hydraulic handbrake on a pug!!!

boostnturbos

Torque Junkie
Points
182
Location
Ireland, donegal
Car
BMW 318ci SE
the pug 406 handbrake is known for being rubbish and quit expensive to fix. .mines is completly knackerd, my callipars are jacked aswell so i basicly need to replace the brake system again, second time in two years. what i was thinking on doing is fitting the new callipars and installing a hydraulic handbrake. can it be plumbed straight into the rear brake pipes or is there more to it than that??? obviously al need to connect into the resivoir but what else is there to in, running the risk of looking a fool here hahaha......
 
Before you start, you 'd better check it's road legal. I'm not sure about Ireland but a car in the UK wouldn't pass its MOT with a motorsport style hydraulic handbrake. :(
 
oh da durty ting ye, never thought of that. sure its bound to be better than the genuine handbrake that when you pull it it does absaloutly nothing abarn put a light up on the dash. if they cant see it they surley cant turn it down, if it works that is.

putting mot day to one side, is the theroy correct?
 
Plumbing the hydraulic handbrake into the pipe leading to the rear brakes is how it is done. This is what I am doing on my 1967 Lotus Elan. In the UK, a hydraulic handbrake is legal on pre-1971 cars.
 
thanks for the info. say im cumming to a stop and im pushing on the brake pedal, come to a stop whilst holding the brake pedal down, pull up the handbrake ( brake pedal and handbrake is in use simultaniously) then let off the foot pedal,,, would this let some of the fluid back up the foot pedal line in turn decreasing the handbrake presure leaving it not in use?
 
No. The handbrake is installed into the existing brake line to the rear brakes. When off fluid passes through the handbrake master cyslinder unhindered. When the handbrake is applied it cuts off any further effect from the brake pedal but will keep the rear brakes on until the handle is released.

As for the legality issue, Ireland is part of the EU so the test rules have to comply with European regs meaning that hydraulic handbrakes are not allowed after 1971 - IMO.
 
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thanks very much. pity it wasnt legal because itd be a far more effective brake compared to the existing one. someone was telling me that after a while the hydraulic brake will fade, is this true?
 
On a tangent I've read about 'drift buttons' before. It replaces the button in your conventional handbrake & when activated it keeps the ratchet off full time so you can yank away (fnar fnar) on the hand brake till your hearts content. :D

Here's an example for a Nissan, you might need to do some Googling to find a Pug one, or you could make one if your feeling handy. :D

http://www.driftworks.com/shop/spin-turn-handbrake-button-nissan.html
 
Only if you lose pressure. Just as in any system under pressure, it all depends on the effectiveness of the seals. Take car tyres for example. I have had tyres that haven't needed air for years, others have needed regular top ups. It is all down to the seal.

Having said that, I wouldn't trust my pride and joy to a hydraulic brake alone.
 
On a tangent I've read about 'drift buttons' before. It replaces the button in your conventional handbrake & when activated it keeps the ratchet off full time so you can yank away (fnar fnar) on the hand brake till your hearts content. :D

Here's an example for a Nissan, you might need to do some Googling to find a Pug one, or you could make one if your feeling handy. :D

http://www.driftworks.com/shop/spin-turn-handbrake-button-nissan.html


These have been around for years, first used by the original and still the best drift experts, rally drivers :) They were called flyoff handbrakes, where the button had to be pressed to engage the ratchet.

See, nothing is new these days, just young whippersnappers re-discovering what us old gits were doing years ago :)
 
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These have been around for years, first used by the original and still the best drift experts, rally drivers :) They were called flyoff handbrakes, where the button had to be pressed to engage the ratchet.

See, nothing is new these days, just young whippersnappers re-discovering what us old gits were doing years ago :)

Ohhhh.... Those are flyoff handbrakes! I remember hearing that phrase as a kid! Cheers Og, I hated the name drift button anyway. :lol:
 
so it would be down to the quality of the master cylinder and so on. it would be better maybe to keep the original cable brake.


In a word, Yes :) No advantage for a road going vehicle, lots of work and the risk of failure. It has the advantage when fitted to competition vehicles of giving you a better response compared to a cable unit.

Sounds flash down the pub, but that's about it. Also, there is the risk of a test failure if noticed.

I am fitting one to the Elan due to extreme mods making the use of the original handbrake problematic. Fitting a hydraulic system is easy as I have yet to fit any brake pipes and, as the Elan handbrake only ever worked at MOT time due to its poor design, I am actually improving the situation :) It is also road legal as the car is pre 1971.
 
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the only reason i wanted to use a hydraulic brake is to ues the back callipars as often as possible. the main problem is my callipars dont activate when braking. design fault in the 406. if i was able to use them more often they wouldnt sieze, this is were the hydraulic handbrake comes into play. it will get the callipars moving evrytime i apply thehandbrake. this is bound to have a possitive affect on my bank balance!
so if its not gona pass the test what else would do the trick?
 
As you brake many times on each journey the few times you apply the handbrake won't make any difference.

I can't believe that the rear calipers don't work due to a design fault, otherwise the car wouldn't have passed all the safety checks prior to release! They must have woprked when new so what is wrong with them now. That should be your aim, as the rare application of the calipers via the handbrake won't fix the problem.
 
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