rear brakes

is there a conversion to disk brakes for MGB's? Also, I'm going to sell my original wheels and tires (wires) and also my two 6 volt batteries to someone local. I'm converting to a single 12v setup and buying new wheels and tires. The batteries are new as of last December and work fine, they are tar tops with rope carrying straps. Wheels are whatever MG sold new in `1970. Batteries alone are retailing at over $120 each and I'll wind up throwing them away if someone doesn't offer me something.

This may help you:

http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,573237,574190#msg-574190

AFAIK there is not a commercial kit to do so.

there are some who have started the process using SAAB parts, but fewer having actually completed the project.<G>

West,

These guy's have an off the shelf solution. Haven't used them, can't endorse them, just know about them.

http://www.scarebird.com/12802/19335.html

Prather has a solution, but you'll have to bring a note from your mommie saying it's not for street use.

http://www.networksplus.net/kprather/

Dave Headley also has a kit, also for race use only.

http://www.fast-mg.com/Pricelist.htm

Steve

From what I have read, heard and thought about it, the change to rear discs is not worth the effort OR the expense. Only a fraction of the braking is done by the rear brakes and the OEM drum set up is very capable of converting that energy to heat and expending it to the atmosphere. IMHO, don't waste your time or money.

If you just had to "improve" the brakes you might look into larger discs/calipers/pads for the fronts, but except for extreme racing or mountainous use I would believe again that the expense/time/effort would not be a winner.

Drilled solid rotors are a problem in my mind too. The drilling will probably not show an improvement from either a heat or water dissipation standpoint under all but the most extreme use and there is definitely an opportunity to begin crack failures there.

The idea is to keep the mass of the disc as high as possible to absorb as much energy as possible without going overboard and to cool it as best you can. This means that you shouldn't go shaving the surfaces more than once and don't install anything that would impede air flow to it. Those "dust shields" that you see on some cars obviously keep the brake dust from getting all over your shiny clean wheels but they also almost completely stop the air from getting to the discs.

All in all, IMHO it is best for just about every application to stay with the OEM disc design and use an appropriate pad material. "Competition" pads are just what they say they are. They work best when fully warmed up and kept that way during competition. They rarely work well under street conditions.

Fluid types and super zoomy flex hoses enter into the equation too and might be a better place to put you money and energy than Wildwood discs and rear disc conversions.

Jack