TR6 1976 TR6 Front Brakes & Shocks

[Don_Houston]

I removed the 30 year old front brakes yesterday, what fun! I have researched new brakes on Moss, VB and TRF and its confusing. Moss sells the front kit for $750 and say that they are "upgraded" brakes and they don't stock their "regular" set anyway which would be about $550. VB's "regular" set looks to be at least $700 and TRF is difficult to navigate.

This is a big purchase, so what are my best options? I am not necessarily opposed to "upgraded" but don't want to do a bunch of modifications that may be beyond my skill (this is my first brake job).

It looks like I should replace the shocks while I'm in there as they look pretty cruddy (I already have the parts to refurbish the suspension bushings). What are the best shocks to install?

Many thanks.

 

[70herald]

Unless there is something seriously broken with the brakes, there is no need to replace them, what you need are new hoses, rebuild kit for the front brakes which will have o-rings and dust seals, probably new pistons. In the back just get new cylinders. Take apart the master cylinder and see if it is corroded inside, if so you can either have a sleeve put in or get a new one. All of this should be WAY less than $700.
You will also need new brake pads and shoes, here you get what you pay for and there are differences in quality. Probably the best thing to do is contact TSI ?? and see what they recommend relining with.
Finally, you need to take the disks and drums to a local brake shop for them to check if they are round / warped / thick enough / and turn them (if possible) otherwise you will need new bits here also.
And one more thing, check over the 30 year old brake pipes also for any signs of damage.

 

[GerryL]

The only thing that you may also do is replace the steel lines with a copper nichol brake line kit. These lines come with all the necessary fittings and the lines can be hand bent. You may want to consider replacing the flexible lines with those enclosed by stainless steel. When you replace the caliper pistons you would want to either use chrome or nitrated ones. You may want to consider using silicone fluid.

 

[mrv8q]

Unless there is something seriously broken with the brakes, there is no need to replace them, what you need are new hoses, rebuild kit for the front brakes which will have o-rings and dust seals, probably new pistons. In the back just get new cylinders. Take apart the master cylinder and see if it is corroded inside, if so you can either have a sleeve put in or get a new one. All of this should be WAY less than $700.
You will also need new brake pads and shoes, here you get what you pay for and there are differences in quality.

I'm with 70Herald... Unless your brake booster is shot... Brougnt my '74 back with new pistons and hoses and pads; brakes were surprisingly good!
FWIW, TRF is having a "brake sale".

https://trf.zeni.net/wc/specials7.27/