Dunlop Brake Cylinders

rossbraithwaite · Post by **rossbraithwaite** » Mon May 26, 2014 10:51 am

Hi All,
Does anyone know if the Dunlop brake caliper cylinders can be sleeved with stainless steel inserts? Has anyone else done it and do you know of any firms offering this service? I have contacted Ward Engineering, Power Track, Classic Brake and Contract Auto Engineering and am waiting to hear back.
Thanks,
Ross

Post by **Heuer** » Mon May 26, 2014 11:05 am

Try Angus Moss: http://www.mossjaguar.com/shop.html

rossbraithwaite · Post by **rossbraithwaite** » Mon May 26, 2014 5:53 pm

Thanks David, this looks just the job.
What are members' opinions on this option for the brake calipers? I am keen to remain more or less OE but this seems like a good reliability upgrade and I'd rather spend money on that than ?340 for 4 new pistons.

rfs1957 · Post by **rfs1957** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:18 pm

Whilst fitting the JT5 gearbox I am planning to use the opportunity of having the IRS out to move my old front Dunlop calipers to the rear.

I am aware of the debate about F to R balance and know what I am doing and why - bias now front heavy and maths suggests this tweak will re-establish the original split - so not intending to reopen the discussion.

However, can someone confirm please that the fronts are indeed a direct swap and that there are no pit-falls that I need to be aware of ? My rears are Girlings although the footprint looks identical. Am redoing pipe-work, remote bleeders etc so this is not an issue.

Many thanks in advance (that's Merci d'avance, where I come from, in Forinn)

Post by **1954Etype** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 10:58 pm

Yes, no problem, I did this on my car - no mods required.

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:40 pm

Personally, I would not replace Dunlop cylinders , but would throw them away. If the early E had a performance weak spot, it was that of the brakes . The best mod I made on my early 4.2 FHC, shortly after I got it, was to put Zeus /Coopercraft calipers on the front , which transformed the braking from a rather heart-stopping lack of power if a sudden stop was required, to performance which coped with all eventualities, as indeed the Girlings on my OTS do in any event

Post by **Heuer** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:13 pm

+1 on Zeus - by far the best callipers because there are no bling graphics and they are made of Spheroidal Graphite iron which is immensely strong yet light. They also had the benefit of being fitted to London black cabs so had billions of miles of testing and were also highly regarded by Land Rover enthusiasts because of their strength. Unfortunately it seems the company was sold in 2012 and there is no sign of current products on the internet. Only trace I can find is this: http://www.zeus.uk.com/store_closed.html and they seem to be part of Ashwater Classics Forge & Foundry who make castings for classic cars: http://ashwater-classics.co.uk/ and whose web site is also "still under construction"!

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:45 pm

David ( and others ) : AFAIK, something rather strange happened about 2 years ago in that whoever ran Zeus wanted to give up/retire, and as a result Coopercraft bought Zeus but abandoned the Zeus name and instead called itself Coopercraft International . The Coopercraft website is there still and going strong, and I think the product is identical to the Zeus stuff. The original works at Dunkeswell airfield is now indeed the Ashwater works

http://www.coopercraft.co.uk/

Post by **Heuer** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:10 pm

Real shame if they are gone. I was talking to Ken Verity the other day and he swears by Zeus. A few years ago he fitted a set to an S1 and the owner drove the car away down onto the M1. He was doing 70mph+ when a front stub axle sheared and he only lived because the Zeus calliper held the brake disc in place until he could bring the car to a halt. One side of the calliper was slightly bent and it was returned to Zeus who replaced that side and sent it back. Had it been a billet alloy calliper the wheel would have come off because there is no way it would have resisted the forces at work.

So it looks like there are now four vendor choices for brake upgrades:

1. Fosseway
2. Coopercraft
3. E-Type Fabs
4. Willwood

kingzetts · Post by **kingzetts** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:34 pm

Curious to read the comments about Zeus having gone away because towards the back of the current issue of "Classic & Sportscar" magazine which I was reading on Friday in my hotel room in Paris (having earnt that treat by accompanying my wife to Montmartre where she bought two paintings

) was a large advert (half page I think) from Zeus advertising their brakes for Jaguars. Unfortunately I can't look it up for more details as I left it in the hotel when we checked out, but maybe someone else has the mag and could look to see if the contact details on the ad check out?

kingzetts · Post by **kingzetts** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 6:47 pm

My mistake

the Zeus advert was to the rear of the latest JEC magazine, not C& SC. The contact details are www.zeus.uk.com and this seems to confirm that the company is now owned by Ashwater.

Post by **Heuer** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 1:51 pm

Just followed this up and found the Zeus web site is up and running with prices and a checkout cart. Also checked with Ken Verity and he says he placed an order with Zeus ion Friday. So they are still going strong thankfully.

Single pot rear callipers ?78.62 each
Stainless steel Dunlop replacement callipers ?103.68 each
Four pot front calliper ?453.60 pair
Four pot vented front calliper + discs ?633.60 pair

http://www.zeus.uk.com/index.php?dispat ... egory_id=2

jpv · Post by **jpv** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:02 am

Is there any need to replace the master cylinder for a bigger one when doing the 4 pot caliper conversion?

What diameter are the pistons on the 4 pot calipers?

The original dunlop are 46mm. 2 cylinders will result on 2x 46mm circle area.

The 4 pot calipers have to compensate for the extra volume. Has anyone had any issues with this?

rfs1957 · Post by **rfs1957** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:15 am

No, in a word, but suggest you read this to understand the issues.

http://etypeuk.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=

jpv · Post by **jpv** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:41 am

rfs1957 wrote:No, in a word, but suggest you read this to understand the issues.

http://etypeuk.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=

Hi, thanks for the input.

It's a very interesting article and reflects my concerns.

My car is a 4.2 S1 so it has just one master cylinder. The brakes work very good but they heat up easily during spirited driving and I need to do something about it.

I have a set of EBC Yellow stuff pads to fit it and I would like to upgrade the car to the bigger MK9 brakes to keep it period.

But sometimes, interesting deals for 4 pot conversions come up on ebay and I start to lean towards this solution.

My big concern is oil volume. Usually, a 4 pot caliper has 40mm pistons and the original Dunlop has 46mm pistons. It's a big diference in volume and I don't want the pedal to bottom out on the first "pedal step".

I wanted to calculate the diference in volume for the standard vs the market alternatives but there is no info on the www about this...

Anyone measured these kits?

rfs1957 · Post by **rfs1957** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 12:27 pm

The extra travel on the 3.8 front master cylinder was designed to address this concern, but most cars are driving round with the wrong - short - master cylinder without any side-effects. I drove for many years with 4-piston fronts and a short cylinder. If you go up on the cylinder bore you will lose precisely the advantage you are looking for. I would keep your original 4.2 master cylinder and just make sure that you keep your front wheel bearings well adjusted to keep disc droop to a minimum since this is the principal variable that increases pedal travel.

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