Topic: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Does the cost of changing out drum brakes for disc brakes count towards the $500?? The rules do say that brakes are exempt from the $500 but not sure if this really applies?

Just a Noob trying to take the long approach to doing it right.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Nope. Breaks are exempt from the $500 any brakes, all brakes, please for the love of god make your car stop.

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Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Stop?? By god why would one want to stop? I just thought it would be a good idea to be able to slow down as i pass the pits so my wife could see me wave to her.

Just a Noob trying to take the long approach to doing it right.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

But honestly thank you for the clarification.

Just a Noob trying to take the long approach to doing it right.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

As personal observation (which many will disagree with) if at all possible do your conversion with an OEM caliper of a some sort verses Willwood or Ford Racing, etc.  If you do you the conversion right with any of them, the hard parts are likely to last forever and all but the the dust boots and pistons seals are indestructible, but this is Lemons.  When you DO blow a seal or accidentally wear out a pad Saturday evening it is still possible to get a caliper or street pads for say C5 brakes at most Autozones.

Also pro tip...carry a spare caliper.  Most of them are sided in theory but will mount up and work on either side.  Bleeding a caliper for the wrong side is challenging but all you need is a block of wood between the pads to bleed them right side up THEN bolt them tot he bracket.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

All safety gear is budget exempt. Brakes are undoubtedly safety gear. Make sure they work and you have good consumables. Autozone pads don't last once you start pushing the car. DOT3 fluid is not ok. Spend the money on good pads, and good fluid so you don't send a driver off into a wall.

Other things that are budget exempt, your fuel system, no excuse for it being rusty and leaky. all your safety gear like seats, belts, cage, etc. Wheels are exempt, make sure you aren't using cheap crappy wheels likely to explode after the 5th curb hit. OEM wheels take a lot of abuse. Driver comfort is exempt. Meaning things like cool shirt, fresh air ducting, etc. The more comfortable your driver is the safer they are.

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Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Thanks for the info guys! Any other recommended spare parts or do you know if there is a list of such in the forums somewhere? Looked but haven't found it if there is. Putting together a 99 Cherokee Sport.

Just a Noob trying to take the long approach to doing it right.

8 (edited by OnkelUdo 2019-02-07 06:00 AM)

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

jethrojet wrote:

Thanks for the info guys! Any other recommended spare parts or do you know if there is a list of such in the forums somewhere? Looked but haven't found it if there is. Putting together a 99 Cherokee Sport.

Spares are car/platform specific BUT some rules of thumb:

Check for "In Stock" at the closest Autozone to your intended track for all of the following:

Wheel bearings/hub assembly (see note below)
Crank/cam/hall effect sensor (If GM, for instance just get a spare along with used, known good ignition module)
Fuel pump (especially if not in-tank and quick to change)
Keep your old hoses, ignition wires, cap, rotor, belts, etc as your spares
Ball joints and tie rod ends (again, if you replaced them, keep the old ones if not totally knackered)
At least two mounted tires OR knowledge of where to get two unmounted spares mounted on Saturday night after 6 PM (even then, mounted spares are nice)

I am missing a lot I am sure but the point is, anything short of a hole in the block or totally shreded transmission that can sideline the car for the rest of the weekend, have a spare if it cannot be bought within 30 minutes of the track at 7 PM Saturday night.

Wheel bearings that have to be pressed into a knuckle instead of unitized hub/bearing combos lose a newbie team a minimum of about 90 minutes, even if they have the parts, when they fail during a race session.  FWD cars as a rule shred front wheel bearings at race pace so if you can, get a spare left and right knuckle and press new bearings into either the set on the car or in you spares bin.  We could change a knuckle on our Saturn in about 15 minutes but with all the shop tools on hand it takes about 45-50 minutes to install a bearing with the knuckle off the car using a large hydraulic press.

Also, if you run a BMW with a manual...bring a spare giubo.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

OnkelUdo wrote:

Also, if you run a BMW with a manual...bring a spare giubo.

...shit

The Pentastar whisperer

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Bayley wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

Also, if you run a BMW with a manual...bring a spare giubo.

...shit


Only one? (delete optioned these on the Merkur)...

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

OnkelUdo wrote:

Also pro tip...carry a spare caliper.  Most of them are sided in theory but will mount up and work on either side.  Bleeding a caliper for the wrong side is challenging but all you need is a block of wood between the pads to bleed them right side up THEN bolt them tot he bracket.


This is Genius!

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Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

stangman4ever wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

Also pro tip...carry a spare caliper.  Most of them are sided in theory but will mount up and work on either side.  Bleeding a caliper for the wrong side is challenging but all you need is a block of wood between the pads to bleed them right side up THEN bolt them tot he bracket.


This is Genius!

Parts stores REGULARLY mix up driver and passenger calipers (and axles) in their stocking system and pray-and-spray rebuilders often mis-box them so when you send the parts runner to get a caliper while you pull the bad one they often come back with the wrong one (three out of a four Explorer rear calipers were incorrectly sided at Autozone and two out of three at Carquest) so what to do...see above.

Then when we first put the C5 calipers on the Dustbuster each caliper was over $100 and no one stocked them so we had to bring a spare to the track...this saved us having to bring two.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

I was always under the impression that anything you had to retrofit the caliper with (brackets, spindles, etc) was technically, not budget exempt.  It was up to the team to sneak it through during BS, or get caught and have to take laps.

I dont think judges look too hard at brakes, though.  They are busy looking for cheaty suspension bits and go fast engine parts..

Silent But Deadly Racing-  Ricky Bobby's Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Thunderbird , Datsun 510, 87 Mustang (The Race Team Formerly Known as Prince), 72 Pinto Squire waggy, Parnelli Jones 67 Galaxie, Turbo Coupe Surf wagon.(The Surfin Bird), Squatting Dogs In Tracksuits,  Space Pants!  Roy Fuckin Kent and The tribute to a tribute to a tribute THUNDERBIRD/ SUNDAHBADOH!

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Speaking of judges... i was raised in the south for a small part of my childhood and was taught to be hospitable to my guests and to my hospitable way of thinking when someone is inspecting my car i would most certainly consider them to be a guest. So the question is what kind of goodies should i have on hand to show my guest the proper hospitality deserving of such an honorable individual?

Just a Noob trying to take the long approach to doing it right.

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

jethrojet wrote:

Speaking of judges... i was raised in the south for a small part of my childhood and was taught to be hospitable to my guests and to my hospitable way of thinking when someone is inspecting my car i would most certainly consider them to be a guest. So the question is what kind of goodies should i have on hand to show my guest the proper hospitality deserving of such an honorable individual?

The problem is most of the judges are from the right (wrong) coast, and they tend think a little differently than us southern born and raised folks.  wink

Captain
Team Super Westerfield Bros.
'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Sir Thomas Crapper wrote:

I was always under the impression that anything you had to retrofit the caliper with (brackets, spindles, etc) was technically, not budget exempt.  It was up to the team to sneak it through during BS, or get caught and have to take laps.

I dont think judges look too hard at brakes, though.  They are busy looking for cheaty suspension bits and go fast engine parts..

I don't believe your first sentence is correct. Considering that wheel bearings and ball joints are also considered budget exempt, I don't think any judge is ever going to ding you for having to upgrade your spindles or hubs (including going up a size in wheel bearings) in order to upgrade your brakes. Caliper brackets would definitely be considered a "brake component." The worst thing that'll come from a big money aftermarket brake upgrade is causing the judges to look harder at the rest of the car, but they're generally pretty good at catching effective cheats regardless. Larger OEM brake components from another car won't even cause them to bat an eyelash.

jethrojet wrote:

Speaking of judges... i was raised in the south for a small part of my childhood and was taught to be hospitable to my guests and to my hospitable way of thinking when someone is inspecting my car i would most certainly consider them to be a guest. So the question is what kind of goodies should i have on hand to show my guest the proper hospitality deserving of such an honorable individual?

Contrary to popular belief, most of the judges don't go for booze since most of them have to fly home anyway; however, it can still help you because most of it ends up going to the flag workers. I would avoid anything cheap and lean more toward beer than liquor, because beer is more likely to be consumed on site no matter which officials end up with it. I've also heard that snack food is pretty well regarded, particularly if it's individually packaged.

If you really want to impress the hell out a judge, find out which judges in particular will be at the race you're going to. They each have their own weird tastes, from car parts to old camera gear to obscure memorabilia from the former Soviet Bloc countries.

All that being said, even a lame bribe is better than nothing. If nothing else, it'll get your car a cool stencil!

17 (edited by Lemon_Newton-Metre 2019-02-07 07:39 PM)

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

VKZ24 wrote:
jethrojet wrote:

Speaking of judges... i was raised in the south for a small part of my childhood [edited]. So the question is what kind of goodies should i have on hand to show my guest the proper hospitality deserving of such an honorable individual?

The problem is most of the judges are from the right (wrong) coast, and they tend think a little differently than us southern born and raised folks.  wink

... bless their hearts ...

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

Spend a million dollars on the brakes, we don't care, Carbon Ceramics with 8 piston calipers, fine.     

Brakes are unlimited.  have fun.

John

Gosh, my business card says 'Tech Tyrant'

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

OnkelUdo wrote:

Bleeding a caliper for the wrong side is challenging but all you need is a block of wood between the pads to bleed them right side up THEN bolt them tot he bracket.

!!!!!! I don't even want to admit how many times I've asked the parts store to stay open or added an extra day to a project just because something went wrong with a caliper at like 9PM, and I had a perfectly good spare for the wrong side.

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Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

EyeMWing wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

Bleeding a caliper for the wrong side is challenging but all you need is a block of wood between the pads to bleed them right side up THEN bolt them tot he bracket.

!!!!!! I don't even want to admit how many times I've asked the parts store to stay open or added an extra day to a project just because something went wrong with a caliper at like 9PM, and I had a perfectly good spare for the wrong side.

Of all the things in this thread I never thought this simple trick that I stole (not sure who, but it came from Volvo forum for a P1800) and thought was relatively common knowledge among experienced (I mean old like me) wrenches.

Is my trick explaining gravity bleeding on cars with multiple bleeders per caliper?

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

EyeMWing wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

Bleeding a caliper for the wrong side is challenging but all you need is a block of wood between the pads to bleed them right side up THEN bolt them tot he bracket.

!!!!!! I don't even want to admit how many times I've asked the parts store to stay open or added an extra day to a project just because something went wrong with a caliper at like 9PM, and I had a perfectly good spare for the wrong side.

Geez, cut yourself some slack. Perhaps you had in mind every other time you would have to bleed that caliper, and decided to get it done right the first time; because in the long run it's more efficient that way.

However, especially in the case of an emergency, this technique is brilliant!

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

SpaceFrank wrote:

If you really want to impress the hell out a judge, find out which judges in particular will be at the race you're going to. They each have their own weird tastes, from car parts to old camera gear to obscure memorabilia from the former Soviet Bloc countries.

Trick answer! These all describe the same judge!

That guy

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

DirtyDuc wrote:
SpaceFrank wrote:

[snip] own weird tastes, from car parts to old camera gear to obscure memorabilia from the former Soviet Bloc countries.

Trick answer! These all describe the same judge!

[Could this be Judge Phil? Regardless ...]
Oooh, from the list, I have something I think this judge would love!

Re: Disc brake mod count towards $500??

So much great advice! Thank you! Looking forward to racing with everyone.

Just a Noob trying to take the long approach to doing it right.