calipers and carriers from other vehicles other than VW golf, as it looked like it was getting somewhere in earlier posts.
Many thanks for the info shared previously.

Hello -& welcome :)
It's probably 15 - 20 years since I came up with the original conversion & later wrote an article on it for 100%Biker magazine.
I have a notoriously bad memory & genuinely can't remember much about it now. There were other makes & models suggested by various forum members -I seem to recall VW Passat being mentioned.
I really only used the Nova/Golf combo because it was what I had to hand at the time & it fitted. Any disc with the right PCD & any caliper that fits that disc & has an integral handbrake mechanism would do.
Mr SaddleBags lives in Basingstoke, Hampshire & works for a local engineering company. He's long since moved on from trikes to sports bikes, so I doubt he still has any plates available, but I can certainly contact him & ask.
Anybody have any advice for Mr Skunk?

I've just had a rummage & found these.
Someone on the forum -I'm sorry, I really can't remember who, drew up a full size template for the carrier plates. I also have a CD which presumably has the same info on it, (it's labelled PDF/JPEG caliper bracket).
If you message me your address I can post you one of the print outs, or the CD if you need it.

Hi Mr MM,
Thanks for replying, I wasn't sure if anyone would be following this anymore.lol. I think you inspired a nation of trikers with the conversion. I'd be very grateful for the info, or if it's possible to get hold of the mk2 ones or plans, via saddlebags, that would be great. My wife's trike was originally based around a Suzuki GS 850, but now has a GSX1100 G motor. I'll pm you my address.

In the Post to you :)

Wonderful stuff. Thanks.😎👍

I guess that would be right about the Passat ones - when I had a caliper break on my Passat we replaced it with a Golf one so they were clearly very similar.

Sounds good.

Hi Andy have you still got the cd I sent you or a print out of the plates
Cheers Gaz .