[egchewy]

Ok. Finally got the correct caliper. Painted, installed, pressure bled, parking brake cable reattached, wheel back on and torqued. Also made and installed a guard to prevent my wire loom from sitting on my steering shaft using some flat metal strap i had laying around.
I have to give kudos to FFR. they sent a new caliper right away once I emailed them about receiving the wrong caliper. Technically it might have been my fault asking for a new PS caliper since the rear calipers are mounted on the front of the hub rather than the rear. Now I have a spare DS caliper, as they told me to just keep it.
I'm pretty happy that this has been the only leak I've found. I was expecting more fluids sitting on my garage floor.

 

[egchewy]

It was a warmer day here in Ohio and I took the go kart out for a spin. Brakes were clearly very spongy. Rebled all the brakes and got a bit more air out of the caliper I replaced. It's amazing how a bit of air makes the entire system feel soft with dual MCs. Feels better now, but still not able to lock them up from 30mph, even when standing on the brake. I think I bed them correctly. Maybe I'll end up going to hawk pads like everyone else who have had this issue. Should I wait on messing with the balance bar until I replace the pads?

 

[jhargrove]

It was a warmer day here in Ohio and I took the go kart out for a spin. Brakes were clearly very spongy. Rebled all the brakes and got a bit more air out of the caliper I replaced. It's amazing how a bit of air makes the entire system feel soft with dual MCs. Feels better now, but still not able to lock them up from 30mph, even when standing on the brake. I think I bed them correctly. Maybe I'll end up going to hawk pads like everyone else who have had this issue. Should I wait on messing with the balance bar until I replace the pads?

I can not remember if you hand pumped bled the brakes or used a pnumatic bleeder. I could not get my brakes bleed until I bought and used a air compressor bleeder. They are good now

 

[egchewy]

I can not remember if you hand pumped bled the brakes or used a pnumatic bleeder. I would not get my brakes bleed until I bought and used a air compressor bleeder. They are good now

Do you have the stock brakes or wildwood? Are you able to lock them up with the standard pads?

 

[jhargrove]

Do you have the stock brakes or wildwood? Are you able to lock them up with the standard pads?

I have stock brakes.


Yes once I used the bleeder I could lock them up

 

[egchewy]

i'm pressure bleeding them. I'm using a bleeder cap on the reservoir, pumping to about 5psi with a bike pump, then cracking the valve until a solid column of fluid comes out. pedal pressure seems pretty firm, but not able to lock them up. i'll do a few more bedding runs and try again. then i'll switch to hawks of nothing else changes.

 

[jhargrove]

Hopefully it works I used a siphon version with air compressor

 

[Nigel Allen]

Once the pedal is firm, then you can tick off the bleeding as done. No additional bleeding will improve braking performance. Getting the balance correct certainly will squeeze any last bit of braking efficiency out.
in my case, Hawk HP+ solved my problem. Although now I have a dust problem. You can even smell the dust when driving. I swear if brake pads still had asbestos in them, I would be dead in a month. Seriously, the Hawks ended my woes. They are still manual brakes that require more than a big toe, but are now very effective.

Another option is experimenting with smaller bore master cylinders. My expectation is that a smaller bore would suffice, as the pedal travel is bugger all on the standard 0.75 MCs. But only my theory.

Helping you spend your money.

Cheers, Nigel

 

[CraigS]

Smaller MCs will definitely reduce required effort but they can also be a problem. 1- They will also increase the distance the brake pedal needs to travel. 2- If too small they may not be able to move enough fluid. I am a huge fan of Hawk pads. HPS and HPS 5.0 are fantastic and do not have a dust problem. I haven't tried the PC or LTS. I am also not understanding this info. The first chart (w/ 3 compound curves) shows significant differences in friction level but the 7 sided graph shows very little difference. So I'd call Hawk for an explanation. BTW HPS is a long standing compound while the HPS 5.0 is a newer version.
Hawk Performance Premium Brake Pads, Rotors, & Kits | Hawk Performance
Here you can see why the HP+ is so well liked for reducing effort. BTW when looking at these charts it is imperative that a street compound have a range starting at 100 deg. IE; the red or purple in the multi compound chart give more friction than HP+ but need to be 350-400 deg to work.
Hawk Performance Premium Brake Pads, Rotors, & Kits | Hawk Performance
I use this which really helps w/ dust.
Wheel Protectant, Best Wheel Cleaner | Armor All
I also have a little 2-3 gal shop vac w/ a brush on the hose end that is dedicated to cleaning wheels.
Chewy, I am not sure you can get pads bedded doing go kart runs. I would probably wait until you can legally drive it before making any changes.

 

[egchewy]

Smaller MCs will definitely reduce required effort but they can also be a problem. 1- They will also increase the distance the brake pedal needs to travel. 2- If too small they may not be able to move enough fluid. I am a huge fan of Hawk pads. HPS and HPS 5.0 are fantastic and do not have a dust problem. I haven't tried the PC or LTS. I am also not understanding this info. The first chart (w/ 3 compound curves) shows significant differences in friction level but the 7 sided graph shows very little difference. So I'd call Hawk for an explanation. BTW HPS is a long standing compound while the HPS 5.0 is a newer version.
Hawk Performance Premium Brake Pads, Rotors, & Kits | Hawk Performance
Here you can see why the HP+ is so well liked for reducing effort. BTW when looking at these charts it is imperative that a street compound have a range starting at 100 deg. IE; the red or purple in the multi compound chart give more friction than HP+ but need to be 350-400 deg to work.
Hawk Performance Premium Brake Pads, Rotors, & Kits | Hawk Performance
I use this which really helps w/ dust.
Wheel Protectant, Best Wheel Cleaner | Armor All
I also have a little 2-3 gal shop vac w/ a brush on the hose end that is dedicated to cleaning wheels.
Chewy, I am not sure you can get pads bedded doing go kart runs. I would probably wait until you can legally drive it before making any changes.

thanks craig
i'll likely wait until i get the body and windshield on to continue the process. i can only get the car up to about 45mph before my eyeballs water up and it becomes hard to breathe.

 

[egchewy]

Footbox top attached and riveted. Nomex honeycomb added to radiator. I couldn't help myself and added the cobra stencil to this. Plastic bags over rear bulb seal anticipating body fitting soon!

 

[egchewy]

Cut some 3/4" OD SS tubing for my "finishline" style front QJ grommets. I'll need to find bushings to put inside the tube to use the original hardware. Also pulled the side pipes in anticipation for body fitting and decided to polish out the yellowing. Compound 302 works great!

 

[egchewy]

body is on!
I've got the body about 1/8"-1/4" in in front of the top of the door striker plate.
I'm working on the left/right alignment as well. So as many have pointed out, I might need to bump the QJ outrigger on the DS 1/2-3/4" towards the PS.
Is this possible w/ the body on? Also, to measure the lip of the wheel well to the shock tower, I'm assuming that I need to remove the front wheels, correct?
does anyone have a good source for bushings to go inside the 3/4" stainless tubes that fit in the "finishline" style front grommets to take out the slop between the bolt and the tube?
Also, looking at the PS windshield opening in the body, I can see the bulb seal and small firewall piece that goes on the far end of the PS firewall. is this normal?

 

[jhargrove]

Congrats! Big day!!

 

[JRCuz]

Per Jeff Miller aka Da Bat I adjusted the QJ outrigger over with the body on and the wheel off. I used a 2x4 and a BFH it worked great.
JR

 

[SC210Ford]

Looking good !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[egchewy]

looks like the body's coming off again.
just read this thread and it's basically what i'm experiencing.
kicking myself for not finding this earlier. looks like the small firewall piece on the PS needs to be trimmed to allow the windshield post to fit.

Windshield Bracket Slots

Hey guys. Finally getting around to mounting my windshield. 2 questions in regard to the windshield bracket slots that are precut from FFR. As with most I'm sure, mine are not even from side to side. The passenger side slot is cut about 5/8" forward compared to the driver's side. My...

thefactoryfiveforum.com

 

[SC210Ford]

I’m sure I had the body off and on 4-5 times while doing my car, it just happens that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rich grsc]

JUST stick a hacksaw blade through the windshield hole and cut the bulb seal. good griff

 

[phileas_fogg]

Is this possible w/ the body on

Yes; I did it using a length of 2"x4" and a hand sledge. Just slip the 2"x4" between the wheel and the fender lip a give the upper & lower arms a good whack or three. For reference, I had to move the DS support 3/4"-1". The PS was fine.

Also, to measure the lip of the wheel well to the shock tower, I'm assuming that I need to remove the front wheels, correct?

I used a steel ruler & did not have to remove my wheels. If you're pressed for clearance, just jack the car up a little; ride height is not going to change the body position relative to the shock's upper bolt.

does anyone have a good source for bushings to go inside the 3/4" stainless tubes that fit in the "finishline" style front grommets to take out the slop between the bolt and the tube?

According to Edwards's build log, use McMaster-Carr

Also, looking at the PS windshield opening in the body, I can see the bulb seal and small firewall piece that goes on the far end of the PS firewall. is this normal?

Nope; you need to trim the aluminum & notch the bulb seal so that the windshield post will fit. While you're doing, look at the DS windshield post slot as well. I found that the aluminum needed trimming so that the post could fit flush with the steel mounting plate.

As SC210Ford says, the body is going to go on and off a bunch more times.


John