Moving front calipers to rears?

[T0nyGTSt]

Just say I have an average performance car - 4 pot front 300mm vented discs, 2 pot rear 280mm solids.

Just say I can get various types of four pot calipers from lesser models - how do I get the to work on the backs?

I need brackets of some sort?

Basically 4 pot S15 fronts to replace Skyline 2 pot rears - want to keep rear discs.

T.

[Cookiemonster]

What about the handbrake?

[GTSBoy]

What about much bigger brakes at the front to maintain brake balance???

[T0nyGTSt]

Originally posted by GTSBoy
What about much bigger brakes at the front to maintain brake balance???

I'm thinking 6 pot something or other (Wilwood?) on 330mm DBA 5000?

T.

[GTSBoy]

A good start. Then you need an adjustable brake proportioning device so that you can fine tune the balance, the brackets you mentioned and away you go.

Except for one thing....and it's not the handbrake issue that Cookie mentioned because I am assuming that you are talking about an R32, and the handbrake is an internal drum, so no problems......but the problem is that the S15 front caliper is meant for a disc that is about 28mm thick, and your rear R32 discs are only about 13mm thick (guesses based on faulty memory) and you won't get that to work.

If you can get someoone to make up some nice hard steel billet hats for the rear brakes, including the internal drum braking surface, then you may be able to use some two piece DBA rotors intended for calipers that wide. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

cheers

[T0nyGTSt]

Doesn't sound all that cheap then :D

Getting a set of four pot calipers is pretty easy - I mean the wreckers have heaps of 200sx front pieces - but getting them to work on the rear end seems to be quite finicky.

T.

[GTSBoy]

Console yourself with the thought that your rear brakes are bigger than most people's front brakes.

cheers

[Cookiemonster]

Originally posted by GTSBoy
and it's not the handbrake issue that Cookie mentioned because I am assuming that you are talking about an R32, and the handbrake is an internal drum, so no problems

Oh, thats nifty. Is there anything a Skyline can't do?

[dattoman1000]

R32 rear is already vented 297mm 18mm thick
If you want to fit your old fronts to the back do this. S15 fronts are cast iron.....go with the alloy Jap version.
First cut the outer face off the original disc leaving you just the handbrake bell and a flange about 20mm high and hopefully at least 8mm thick
Find a suitable flat style disc with the right thickness (30mm) and diameter (280mm suits those calipers unless they are GTR at 296mm) Bolt disc to remainder of hat. Hopefully you found one with the right PCD to fit your flange
Now you have the right thickness disc but haven'ty really gained any size.
Make mounts to secure caliper
Fit enormous front brakes to compensate for large rear.
Fit proportioning valve to bias less rear brake due to having 4 x 40mm pistons now on back
Find enormous master cylinder to run it all. I doubt even a 1 1/16 Z one would be big enough depending on front sizes.

There ya go.......can be done.....but pointless

Or alternatively you can do what I did to an Infinity a few years ago. Particularly the rear caliper

343mm front 2 piece discs
F40 Front brembo calipers

Rear GTR rear disc
Z32 rear caliper. Machined the caliper housing to fit the Brembo equipped GTR rear pad shape.

All worked off the orig master without any issues. And achieved a change from solid disc single piston to vented 2 piston on the back. 4 pot front instead of 2 pot

Guess it depends on budget and how much you want to experiment

[T0nyGTSt]

Where the fark do you get F40 calipers???

This is a 33 GTS btw. The Porsche turbo fronts fit most Skylines but a hard to source.

I can get the JDM 200sx alloy calipers pretty cheap.

T.

[Zac]

F40 is the model , it doesn't mean Ferrari!

IIRC, the bolt spacing on the rear calipers is different so you would need some custom mounting (as dattoman wrote).

What about a light rx7 4piston caliper on the rear?

[dattoman1000]

F40 caliper $1000 each new. Just no Ferrari sign on it. Very similar to BA Brembo front caliper.
Yes 928 S4 calipers are a pain to find......and similar to the F40 one too.

RX7 front 4 piston I have used on rear of commodores before.....it seems to work reasonably well.