Furious Fastback

[Rhysos]

But it isnt that different to using a pressure bleeder on a tyre. Who knows how wet or dry the air is in there?

You have a valid point there, I didn't really think that one through

I also 2nd peter, use the red rubber grease. Its a great seal preserver.

Ok, so I shall toss the hydraulic assembly paste in favour of red rubber grease. I take it that I can also give the walls of the cylinders a thin coating using the grease as well as applying to the sealing ring? Would this grease also be good on the master cylinders grommets? Thanks as always for the advice and hope you guys are enjoying the weekend

[broady_6]

Id just use it on the seal. The fluid will act as lubricant on the cylinder walls. You can use it on them as well, itll help them slide in a bit easier.

I am, I got the fasty running again yesterday. I havent looked in the gargae this morning to see if there is any oil on the floor yet.

[Rhysos]

Cheers Broady, that'll help me during the rebuild of the callipers. Paint is on and looking sweet. Just letting it cure for 24 hours before giving a top coat of lacquer. Hopefully I can start putting things back together next week as and when I find time.

Good luck with giving your Fasty a run out today! May she loose no more than a thimble of engine oil

[Rhysos]

Well, I must say that I am pleased with how these turned out:

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I applied 6 thin coats of calliper paint and allowed it to harden for a few days. I had a faff trying and failing to find a suitable lacquer to go over the top (conflicting information about compatibility). I decided to get in touch with the paint manufacturer to see what they would recommend. I didn’t hear back for a while, so went ahead and applied 2 coats of their regular clear lacquer. Literally, half an hour after I got the lacquer on, I got a response back saying that the lacquer layer wasn’t needed as the paint is formulated with a resin system that will resist brake fluid and give a good gloss. Sods law! Oh well, it is extra protected from road wear now!

I should get a chunk of time over the weekend to crack on with rebuilding and installing the front callipers. I am reasonably confident that I have now acquired everything that I need in order to get the job done:

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[purplepeter]

Bloody Hell! That tub of red rubber grease will last several lifetimes!
Do you have the Bentley Manual? (for caliper Torque settings?)

[Rhysos]

Bloody Hell! That tub of red rubber grease will last several lifetimes!

Tell me about it It was a quid more than just a tiny tube, so seemed like a savvy move, but there is no way I will ever get through it. Well, you all know who to come to if you ever need your small tins of red rubber grease refilling!

Do you have the Bentley Manual? (for caliper Torque settings?)

I don’t have the Bentley (its on my list), but the Haynes covers it; “tighten [socket head screws] from the centre outwards in sequence to 7 lb (1 mkg) ft and then again in sequence to a final torque of 15 lb ft”.

Earlier this evening I cleaned up the pistons the best I could using some 2000 grit abrasive paper to polish up the walls:

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I fitted up the internal seals (coated in red rubber grease of course) and then inserted the pistons into the housings (probably too much grease smeared on that, but have an abundance of the stuff don’t you know!):

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Got the new rubber boots on and seated everything down into the bores. Wrestled with the clamp rings, but eventually won. I then got the retaining plates on and the new ‘o’ rings in place:

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I just need to clean up the bolts and then I can get the callipers back together. Moving along nicely though!

[Rhysos]

Quick q: I have the car in the garage, jacked up, wheels off and fuel tank out. I’m currently replacing the low pressure fuel hose. The elephant is the room is the master cylinder. It’s all good mechanically and doesn’t leak, but has a lot of surface rust:

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Is it worth the hassle to whip it out, wire brush and repaint or would it not really be worth the effort beyond just smartening it up ….in an area that no one will see?!

[broady_6]

Thats all down to you, its just external surface rust, it has no effect on performance.

[Rhysos]

Cheers Broady, figured that would be the case. If it were a show car or in a visible place then I would take it out and clean it up. However, on this occasion I think I will leave it be; “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind. It would be just my luck that something gets damages or shears off if I attempted it

I got the blue cotton braided low pressure hose fitted last night and cleaned up the fluid reservoir. All looking smarter:

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Gonna pop out and pick up some new SAE J30 R9 fuel line this afternoon. Good opportunity to replace it whilst the tank is out and access is good.

[broady_6]

Thats looking much smarter! Dead right about the fuel line too!

[Rhysos]

It was a great VW-related weekend. Firstly, I met Peter in a carpark on the outskirts of town to pick up his old brake discs (that sounds like more of clandestine operation than it was). He also gave me the old fuel pump mounting plate that came off a fuel injected model:

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This will be a little project for down the line, but I think with a little modification this could accept my Carter electric fuel pump and will ultimately be a more elegant install. Now, being the generous soul that he is, Peter remembered from ages back that I was missing a venturi screw and dug one out for me:

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Thanks again Peter, it is greatly appreciated! On Saturday, me and the fam went to Bristol Volksfest (sadly, not in the Fasty). Always a great fun local event, with something for everyone. As I was browsing the swap meet, a certain stall drew me in as most items were decidedly Type 3 shaped. Looking up I realised it was Danny’s pitch. We had a good chat and I also had the pleasure of meeting Clare (greenfyregirl here on the forum). After some chin scratching, I ended buying a distributor from Danny:

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It is a 205T model, which according to previous discussions here, would be more appropriate for my 1600 engine. Before I get to that, I first need to finish my brake overhaul. That is an ongoing saga, which has tested my patience, hence why I haven’t posted in a minute. I will start to write it up this week, but it has been one step forward and two steps back. Think I have a way through though, so hoping to get back on the road soon.

[Rhysos]

Had some time today to get the front discs (donated by Peter) reconditioned. Knocked back most of the surface rust with a wire wheel in a drill and then went over with a 60 grit pad in my DA sander:

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Cleaned and degreased with brake cleaner and masked up:

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Hit them with some high temp paint to help protect the centre hub section and generally smarten them up:

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I have now greased bearings and started to mount them to the spindles. In doing so, I realised that my old discs were not correct and were either Beetle or early Type 3 items. That explains why they appeared so thin when I measured them with the digital callipers. It was partly due to wear, but those old discs were thinner from new anyway! Well, no worries now, the reconditioned discs have a respectable 10.5mm of thickness, so should see me well for quite a few miles to come!

[Rhysos]

Front end is now done! Callipers mounted, new pads and fresh hardware installed:

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Happy with how it has turned out and discs are spinning freely:

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Onto the rear end now, which as I mentioned previously, has caused me some issues. I think I have the solution and will explain on the next post when I start building everything back up…

[purplepeter]

They've come up nicely!
Much better than Me tripping over them for 6 months whilst I try to bring myself to bin them
Just reassure me that you did wash the bearings properly & Didn't try to reuse both of the oil seals?

[Rhysos]

Thanks Peter! I'll be honest and confess that I simply cleaned up the wheel bearings with a rag and then repacked with LM2 grease. You did mention about washing them through when we spoke, but that advice slipped my mind - have I made an error? I can always pull the discs back off and give the wheel bearings a cycle in the ultrasonic cleaner and then a flush of brake cleaner. Everything is reversable at this stage.

I reused the good seal and switched out the one on the other side that was missing the internal spring wire...

[purplepeter]

My big worry, is that the bearings themselves & the space between the two cups in the disc, might have picked up some crap
When I took them off the old axle, I kept the bearings, thrust washers & nuts together on their respective sides, just for the sake of ease on reassembly, but didn't bother covering them up, as I was regarding the discs as scrap
There then followed 3 weeks of risk that I was producing dust/grit in the air in my garage, so I think theres a high probability of such crap having landed on the discs/bearings
I would encourage you to whip them off again & thoroughly clean out the inside of the disc, just to be on the safe side, then I'd slosh the bearings themselves out in petrol or Thinnners rather than ultrasonic- Jam jar or low plastic container (good exuse for a chinese take away), with an inch of solvent, drop the bearing in & put your finger in the hole & swirl it around, then dry with blue roll & inspect thoroughly, then I'd probably dip in oil just to coat the needles before repacking properly with Grease
For everyones peace of mind, and your safety, I think it's worth the effort, But hope You don't do a Broady & wash all your lovely paint off in the process!

[Rhysos]

Thanks Peter! I hear you and understand the rationale now. I will whip them out and clean them with thinners or petrol as you suggest. As you rightly say, I think the peace of mind of doing it right will justify the faff. I will be sure to keep all my freshly painted parts protected! A job for this evening

[Rhysos]

Now to introduce the villains of my braking overhaul saga: those pesky rear callipers! I have a unique set-up at the back end, with Golf Mk2 GTI brake callipers paired with Porsche 914 discs (a custom touch from the Furious days):

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I had hoped that with the fronts brakes sorted that I would be able to start bleeding some brake cleaner through the system in preparation for the DOT5 upgrade. Well, it’s never that easy, as the bleed nipples had seized and as I was attempting to work one lose (after soaking overnight with Plusgas), the thing just sheared off as soon as moderate force was applied. I took the callipers off in preparation to drill out the remains of the bleed nipple. This is when it became apparent that these things needed a complete overhaul:

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I started to strip them down, but the trouble is that they are a bugger to work on due to how the handbrake mechanism is installed.

I took a step back and after research and consideration, I decided to do away with the Mk2 callipers as they have a reputation in the Golf GTI world as being subpar – particularly the handbrake mechanism, which is prone to seizing. I discovered that Mk4 Golf callipers are the preferred upgrade of choice for Golf folk and that they perfectly fit Mk2 hangers. Why mess about getting those old callipers functional if they are not even well regarded?! So I went for aftermarket MK4 callipers as they were affordable and red:

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I will keep my eyes open for a good set of used OG MK4 callipers (Lucas) that I can recondition at some point and then swap out. Let’s see how things go with these aftermarket items for the time being, I think they will get the job done. The only trade-off with going down this route is that they require a different hose fitting onto the callipers. The Mk2 brakes just used a hard line union straight in, but the MK4 brakes need a particular flexi hose with a banjo bolt fitting. Easy enough to get hold of, but adds a bit more cost and complexity to the setup.

[purplepeter]

Have you had those rear discs off?- A pic of the hub would tell us if they are the original Type 3 items?
If so, I could probably find You a pair of old drums & backing plates if at some point you might wish to revert to stock?
( as you might have gathered, I have a mental blockage about disposing of old, genuine vw parts !)

[Rhysos]

Have you had those rear discs off?- A pic of the hub would tell us if they are the original Type 3 items?

They possibly could be Type 3 rear hubs, what do think:

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They accept Porsche 914 discs, which is what the car came with. They had worn down to 8.7mm, from what would have been 9.5mm originally:

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8.5mm is the wear limit, so I determined that they still had a few miles left on them. I decided to refurb and give the centres a fresh lick of HT paint, just as I did with the fronts:

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I could probably find You a pair of old drums & backing plates if at some point you might wish to revert to stock?
( as you might have gathered, I have a mental blockage about disposing of old, genuine vw parts !)

Thanks Peter, I really appreciate the offer. I think my disc brake refresh will work out, but this would be a solid 'plan B' if it doesn't work out. I would have no problem going back to stock, but if I can make the existing set-up work, then that would be my preference

Ohh, before I forget - the front discs have now been re-rebuilt. Strangely, I found that the inner bearings that came with your discs seemed to jam onto my spindles. Took me a while to get them off, so I decided to install my old bearings and seals. Gave them a regreasing and they fitted up into the races nicely. I will still clean up your bearings and will keep them in my spares trunk, but no concerns now about potential grit in my wheel bearings.

[purplepeter]

Yes, those look like Type 3 Rear hubs
My bearings were a tight fit on my stubaxles, so thats no surprise, but I'm fairly sure they were German, so high quality, The inner ones took a bit of effort to remove.(which is how the seal got damaged)

[Rhysos]

Yes, those look like Type 3 Rear hubs

Good to know, makes switching back to drums a lot easier should I ever need to take that route

My bearings were a tight fit on my stubaxles, so thats no surprise, but I'm fairly sure they were German, so high quality, The inner ones took a bit of effort to remove.(which is how the seal got damaged)

Yeah, the bearings are Meyle, so a reputable German manufacturer and worth hanging on to as spares. They do fit and spin freely, its just that the tolerances feel a little tight at the point of disassembly.

I recently blasted and repainted the Golf Mk2 calliper carriers as I need to reuse these to mount my new Mk4 callipers:

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Before disassembly and cleaning the old brake pads were stuck firm in the carriers, so it is debatable about how much breaking efficiency I was really getting from the rears. If it is worth doing, then it is worth doing right – happy to report that the brake pads slide effortlessly into the carriers. When this is all mounted up and the system bled, I should have brakes that feel like new by comparison!

[Rhysos]

I am currently waiting for some replacement rear brake pads to arrive. When I cleaned up my old ones (which still had a lot of life in them) and installed them I realised that they did not have the right profile to correctly operate within the new calliper. Typical!

In the meantime, I have been sorting out other bits. The bakelite carb spacers that were on near-permanent backorder arrived out of the blue and fitted up nicely. Should help mitigate some of that heat transfer:

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Also got my new fuel line in (including a small section that runs parallel to the transmission). As my mechanical fuel pump was removed when I switched to an electric pump, I had no elegant means to reduce down from the wider 7.6mm pipe that comes into the engine bay to the smaller 5.6mm barbs on the carbs. I didn’t want to run an unnecessary length of fuel hose over the engine - so I came up with this configuration:

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This was made possible by finding a unique brass t-piece online:

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This one differs to the original item (ie: 6 x 6 x 6mm) as it has a wider 8mm ‘input’ barb, which the 7.6mm hose stretches over nicely. It then branches off to standard 6mm ‘outlets’ for feeding the carbs. Simple, effective and has tidied up my engine bay hose routing nicely.

[broady_6]

What a lovely catch up, I had a trip away to the Nurburgring 24 hours, where I caught covid and then lost 4 days of my life when I got home! I managed to get back to reality yesterday afternoon. Ive sat and read all your posts. Youve done all the right things, lovely to see time taken to do it properly, even if it means missing some driving weather!

[Rhysos]

Good to have you back, Broady. Sorry to hear that you have been unwell, that sucks to have been knocked out for so long. Thanks for taking the time to read the latest instalments and for the compliment about my workmanship. I strive to keep learning and improving how I undertake repair procedures, you guys certainly help me to up my game!

Over the weekend I did manage to cut, shape and install my custom hardlines to complete the rear section. These lines bridge the gap between the usual flexi hoses that run down the trailing arms to the flexi hoses that attach to the brake callipers via a unique banjo bolt fitting. Ideally, I would have preferred to have had a longer run of hardline that would go straight into the calliper and thus reduce the amount of union/connection points. However, it is what it is with this set-up, so I set about making the neatest job possible.

I first made up a template from some malleable cheap-o brake line. I was able to trail and error things without worrying about compromising the integrity of the pipe. If the bends weren’t in the right place, I would just straighten and then reshape. Once I was happy with the configuration, I set about creating the final products. I trimmed down some spare unused German-made brake line sections to 34cm lengths. I hadn’t used a flaring tool before, but once I was familiar with the operation I was able to produce some respectable SAE double flares:

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Here is the dry installation, just to ensure it will all go together as intended. Note the use of the ‘P’ clip (green arrow) to secure the new union point. Everything is solid though and the pipes are far enough back that they won’t foul on the discs:

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My brake pads should arrive anytime now and assuming they fit without any fuss then I will be onto the brake system flush and then bleeding.