2088 replies to this topic

[Ddstoys]

Everytime I read your posts I’m blown away by something if not everything you do


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[Heath]

Thanks for the kind words gents.

 

So I've never made a single hard line for anything before, but obviously need to make some brake lines for this car.

 

I started by ordering some fairly standard replacement braided hoses from stedzlc on here:

 

Then drawing a schematic of the system, and went around and started identifying all of the threads and then trying to work out what adaptors were available/suitable to suit all all the space available.

 

The brake line I ended up using is a 3/16" double annealed 316 tube from Prochem in Dandenong. It does have a thicker wall section than some of the others available, but I actually had issues with the Aeroflow one cracking when I did a double flare.

 

I started work by removing the diff:

 

The Wilwood Dyna-Pro brake calipers (which I have on all four corners, although the pistons are different sizes front to rear) have a 1/8" (-27) NPT thread, there's no cone, so you can't just screw a flare nut into them. I used these 90-degree NPT to AN-3 adaptors. 

Note AN is only 37° and normal OEM brake stuff (even the Wilwood master & prop valve for example) are 45°.

 

So... I bought some tools including a double flare tool to cater for both taper angles.

 

My plan was to use this standard brass T-piece on the diff which I'd made a nice bracket for in the past:

But the thread has no bloody engagement, and the cones weren't looking brand new either.

 

I decided to cut my losses on that and buy a Brake Quip SS56 which is a stainless product that'll do the same job, and without welding, I made a little ally bracket and riveted it onto the base of the bracket (cut the rest off). This fitting attaches with a stainless bolt into a nutsert.

 

That'll do.

 

I also got a bit spendy and had Chris from Shockworks come around and we measured up a set up custom made dampers for my car... a few months later:

 

Sexy big body monotube damper goodness. Should belt the frOck out of the old Koni Reds I had in this car when it was last on the road.

The Pedders ones in the photo were just shitters I had for mock-ups, but decent for a comparison of size & finish.

[76lxhatch]

Ooh, I have always wondered how well the car would perform with a truly good set of expensive custom dampers. Don't know much about Shockworks but very interesting.

 

Didn't realise that AN fittings generally used double flares, other than being more difficult to make I guess there's no reason why not. NPT at the calipers isn't ideal but not much choice there. Looks like your flares are quite long in the tubing area which would be why the limited thread engagement in the original brass block.

[WhiteA9XS]

 Heath , bloody great job you are doing , looking awesome mate ... thanks for the tip on the brake line connection , i also tried the original T piece to braded but didnt work ..

[Heath]

Thanks for the kind words, fellas.
 
Tim McAmis did a video on stainless hard lines and he reckons single flares are fine for them because the material is stronger (I assume he was using AN fittings, can't remember), but I still wanted to make mine the way that brake lines are supposed to be done in Australia, which is with double flares. This is a new area for me as I said so I don't have many strong opinions. It is true that the stainless double flares are not as compact as a lot of normal bundy tube flares, but those brass blocks have seriously shallow threads, I have heard others complain about them in the past and I wish I just listened at the time rather than having to re-hash it at the last minute.
 
Shockworks are a good local brand, they are very well reputed in Australia for doing good quality coil-overs for the Jap scene. Anything with a big body (Bilstein etc.) has the potential to work wonders on a car with high unsprung mass in particular, which is part of the reason I sold my Koni reds and made a proper investment in this area. I like the fact that I could develop them with Chris and he's going to tune the suspension of the car around the Dandenong ranges, so I'm pretty happy about that.
 
Also... wheels. I bought some Panasport G7 C5R wheels that were in stock at Barrel Bros in Sydney.


Bought a scrappy 16x10" single C5R off Yahoo Japan and imported it to do some mock-ups. Testing brake clearances, suspension arm clearances, (permissable back-space on a 16" on the front end isn't that massive), spent a long time with tape measures and no springs in the car going through the movements of the wheels to measure up what I can get away with. Finally rested in some suitable hotboi specs as you'll see below.

 
Measured up my floater hubs so that any of the new wheels could bolt straight onto the rear of the car if needed:

 
The new wheel centres before and after being set up on the lathe and machined to suit the drawing above:


 
Vapour blasted centres awaiting new spun barrels:

 
Confirmed colour with a spray-out:

 
NOS centre caps with suitable Jinglish text:

 
Vuola!




 
Fronts are 16x10" +4
Rears are 17x12" -31
(the fronts will get a small hubcentric slip-on spacer once I adjust camber and ride height, this will push them out and make them positively located on the front hubs so it'll be more aggressive than +4)

They should fit super tight. Absolutely minimum clearance is the aim of course.

[SHEEL]

whoa

Attached Files

•  jimp.jpg   33.97K   21 downloads

[Mitchyboy]

Also... wheels. I bought some Panasport G7 C5R wheels that were in stock at Barrel Bros in Sydney...

Unreal progress. Bet you can't wait to drive it now dude.

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[skap]

Nice dish

[Ice]

frOck me they look awesome 

[Hatchback13]

Wow so much thought goes into everything and part you do, I thought I had dish, those rears look mental. Every step closer. Cheers

Edited by Hatchback13, 27 July 2021 - 11:12 PM.

[sibhs]

Faark me Heath.

My brain hurts looking at all those numbers and my mouth drools seeing the new wheels.

 

You are in a league of your own. Keep up the amazing work.

 

Marty

[Heath]

Haha cheers Marty!

Wow so much thought goes into everything and part you do, I thought I had dish, those rears look mental. Every step closer. Cheers

Haha they are out of control hey? When I did the calculations and worked out the outers were going to be >6" wide, I knew they were going to be pretty striking (exaggerated by the step lip as well) but seeing them spun & polished... Jesus Christ lol.
You can find big diameter wheels, like 20" wheels with reverse drop-outs that have this size outers, but the step lips have a way different look that I'm so happy with.

Regarding how much thought goes into everything, yeah honestly I attribute that to the slow rate of progress. I wish I could make decisions a lot more quickly.
Spending time agonising over everything like I do probably avoids some mistakes, but I still seem to make a lot.

Nice to slip them over the studs and confirm that I do in-fact know how to use a tape measure.

[Toranamat69]

Coming together nicely.

Love the fashion pack interior, and everything else.

[jeffblanco]

Looking forward to seeing tyres on those rims, great look.

 

Regards Mando.

[LXCHEV]

Looking mad brother!! That last side-on shot looks awesome - even without the rubber!

[RIM-010]

How are you planning on properly rotating the tyres with different sized wheels? I think you'll find that your rear tyres will wear out a lot quicker than the fronts.

[Indy Orange]

Wow this is just awesome! Aussie talent and ingenuity .

[claysummers]

How are you planning on properly rotating the tyres with different sized wheels? I think you'll find that your rear tyres will wear out a lot quicker than the fronts.

Move on

early Holden nut

[Heath]

How are you planning on properly rotating the tyres with different sized wheels? I think you'll find that your rear tyres will wear out a lot quicker than the fronts.

That will be a considerable challenge. I'll have to take the front flares off and drive it along a straight road with the rear wheels on the back if I want to rotate them? lol

 

I anticipate rear tyre life to be a problem, and the thought of this excites me a lot.

[MRLXSS]

Killer mate - Keep it up! Keen to swing past the workshop soon and check it out now we're out of lockdown again!

[Adam77]

Awesome work Heath love the colour.
Who did you get to make the barrels?

[Heath]

The wheels were actually built by Barrel Bros in Sydney.

https://www.barrel-bros.com/

 

The barrels are from Whitehorse Industries.

I didn't buy the barrels directly in this instance.

[skap]

chrome bumper to match wheels?

[clarky9999]

Looking great mate normally grab a beer and read on the latest info for the hatch, bloody looking good.

[rodomo]

The barrels are from Whitehorse Industries.

Lillydale?