Marina front disc brake options.

[stevejgreen]

I am looking at an upgrade to the Marina based front brakes as I now have 9" drums on the back with the Sprint axle.

I think I can fit a 240mm (Marina-247mm) vented disc within the confines of a 13" Wheel with a sliding caliper.

Has anyone tried this on a Marina front axle without resorting to 14" Wheels and spacers to push the wheel further out.

[ggrum]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Steve,

A few years ago the chap responsible for spares in the Marina Owners Club told me that they had available adaptors that enabled Sierra calipers to be fitted to the Marina upright while still using the Marina standard discs. Presumably, this improves the efficiency of the front brakes by increasing the pad contact area. At the time they cost about £40 but I don't know if they are still available.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

I have been a member of this club for many years but I have never heard of a specific chap responsible for spares. Perhaps someone can come forward and identify this illusive character and perhaps make a list of parts available.

If such adaptor plates exist perhaps someone has a drawing so that more can be made, or at least so that I can make some.

I wanted to head for vented discs and some Sierra had them so vented calipers might have the same fixings. I would then have to locate a suitable caliper.

Will the real parts chap please stand up!

[CosworthCabrioLee]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Steve,
What Is on my Roadster is Princess 4 pot calipers with drilled discs. I had to machine mounting plates out of solid and drill and mill out the discs I also use green stuff pads combined with discs on the back you can stop it on it nose. Creating a mounting plate for sierra caliper would not take much work if you have the machine.

[ggrum]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Steve,

I think you misunderstood me. The spares chap I mentioned is in the MARINA owners club not the Marlin club. Not sure if he is still around but if anyone is interested I'll check.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Geoff, sorry for misunderstanding.
I frequent the Marina Owners site often and get alot of support for my off the wall ideas from them.

Thanks.

The Marlin parts man can now sit down.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

I have moved away from what are now expensive princess calipers and am working on parts available from recent production cars.
I think I have found a way to get vented or solid discs and sliding calipers into 13" or 14" wheels.
Calipers with carriers (available in two sizes) and discs from the same car available in two different diameters.
The downside is a special caliper bracket that follows the same pattern as the stock Marina.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

I must have the luck of a devil.
I had originally chosen a sliding caliper arrangement from a Renault Clio as they had an offset that potentially allowed the use of a Marina style caliper bracket.
What I did not know then was that the fixing centres were the same as the Marina caliper and that with a little modification the Clio caliper was a bolt on fixing.

For more info have a look at the Marina forum where pictures are so much easier to post.

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Looks almost too good to be true...nice work Steve. Look forward to a road-test report soon.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

For the record I bought some custom stainless braided hoses for my new installation from Svenson Motors (svensonmotors.co.uk). From order to delivery less than 24 hours. Not the sort of service you would normally expect these days.

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Steve - I think you might mean Stevson Motors? www.stevsonmotors.co.uk
If so I've used them as well and as you say excellent service.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

oops

[donsayers]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

Look like an excellent conversion. What about rear disks?

[stevejgreen]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

It works really well, but on my 13" alloys I have wiped off a couple of balance weights that were poorly located. (that's my excuse
It's difficult to relate before and after efficiency until I get to my MOT tester.
If you have looked at the Marina Owners Forum there are pictures and loads more info than is posted here. Pitstop should have a writeup published in the next issue, so save up your pennies or get to the breakers yard before christmas.

My car has been transformed quite a bit recently and I have some thoughts on brakes most of which are addressed on the Marina site.
Please excuse the length of this post but in the interests of clarity....

Braking efficiency is more to do with tyre and road surface than brake pads and discs. The standard Marina front brakes are more than capable of locking the standard front wheels and it is at that point, just before lockup that the maximum breaking effort is possible. i.e just before control is lost. Thats why ABS works, keeping the brakes at that point just before lockup for the longest possible time. With bald tyres on a wet surface lock up occurs so much earlier and braking distances are compromised, that has nothing to do with pads and discs. Equally brakes are sized with the energy dissapation required dependant on the speed and mass of the vehicle. It has nothing to do with engine power, but is significant to the manner in which the car is driven, i.e. Road, Rally, or Race. Frequent brake application can cause overheating and brake fade.

That has not answered your question. So I will try again...

Since on average 70% of braking happens on the front wheels primarily due to weight transfer, and that the average Marlin is 75% lighter than a Marina and is not used to race or rally, there is little need IMHO to upgrade the rear brakes apart from 'bling' issues.

In my case with a Dolomite Sprint 9" drums at the rear, larger than the stock Marina, I was attempting to maintain the relative balance between front and rear braking effort.
There is a danger in uprating the rears that they lock up before the fronts. That is a dangerous situation to be in, so care must be taken. If spotted at an MOT test the car can be failed!
With dual circuit brakes, less pressure can be applied to the rear brakes, but that defeats the mechanical object of upgrading the brakes.
There are Dolomite Sprint rear axle brake upgrades available, Lee has completed such a mod using Xantia discs I beleive.

So Don, finally in answer to your question, I have no intention of looking at the rear brakes, except perhaps at the Dolomite Sprint axle that won't apply to the average Marina based car. I am not convinced there is a mechanical or financially worthwhile improvement available. Sorry.

Now ABS retrofitted to a Marina based car, there is a challenge.

[donsayers]

Re: Marina front disc brake options.

I have never been able to keep the rear drum brakes adjusted properly on any car, rear disks have never given me a problem. So I would like to up grade the rear brakes to ones of a more modern provenance, not to increase the performance but to give more reliable performance.

I shall bend Lee's ear for advice.