Brake Discs

[scarface]

Hi im after a pair of front brake discs for my 3.8 mk10,the only company that seems to sell them is sng barratt but they an astonishing £330 per pair which is ridiculas as there not grooved,drilled or vented!! Ive taken mine off and taken them to an engineering company for reskimming but im not confident on the outcome as they are heavily pitted,grooved etc. Any leads would be much appreciated.Many Thanks Adam

[stuarthardy]

Hello again Adam.

Prices are astronomical for some things. I guess that if the volume isn't there for parts for the 'less popular' classics then prices are going to be higher.

Maybe a brake conversion is in order. You could swap to the 4.2 mk10/420G front brakes, pay a lot less for your discs and get more effective brakes into the bargain.

Be careful with the re-grind on your current discs. There's nothing wrong with doing so but be careful not to skim them too thin. Oh, and check to see how much is removed from the overall diameter, several years ago a friend of mine skimmed the disc on his XJ6 and took too much off the diameter to the point where the pads were overhanging the disc circumference. What happened was that as the pads wore they developed a step on the edge and eventually met each other, which meant the brakes weren't working at all. Ended up punting into another car. Nobody got hurt but he was extremely embarrassed when he realised what he'd done.

Why not talk to Ken Jenkins and/or Derek Watson (Watjag Ltd) in Bakewell they know their onions and are always happy to discuss things with you. I'm sure they'll know how to solve your problems.

Good luck, and how was Scarborough?

Regards
Stuart

[scarface]

Hi Stuart,yeah im picking up the discs in the morning(Friday) im not 100% confident that they will work as to get rid of the deep grooves they will need a fair bit taken off.I was trying to save some money,but realistically it would cost a lot more if the brakes fail and i plough into something,like your friend.I will have a look at the 420 set up and weigh up the cost of the £330 discs or changing the whole thing,
Scarbough,well it was a brilliant sunny weekend but i didn't get to go in the jag as the car wouldn't start the day before i was going.I couldn't workout what the problem was so i decided to get the RAC out! The chap was a bit stumped when he turned up as they usually plug the cars into a laptop these days,anyway it was the starter motor so we had to go in the other halfs boring Golf.I took out the starter motor,sent it to SNG and exchanged it for a refurbished one and put that in,nightmare job but it did work!.Cheers Adam.Thanks for you reply!!!

[stuarthardy]

Hi Adam

Sorry for late reply, was entertaining my oldest friend all weekend, went to the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power. Brilliant weekend but still needs better support. Still, its only their second running so I'm sure it will grow.

Be careful when investigating the brake set up to check the 420G, not the 420, which is a smaller car. Wouldn't be surprised if Series 3 XJ12 brakes went straight on to yours and then you'd have 4 pot ventilated front brakes. Like I said, talk to Ken Jenkins. What he doesn't know about Jaguars probably isn't worth knowing. I will be speaking to him tomorrow about brakes for my E-Type.

Shame about your starter motor. I have an old school auto-electrician 2 miles away who can fix just about anything and doesn't charge the earth. I always get my parts back cleaned and repainted. I hope he never feels like retiring.

Good luck

Stuart

[scarface]

Hi Stuart,thanks for your reply,glad you had a good weekend.Ive got the discs back now,ive reconditioned the calipers etc, just waiting for a dry day to refit them.What i wanted to do was something that stopped the horrible scraping noise every time i braked, at a low cost and at a later date i will look at a suitable upgrade.
One other question is do you know what type of oil i need for the gearbox as i would like to change it,its automatic transmission.
Many thanks.Adam

[stuarthardy]

Hi Adam

I don't know what gearbox is in your car but mine has the Borg Warner Model 8 autobox. Recommended ATF for mine is Esso Automatic Transmission Fluid, BP type A ATF, Shell Donax T.6 among others. Those are the period suggestions but a good motor factor should have a cross reference book.

Modern ATF's will almost certainly be better. Check out Bob Bates recent excellent articles in Jaguar Enthusiast for guidance.

Might be worth dropping the oil pan and replacing filters (and oil pan gasket) while you're at it.

Regards
Stuart