fulvia dunlop brakes

[lukestew]

hello all ...new to this forum. Im after some help please. Ive got a series 1 fulvia coupe with dunlop brakes that im trying to put back on the road. Does anyone have lurking about anywhere a pair of rear calipers that I could buy. Or have any ideas where to get some...ive tried some of the obvious sources and not come up with much to go on. Any advice would help thanks luke

[fay66]

hello all ...new to this forum. Im after some help please. Ive got a series 1 fulvia coupe with dunlop brakes that im trying to put back on the road. Does anyone have lurking about anywhere a pair of rear calipers that I could buy. Or have any ideas where to get some...ive tried some of the obvious sources and not come up with much to go on. Any advice would help thanks luke

What condition are your originals in, as it would probably be easier to get them rebuilt, you could try Omicron and see if they can help.
brian
8227

[lukestew]

Thanks Brian ,the cylinders are in fairly bad condition....the thread around the bleed nipple was so badly corroded that the casting snapped and so that piston cylinder is not usable.  The other side of that calliper is ok and new seals have been installed after honing out the cylinder. On the other calliper the rim of rust has meant the piston would not come out so....... well... put it this way ive got to the point of trying to get some second hand ones that are in a state that can be honed out and resealed. I have the correct seal kits and nipples etc .
M.A.R.A were very helpful and have got some new copies (i presume) for ... gulp...100E each + delivery from italy + vat . Some old ones that can be rebuilt is what I would really like to find.

[fay66]

To be honest luke 100 Euro's each doesn't sound too bad if you say it quick, I'll keep my eyes open but I can't say I've ever seen any advertised secondhand for sale. Good luck searching.

Brian
8227

[lukestew]

thanks for your help. Ive managed to buy some old original bits that should be salvageable. So the old girl should be able to stop again soon. This time I'll try not to bust them this time!!! 

[fay66]

thanks for your help. Ive managed to buy some old original bits that should be salvageable. So the old girl should be able to stop again soon. This time I'll try not to bust them this time!!! 

Good Luck Luke

Brian
8227

[lukestew]

update for those who may be interested. Turns out that the rear callipers for the lancia have a unique piston size 1 5/16" .The flavia and flaminia and fulvia are the only cars this size dunlop piston cylinders. So the jag healey and jensen are not that size but the slightly larger size of 1 1/2" .....the good news is that the bigger ones from them should fit on that carrier. The mk2 jag V8 are the 1 1/2" and the best option at the moment.
Etype series 1 are a bit bigger and bristol jensen and fiat abarth 2200 are supposed to be a bit bigger too being 1 5/8" and  1 3/4" and 2 1/8" depending on the year and whether they are front or back?
Im not sure if the pads will all fit these cars though it looks fairly likely that they are inter changeable.
The bolts for these are 1/4 UNF and are quite easy to get.

Thanks to you Brian for your help

[chris]

Can confirm that the 1 1/2" units do fit on your rear carriers and also that I used to fit them regularly as an alternative (originals getting hard to obtain even then) with no ill side effects 20 years ago Luke. I'm not sure how swiftly the archives get deleted on this Forum these days, but it should be possible to search for a detailed explanation re: sleeving out originals using stainless steel inserts - I  posted at least twice. Rears are easy as lots of 'meat' but fronts must be done with extreme caution and only if bodies are sound - apart from scoring.

[fay66]

Chris,
 it must be buried in another thread as I've searched for Dunlop Brakes & stainless steel inserts and although the threads go back to 2006 I can't find it, the only comment I did find was from Chris Gawne about S/S inserts being easily available at Padova, but the talk was that they wear out the rubbers quickly?

Brian
8227

[chriswgawne]

Brian,
Small correction - they were stainless steel CYLINDERS newly manufactured and since that post I have been assured by the makers that there is no accelerated wear on the rubbers in s/s cylinders. They also say that they have sold a lot of them to owners of Dunlop baraked cars, particularly Jaguars with no complaint. I have to say that if I had fitted them to Jacky's Fulvia which only gets used for 8 or so months of the year, it would be a nice feeling when she makes that first journey of the year (after the winter slumber) to know that corrosion would not be an issue. We are still on originals at present but one day my spares will run out and I will then most likely fit these new ones.
Having said that, my leaking Dunlop experiences over the last 40 years have always been slow leaks - nothing catastrophic - due I suppose to the design of the seals and cylinders. My probloems have been more connected to lack of movement and consequent poor brakingrather than just leaks.

[fay66]

Thanks Chris, I didn't mean to misqoute you
I use "Fay" all the year around, but only on dry days in the winter, and in summer if possible.
 
She spends all her time in an airchamber when not being used, which is a godsend as I'm sure she'd have been a pile of rust long before now, particularily as my old garage I rented was a concrete lock up that sweated and always seemed damp, I now rent a brick one that backs onto my front garden, and thanks to one hole I can now run the airchamber off the mains with a transformer, rather than the 85AH leisure batteries I used to use with the old garage.
I've never found the Dunlop brakes to be a problem, and they have performed more than adequately while crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps, and I just hope they continue that way, but if I ever do have to change them then it's got to be the stainless steel ones.

Brian
8227

[chris]

Brian,
Re: 'archives' - unfortunately I know that there was a policy in the past on here to permanently delete some threads and can confirm early posts of mine have gone, partly why I chose not to commit to post any lengthy explanation procedures.

Re: Dunlop corrosion/seal failure, if  losing brake fluid and it isn't going into the servo or dribbling out of back of master cylinder, then the quickest primary-detection-method on a car being used regularly is to check the inner vertical face of the tyres for a wet surface/appearance. Goes without saying, not applicable if used in the rain of course but thought I had better add..

[GG]

Anybody mention bleeding the brakes every couple of years, just to get the water (which may separate out in non-silicone brake fluid) out of the cylinders? It spares the cylinders accelerated rusting... or so one hopes.

[fay66]

Anybody mention bleeding the brakes every couple of years, just to get the water (which may separate out in non-silicone brake fluid) out of the cylinders? It spares the cylinders accelerated rusting... or so one hopes.

Good thought that Geoff, mine is checked by my garage everytime she goes in, but as due in next week I'll get them to bleed them anyway.

Brian
8227

[TVR810]

To rebuild brakes always go to the experts, I would recommend Brake Engineering at Wrexham, they found a hairline crack
in an old Daimler caliper that I sent!.
Paul