Fitting disc brakes to live axle

[deanteam]

Has anyone fitted disc brakes to an RS2000 live axle? Objective is to improve feel and control rather actual braking efficiency. The drum brakes get hot and fade and the automatic adjustment is not always reliable.

 

Geoff

[Chairman Roger]

Hello to the Deans ! (all of them)

 

Steve Perks at SPC (link through Alex Wongs links page) has an adaptor plate for this sort of conversion. I don't know if it is in production but you could ask him for details.

 

Please dont't improve your car too much you are difficult enough to catch as it is !

[R2D2]

Fitting Discs to an RS2000 isn't totally straightforward. Originally using a caliper from a Chysler 180 which had a cable mechanism for the handbrake was quite common and easy to fit.

 

The real problem is that the RS2000 axle is a semi-floating design and there is always some end float on the half-shaft which can cause pad knock-off. If this happened it would be quite exciting in a light car.

Quaife used to offer a fully floating conversion kit for the RS2000 axle which provided double taper bearing and hubs to eliminate end float and a quill shaft as a half shaft to provide more strength.

All of the "Works" Escorts were fitted with Atlas axles and discs but the Atlas was a fully floating design.

[deanteam]

Thanks Roger for your response, I called Steve and he has the parts. However the points made by Chris have sent me off doing a bit more research.

[Chelspeed]

My previous car was an RS2000 and I did the rally car thing which was fitting XR3i front discs and calipers using a set of brackets which I welded onto the axle. This worked very well except for the lack of a legal (ie cable operated) handbrake. Now you can do the same with XR4x4 rear claipers which have a cable provision. I never had any problem with pad knock off.

 

> the automatic adjustment is not always reliable.

 

What you mean it is sometimes?? Mine never ever did anything at all.