Darren Groves Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 Is there any benefit to fitting Vitesse front brakes to a Herald? Is it just a matter of swapping the upright, disc & caliper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 As long as you are using decent pads, and all is well (I would expect no less!) then no. The vitesse obviously had more power, but was also a fair bit heavier. Of course, if you start to experience brake fade, then it would then be of benefit. Alternatives include bolting a GT6/vitesse disc in place of the spitfire one, and using aftermarket alloy calipers or the heavy princess 4 pots. Or even (as I have on my project car) redrilled capri vented discs, but that is faff as had to get the hubs machined to get what I would call adequate clearances. And will I need vented? not sure yet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Is it just a matter of swapping the upright, disc & caliper? M/Cylinder is different C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Oh yes, parts list. To fit vitesse/gt6 brakes everything is different. Upright, stub axle, hubs, bearings, steering arms and the cars use a separate calliper mount like the early heralds (but with different spacing for the calliper bolts) Along with the master cylinder which should be 0.70 bore. Easiest route here is to get a complete setup off a car, but then you do not know the history etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 But with properly setup type 14 brakes you should be able to easilly lock the wheels on a Herald. Bigger/better brakes are only necessary if the car is significatly modified to increase performance, such as fitting a Vitesse engine. An easier, and much cheaper way of getting better brakes would be to change the pads to use Mintex 1144 compound - available from the Club Shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 also make sure you havent got a aftermarket 0.7" master cyl fitted to a car that should have 0.625" makes a world of pedal effort difference Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve C Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 I transplanted the whole Vitesse setup, including the master cylinder, to my own Herald, except the larger rear drums, but then I have a tuned 1500 in the car, and my original brakes were Herald drums, which are fine for pootling preservationists, but not much use for anything else. As Kevin says, unless you want to go for a lot more power, the standard type 14 brakes in good order should be enough with decent pads. I also swear by the Goodridge-type brake hoses. In my own case I had the GT6 uprights and callipers given to me from a car that had been totalled after spinning backwards into a tree, so it was a no-brainer. If you do decide to do it, it is all pretty straightforward backyard mechanics. Regards Steve C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Groves Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the replies. My brakes are actually pretty good on my Herald, I have a set of NOS pads at the moment, so it stops well. The discussion about improving brakes comes up regularly but I never see anyone recommending transplanting the set-up from a Vitesse, so thought I'd ask the question. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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