This week I will mostly be doing...

[RSGulp]

...maintenance type stuff in preparation for Le Mans, and tinkering in the garage.

I was at Silverstone watching BTCC and Porsche Carrera Cup today and the journey there and back was one of those "I remember why I chose this car" moments. Admit it, we all have these every now and then. The car sits just a day too long without use - then just a couple of hours hard driving brings it all back with a bang. Christ - these cars are good fun - but I'm sure I got stung by the forward facing speed camera near the Green Man Inn on the A43!

Anyway - in a months time I'll be making my 8th pilgrimage to Le Mans and thought I'd do some 'investment maintenance' on the SC before the long journey [a kind of "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" insurance policy.]

I'm therefore looking for a few recommendations based on other owners experience...

1. Gear Box Oil? - Synthetic or otherwise? Which make? Where from? £?

2. Brake fluid? Same again - time for a change. Best makes/suppliers/cost?

3. Brakes - has anyone tried 'Green Stuff' pads from EBC or can anyone recommend any other good makes? Also, should these be mated to new discs to make stopping a lot less of a lottery when slotting the car in between Citroens on the N138?

4. Thinking of doing the 'red caliper paint thing' to make the brakes look as good as they'll feel. [Can't justify the cost of Big Reds - a bit OTT with just 204bhp in an SC]. The car is Dark Metallic Green (Moss Green) and the wheels are black with polished rims. Is red the way to go? Silver? Yellow? Any thoughts either way? Or are coloured brakes all a bit 'Max Power'?

Any recommendations would be welcome.

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Guest]

between Citroens on the N138

Ah, the dreaded N138 ! I hope that you are not travelling along a lot of it, as there are ways to avoid a large stretch of it, information gathered from my twice a year trips to Anjou (the department south of Sarthe).

I can always be called upon to give hints; or just to keep quiet. (No votes, thanks !)

 

[ClubSport 911]

Suggestions - from experience (direct or passed on)....

1) Gearbox - Swepco 201 works well in G50 or 915. Certainly improved my car, and many others I know of.
2) Brakes ? - very "basic, and max-power" but the new V4 Kevlar Composite Green Stuffs are great value at £30-ish / axle. Excellent bite, and firm on the repeated "point- to point" braking that only MK can inspire.
3) Caliper paint... Hmmmm. I invested ££ to paint mine Red, and frankly on the weedy calipers fitted to the 3.2, they look just like "calipers painted red". If you have Fuchs, then you can also, hardly see them. Finally, they will muck up, and you'll be caught thinking of how grubby they look after a few miles.

So, to counteract, perhaps you might save yourself the hassle, remove your wheels, and spray the calipers matt black (high temperature paint of course). They then just disappear, and look a little better in my opinion.

Rgds

Steve

 

[Guest]

So, to counteract, perhaps you might save yourself the hassle, remove your wheels, and spray the calipers matt black (high temperature paint of course). They then just disappear, and look a little better in my opinion.

Steve

Have you tried this ?

Mine just look rusty through the wheels (and, you are correct, you can hardly see them - but I can !), and I just wanted something to cover the rust. So, I thought, Hammerite Satin Black (the colour of my Fuchs - the colour I resprayed them anyway), no need to remove the rust completely. I did wonder how to mask them off, unless that is not going to be much of a problem.

Just how hot do they get ? I know it depends on how often I brake, but any idea of maximum ?

 

[ClubSport 911]

Well, I used a high temp satin finish - it's in my garage ...something like JP1 (similar).

Masking ? Well....all I did was very crude work around the struts because if you overspray on the disc (which I did) then a few seconds of braking sorts it out. I also sprayed the rear drum hubs / front hubs. Looks really neat now whenever the wheels are removed, and as mentioned, totally maintenance free.

Paint not peeling - at all

STEVE

 

[jtparr]

Rich

have to say I agree with Steve, I have black SC sport Targa, black trim and with brake calipers that the previous owner painted red> I thought they looked fairly smart when i bought them but he only did 2-3,000 miles a year. I am using the car for a 50 mile commute every day and they get grubby really quickly. Cleaning them is a bind and to be honest I think they look cheap, trying to emulate fancy expensive callipers which they ain't
I'm painting them black or a dark gunmetal if such a colour is available as soon as I have the time

Jonathan

 

[RSGulp]

Thanks for all the advice and views above. I was in two minds about the red calipers - I thought it was a bit 'boy racer' myself - just needed confirmation.

Any other thoughts on makes of brake pads and perhaps discs? Green Stuff pads look a good option - Euro do a make called ATE - any experience of these anyone?

Also, with brake fluid should I just get standard stuff from Halfords or is their a better (synthetic / performance) alternative.

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Guest]

Also, with brake fluid should I just get standard stuff from Halfords or is their a better (synthetic / performance) alternative.

I use silicone fluid in my 3.2, and have for a number of years.
Slightly firmer feel, but no water absorption, so no need to ever change it. Which is lucky, as it ain't cheap ! But, the local TR shop (yes Triumph TR, that is ! In Chiswick !) sells it.

 

[bones]

Make your own mind up about items you want for your car Richard no one will criticise you for painting you calipers red...... and here are mine all red and shiny.......as to brake fluid I rebuilt my calipers , fitted stainless steel hoses and drilled disks and the brakes feel better than I remeber with very few miles on the car. I use ATE 'blue' fluid. expensive but apperently one of the best available.

 

[RSGulp]

Bones, I think the calipers look great on your car - especially as the car is Guards Red. I may have to do a quick photoshop job on my car and see what the red calipers will look next to dark green bodywork. Do you have problems keeping them clean - and did you get them powder-coated or hand paint them with the two-pack kit?

Where do you buy your Ate Blue Brake fluid from?
And is that nice shiny engine back in and doing the business?

So many questions!!

Rich

 

[bones]

Thanks Richard , it probably does depend upon what colour the car is I considered balck and yellow too as alternatives. The SC stoppers are well up to the job in my opinion, especially if your car is lighter than stock like mine. The biggest improvement I made to them was rpairing them with caliper kits, with the stainless hoses and ATE fluid Powermarques they feel very capable of stopping the car really hard. Stencil kits are available for the small calipers too, I laquered mine with a product Ibought from Type911
As far as cleaning is concernrd I have quite large gaps between the spokes so the calipers are more accessible than Fuchs for cleaning. I clean them once a week or more when I'm using the car a lot and they shine up like they've been newly painted.
Sadly the engine isn't in yet and as the project progresses a few inevitable snags have occurred, remeber Iam installing an earlier gearbox, backdating the exhaust system and refurbishing the engine in one hit. The snag right now (happened Friday) is whilst fitting the new oil pipes to go with the older style heat exchangers and headers the external thermostats thread were stripped , this is common and hard to avoid on a car of this age. The thermo' is exposed where it sits which is unfortunate. That problem should be solved quickly but on my car the side skirts have to be removed and they are screwed and bonded so it will take a little longer, after that we have to decide exactly what differences have to be made to my gear shifting mechanism to accommodate an extra gear and only then can the engine go back in.