rear disc's

[rimzimmer]

hi, is there a simple (ish) conversion for rear disc brakes on a mgb?i have a salisbury diff with centre locks wires at the moment but want to go to centre lock alloys fi this wouold make a diffrence. many thanks Andy

 

[Paul Slice]

this kit was talked about a few years ago, have not tried it but it looks like a quality conversion.


https://www.scarebird.com/4436.html


Paul

 

[tony barnhill]

I've done my own conversion but am ordering one of the Scarebird kits also.

 

[Bret]

The Scarebird looks like a nice set-up and at $255 seems pretty cheap too.

 

[DART]

I just had an MGB rear assembly put in one of my SP250's, and used the Scarebird kit to convert it to disk. Rear brake assembly now is Hyundia Sonata rear rotors & Ford Fiesta front calipers with Spitfire front pads for the E brake. For the first time I could actually go to a parts store & get something that fits (other than a Ferguson oil filter).
Hope this helps.

 

[billspohn]

Are you sure you want to put the heavier knock-off alloy wheels on?

They are more rigid, but the adaptors and wheels are quite a bit heavier.

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I just had an MGB rear assembly put in one of my SP250's[/QUOTE]

Dale, tell me more....!!!!

 

[Dave Richards]

This might be a long shot...but Dennis Welch offers a rear disc kit for big Healey's:

https://www.bighealey.co.uk/section.php?id=15&page=4

Second item down on the page. All of DW stuff is exceptional quality. (Of course, calipers are also on the page, two more items down.)

I'm not sure how far apart the big Healey rear axle is from a B's, but if it were spot on, Bob's yer uncle!

 

[Steve_S]

I have to ask the obvious question... why? The stock braking setup is more than adequate for the car. Your rear brakes do very little actual braking. Most of the work is done up front. If you're looking for a performance upgrade then your money would be best spent elsewhere. If you just want to do it for the fun involved, then by all means have at it!

 

[ccougill]

because they can Steve

 

[Camshaft]

I've seen Nissan 240SX rear discs on an MGB before.

 

[Steve_S]

Nothing wrong with that, and as I said if it's for fun then have at it, But the question has to be asked because many people don't realize how good the stock brakes are when in good order. It is also common belief that drums are inferior and therefore replacing them will make a difference in stopping power. While this is usually true when speaking of front brakes, it is not always true when talking about rears!

 

[Nunyas]

I have to agree with Steve. A lot of new cars and trucks still come with drums on the rear. However, I still want to do the rear disc brake conversion on my car as well. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

[Steve_S]

And there, folks, is an honest reply! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

In honesty, MGBs would have come with 4-wheel discs if the cost wasn't prohibitive. But in those days disc brakes were expensive. Eventually disc brakes became even cheaper to produce than drums, mainly due to volume, so most passenger and sport cars started to use them all around. But in the average car it has never been about rear drums being less effective. For the most part it has always been about cost! You will find whatever is cheapest at the time back there whether it be drum or disc.

 

[billspohn]

And there, folks, is an honest reply! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

In honesty, MGBs would have come with 4-wheel discs if the cost wasn't prohibitive. But in those days disc brakes were expensive.

Hmm - my 1958 and 1962 MGAs came with rear discs....oh yeah, you said MGB.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif

You are dead on though - people wanting to convert to rear discs is much more about bragging rights than performance. I had the choice on the Jamaican and went with drums - nice to have a handbrake that actually works!

One thing no one brings up is that many of you live in the Land of Litigation (USA). If you are ever in an accident and brakes are even a faint contributive factor, and you've changed them from stock, it will be just one more thing your lawyer will have to deal with (and probably win, if the braking system was working properly, but at how much an hour....?)

 

[Steve_S]

Twin Cam and Mark II Deluxe MGAs did come with 4-wheel disc brakes, but they also cost much more than standard cars! I'm surprised they never offered a performance MGB the way they did with MGA.

 

[Camshaft]

All I'm going to say is this: there's nothing cooler looking than drilled and slotted discs and huge calipers behind bespoke alloys mounted on low-profile tires. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banana.gif

 

[billspohn]

Twin Cam and Mark II Deluxe MGAs did come with 4-wheel disc brakes, but they also cost much more than standard cars! I'm surprised they never offered a performance MGB the way they did with MGA.

Steve, if the Twincam engine had been properly sorted out they would have offered it in the MGB, probably in an 1800 cc size at about 120 BHP and it would have been a real Alfa basher. In all likelihood they would also have used the Dunlop 4 wheel brakes - it is known that they experimented with these on the MGB and a few prototypes with knock off steel wheels existed.

It would have been a natural progression, but it was killed by the warranty problems they had with the Twincam engines. Ironically, had they diagnosed the situation properly during the production run, they could have cured the problems and we might have had a 'Super-B'.

I don't recall how much the Deluxe cars cost but I think you are right and there was a premium attached to getting the 4 wheel discs

 

[billspohn]

All I'm going to say is this: there's nothing cooler looking than drilled and slotted discs and huge calipers behind bespoke alloys mounted on low-profile tires. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banana.gif

Pssst - Camshaft - many of us are not driven solely by what might LOOK cool, but by what actually works.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif

 

[Steve_S]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Steve, if the Twincam engine had been properly sorted out they would have offered it in the MGB, probably in an 1800 cc size at about 120 BHP and it would have been a real Alfa basher. In all likelihood they would also have used the Dunlop 4 wheel brakes[/QUOTE]
I agree. The twin cam engines gained a poor reputation for being very finicky, and unfortunately it was deserved. Too bad they didn't sort it out rather than replace with a bigger standard unit.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]there's nothing cooler looking than drilled and slotted discs and huge calipers behind bespoke alloys mounted on low-profile tires.[/QUOTE]
Except for solid discs with MGA dunlop calipers behind 15" 48-spoke wire wheels! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif