Ford M16 brake Caliper - does it fit TR7?

[Jolyon39]

Hi everyone,

I believe these Ford M16 calipers are off an Escort or Cortina or Capri, early models.

Does anyone know how to identify this caliper, size of the pistons etc and if it fits our cars (It should as the Escort guys use Princess Calipers so the mounts must be the same)

We can get spacer kits to allow these to take vented rotors so if these are available and are cheap then maybe we can design a bell to adapt a rotor. Spacer kits are available off the shelf from www.rallydesign.co.uk and are quite cheap.

If we share these specs then all can have an alternative and affordable option on upgrading our front brakes.

Anyone able to help?

Jolyon

[john 215]

Hi Jolyon,

This was a popular conversion 'back in the day' but according to Roger Williams book How To Improve Triumph TR7 TR7 V8 TR8 a adaptor is required to space the disc correctly.Plus will only just fit inside 13 inch wheels, poss requiring a spacer.
The fact that a lot of Ford owners go the Princess caliper route shows that they are not the best for the work involed.

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

[RUDDY]

I have these fitted and you do indeed need an adaptor piece on the hub. I use Capri 2.8i calipers which come spaced to accept vented discs, again 2.8 capri discs. New calipers can be bought for about £50 each and discs will be about £30 each however there are several upgraded discs available for this model. I run 13" wheels, the fit is 'neat', I have a 3mm spacer on the front to give a more comfortable clearance.

I'm sure the lads at S&S do this brake kit.

Cheers, Paul

[RUDDY]

A few pics

[Jolyon39]

Thanks for the replies.

I think the only advantage would exist if this caliper allowed a greater diameter rotor than the factory set up.

Our current rotor is 240mm in diameter. Using a 4 pot caliper on this would not increase the braking much, if any, because the pedal pressure is still the same so the hydraulic pressure is now spread over 4 pistons versus 2 pistons. (Bigger pad area but less clamping pressure)

If we however get to use a 260mm rotor then we now have more leverage or stopping because the same pedal pressure is now applied to a longer lever. Discs are like levers, the further out from the centre of the hub we are the greater the leverage for the same applied force. Venting this longer lever will give more cooling and allow the lever to function for longer over prolonged braking.

So what i am saying is.... If the M16 caliper allows a greater diameter rotor, a vented rotor as well, then we are doing better even if it is only on a different 2 pot caliper.

And yes, I am fully aware that you will need an adapter (a bell) to match a new rotor ( a rotor from an entirely different car) to the TR7 hub and space it directly in the centre of the new M16 caliper with added spacer kit.


Jolyon

[Beans]

Most important fact is that the M16 callipers have a larger pad area.
Biggest problem with the standard brakes are their small (Mini!!!) brake pads,
and rather slim discs which don’t dissipate enough heat.
So fitting vented discs is a very good upgrade.

The Capri based set up which Ruddy shows is much better compared to the original set up.



But with 13" wheels you'll need a thin spacer to prevent the wheels from rubbing the callipers.



They even survive for nearly two laps of the Nordschleife, before starting to fade [}:)]
And they behave quite nicely in the mountains too ...



<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, now restored and back on the road)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="2"><font color="red">My Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size2"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

[Jolyon39]

Thanks Beans

The Capri 2.8i calipers are hard to find and this is why I was asking about the M16 caliper whick is much easier to find. Could the M16 with a spacer be a good replacement for the 2.8i caliper?

Jolyon

[RUDDY]

The M16 with a spacer is exactly the same as the 2.8 caliper, just as 2.8 vented discs are the same as Escort Group 1 vented discs.

Cheers Paul

[Beans]

These callipers were used on a wide range of cars.
Best source for pads are Old Fords (Escort/Capri/Granada)
Found some old Mintex M1144 pads for the DHC



and used a Granada fitting kit ...





<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, now restored and back on the road)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="2"><font color="red">My Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size2"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

[paulheritage]

Presumably the only difference between our cars and the Capri setup is the hub spacer/adapter (available separately). Therefore you should be able to buy any Capri upgrade from somewhere like Caprisport and fit using the adapter?

My V8 DHC has the Ford Capri 2.8i vented kit, and my V8 FHC has Ford Escort struts and vented disks/calipers so should be able to check.

I also have a set of 4-pot Austin Princess calipers as well as a set of 4-pot Rover Vitesse calipers if anyone needs measurements? Btw the Vitesse vented disks are 260mm but 5-stud pattern.

Cheers Paul,

1976 TR7 FHC (ACG 3115)
1977 TR7V8 3.9 FHC rally car (ACG 35005)
1980 TR7V8 3.5 DHC

www.Triumph-Cars.co.uk

[john 215]

Hi Paul,

A bit of additional info on the SD1 kit, i got it fitted to my DHC, the discs of Toyota Supra 2.8.If you ever need to replace the discs possibly cheaper elsewhere than Rimmer's plus groved or drilled discs available elsewhere.

Have a look at these -

http://www.forum.triumphtr7.com/topic.a ... erms=supra

http://www.forum.triumphtr7.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6759

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!