Richard Grove

Thanks again for all the ideas. We have ruled out the servo and the rear brakes as when the 2 front outlets on the master cylinder are blocked we get a nice firm pedal with engine off and engine running. We know the servo vacuum is working OK because you can feel the brake pedal move down when the engine is started. So it must be the calipers themselves. I bought them off e-bay 6 months ago and I confess they were quite cheap. They look fine and we are convinced we have the right pads discs etc. When we tested the caliper off the car/hub we used the brake disc itself to clamp onto. As you press the brake pedal it feels normal as the caliper clamps on the disc but as you keep pushing it look like the caliper is twisting on the guide pins and never seems to lock solid. We think the calipers must be machined wrong so not pulling square. Any ways we decided rather than get another set of sierra calipers we would upgrade to Willwood powerlite calipers which were ordered this afternoon. Richard

This afternoon we tried bleeding the caliper with it off the vehicle holding up as high as possible. Definitely no air in system but still no improvement. We are working on one caliper only with other side blocked off at the master cylinder with a bleed screw. Have just removed caliper from car and stripped it down on bench. All seals are good and piston measures 53.9mm i.e smaller non ABS version. Can't think of anything else so will try some new calipers. Thanks for all the suggestions. Richard

Bob, The servo & master cylinder are mounted in the standard position for a 2B. There just seems to be far to much movement within the caliper itself. They are new re-manufactured calipers so we plan to strip them down on the work bench this afternoon to see if we can find any problems inside. Richard

Well I now know the problem must be the calipers themselves. We clamped the flexi hoses just before they enter the caliper and brake pedal is solid. We have scraped all the paint off the carriers etc and copper greased so the pads are sliding freely. Retaining springs are correctly fitted. Back to the garage after lunch but I am starting to think new light weight 4 pots is the way to go. Richard

Mitch, I think you might be right - when brakes are applied there does seem to be too much movement of the caliper but I can't figure out how the spring is supposed to go. Anyone got a picture of the correct fitment. Thanks Richard

Going to remove the calipers again tomorrow and measure the piston properly. Been researching and there are 54mm and 60mm versions so need to check this. Also going to try pushing the pistons back into the caliper and then putting a spacer between the disc and pad so that the piston does not have to move out as much before clamping. Will see if this gives a better feel to the brake pedal. Thanks Richard

Hi, I need some help / advice on brakes. I am completely stumped, have tried everything and spent hours researching possible solutions but just can't figure out what is wrong. We are building a Robin Hood 2B with 2L pinto for my son and its almost ready for IVA. We can't get even close to a good brake pedal feel. With the engine off the brakes feel very spongy, with the engine running and the servo working the pedal just goes to the floor. Our set up is standard RH 2B i.e Sierra pedal box with Servo fitted, 22mm Master cylinder and Teves style calipers. The calipers and the master cylinder are new. With 3 bleed screws blocking outlets from the master cylinder the pedal is solid so we have concluded the master cylinder is OK. With 2 bleed screws blocking the front outlets from the master cylinder and the rear brakes connected and bled the brake pedal is solid so we have concluded the rear brakes are fine and the problem must be with the front calipers. On the front we have 240mm vented discs with new pads. We have bled the brakes to death and are convinced there is no air in the system and the calipers are fitted the right way round with bleed nipple at the top. We have lubricated the caliper pistons to ensure the seals are not sticking to the piston. We have checked the entire system for leaks and found none. To test the servo I start the engine while foot is on brake pedal and feed the brake pedal move down as the servo vacuum is created so the servo is working OK. We have been pulling our hair out for two weeks trying to work out why the brake pedal is so soft. When we press the brake pedal there is no bulging in the flexi hoses and the calipers can be seen moving on the guide pins as they clamp on the disc and then release. Only thing I can think of is perhaps we have the wrong size caliper? Our Teves calipers have 50mm diameter pistons. Did they make calipers with smaller piston? Couple of pictures attached. Why can't we get a firm pedal? Thanks Richard

I had the Firefox set up by them after fitting motorbike throttle bodies and an Emerald ECU. They were very good and certainly did a great job getting it mapped for me but it was 5-6 years ago. Richard

OK who ever had the starter before me must have removed the solenoid and refitted it the wrong way round. There were no terminal markings on the solenoid so not obvious it was wrong. All OK now - Thanks everyone for your help. Richard

When I tested it in the car by connecting the IGN feed to earth the engine turned over in the right direction (clockwise) and there seems to be no problem with the starter motor itself. May be I should just wire in a relay that will provide a switched earth to the starter solenoid and all will work OK.

Well this has been bugging me all day so as soon as I got home I whipped the starter motor off to test it on the work bench. As per the picture below Starter Motor body is connected directly to battery earth. The large 8mm terminal on the solenoid is connected directly to battery positive - all good so far!! The small black/blue wire is connected to the small terminal on the solenoid. If i touch the other end of this wire to positive terminal on battery the starter motor should spin. I know this to be correct but nothing happens. If I touch the small wire to negative on the battery the starter motor spins. I just don't get it. I assume the solenoid must be faulty??

Hi - sorry everything is sold or went in the skip except for the rocker cover which I still have if anyone want it otherwise it will be in the skip. Richard

I know this is an old thread but I have exactly the same problem and have been scratching my head all night. Good earth, large terminal on solenoid to battery and small terminal to ignition - nothing happens. I accidentally touched the small terminal wire to earth and the whoosh the starter is spinning - how did that happen. Now very confused. Richard

Seats now sold.

As far as I am aware lots of people have got through the IVA with these seats fitted. I am building a 2B and I was not happy with the seat belt routing so decided not to use them. If the shoulder straps go through the holes in the back of the seat they pull on the seat and we would have to prove strength of the seat. If we go round the outside of the seat the belts feel like they might slip of your shoulder so to get them through the IVA in a 2B we would need to modify the seat belt mounting points so decided not to use them. Richard

Pair of club sport seats bought from Kit Parts Direct a few weeks ago and trial fitted in our 2B. Black with black piping. Slider fitted to drivers seat. They are as new with no marks etc. Photos at the following link: http://s826.photobucket.com/user/Hood994dwp/library/Seats?sort=3&page=1 £140. Collection from Broadway in the Cotswalds. Thanks Richard

I bought a pair couple of weeks ago to fit into our new 2B project. They are easy to fit as plenty of room and pretty comfortable given they are narrow and light weight. Quality is pretty good considering the price. We were concerned about seat belt routing for the IVA test. If the shoulder straps go through the holes in the back of the seat they pull on the seat and we would have to prove strength of the seat. If we go round the outside of the seat the belts feel like they might slip of your shoulder. To get them through the IVA we would need to modify the seat belt mounting points so decided not to use them. I will be putting them in the for sale section shortly. Richard

That sounds like a plan. Will try flaring the end and see if fits better. Thanks for the advice. Richard

The dip stick tube on my 2L pinto is loose. Whats the best way to fix it back in the engine block? Thanks Richard

unclechief - £5 for the rocker cover & bolts plus postage if you need it posting. Ferrino - sorry someone pm'd me about the brake pipe flaring kit earlier this morning. thanks Richard

The part build 2B I bought earlier this year came with almost 2 complete sets of donor parts so I am gradually working through the boxes trying to clear out the bits I don't need. I can bring any of the following to Exeter show or can arrange postage at buyers cost. Everything is £5 unless otherwise stated below. Pinto 2L cast exhaust manifold Thermostat housing Fuel filler neck - SOLD Water pump Rubber engine mount - only 1 Pair of alloy engine mounts Pinto sump and pickup pipe - its a bit dented on the bottom but does not leak - ideal for shortening - includes fixing bolts. £20 Alternator Handbrake £10 Brake servo & master cylinder £20 Rocker cover - includes fixing bolts 3 new rubber brake flexi hoses £10 Instrument pod Sealy brake pipe flaring kit - as new - SOLD Steering column, cowl and switches £25 - SOLD Pair of front hubs and brake calipers £40 I am near Broadway in the Cotswalds. Thanks Richard

James, gearbox and other bits were delivered to PGA this afternoon. Geoff was working on your car and had the engine & gearbox removed. Richard

No problem - any one interested before I put it on e-bay? Thanks Richard

Kee Automotives is advertising them on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181234229206?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2661 Looks like they have sold a few recently and now out of stock until December

Looks great - I just started my xmas wish list