75 brake binding

[Andy Rough]

My 1990 75 TS has binding brakes, several garages have had a go but the fronts bind on completely after a couple of miles. The latest suggestion is to change the front calipers. These seem to be made of unobtanium and it looks as though they'll have to go to BiggRed for recon. Can anybody tell me where I can get some other than Kinghams and can someone let me know whether they are the same both sides or unique to each side. I can't look myself because the car's in dock in Cheltenham and I'm in Pembrokeshire

[purple145]

Hi

welcome to the forum

several options

Recon as you have mentioned, Highwood Alfa near Swansea may also be able to help

breaker, eg GTVince has a breakers yard for 75/GTV and is bound to have some, also Vantastic on Alfaromeo75.co.uk, however I think that may still be down, but there are others being broken on there too

I have not tried this, only seen others speak of it, but an upgrade to the 75 brakes was to fit the calipers off a Volvo 240, same size but 4 pistons IIRC, all made by Brembo and a a straight swap, but that is only what I have read on a forum somewhere.

HTH and good luck

[purple145]

double post

[Alfaomegatron]

Any chance it could be collapsing front brake lines, this seems to be a regular problem with the older 164s, after a while the inner structure collapses creating a virtual non-return valve locking up the calipers once the brake pedals been pushed a couple of times. Does the 75 TS share any braking parts with other Alfa models?

[Andy Rough]

The lines are new, part of the £2300 it cost me to resurrect the car as far as MOT last year. It's a valid point though and one I suffered with last time I owned the car, the braiding looks good but the liner is knackered. I'm still trying for new calipers so I'll try Highwood tomorrow morning but failing that it's looking like BiggRed. Like the sound of the Volvo mod though, they drive like marshmallows but they do stop well.

[purple145]

found the link

Volvo 240 caliper conversion? - Alfa Romeo Bulletin Board & Forums

and has links to other sites

HTH

[Andy Rough]

Thanks,
I've gone with the Bigg Red option as I need to get the car back on the road in the hope of getting an MOT to run from the end of this one. Highwood couldn't get id done in time and nobody seems to have any new ones. Volvo conversion looks interesting but it's something I'll look at when I've got more time and the luxury of getting all the bits together before I start.

[Stradivari]

I appreciate that I'm about 3 months too late, sorry.
I agree that collapsed brake hoses are a very likely cause of binding brakes - and don't they come on hard!
If perchance you've had a new master cylinder fitted by someone lacking in experience of this model, they may have got the adjustment wrong between servo and master cylinder. Its very tempting to adjust it to get a perfect pedal, but as the brakes warm up, they apply themselves harder than you can ever get with your braking foot. I don't know what the correct clearances are, having had to resort to "suck it and see" methods myself.
WARNING. This can be VERY dangerous. My brakes came on in the fast lane of the M6 and I was only just able to get onto the hard shoulder in second gear before it stopped altogether. When I released the vacuum, the front of the car lifted about 6".

[tul66]

I've got the exact opposite with mine. They wouldn't lock up if I jumped on them and barely passed the Mot last year.
No prizes for guessing what I'm going to be doing in the new year!

[Stradivari]

Generally, 75 brakes leave much to be desired, although the standard calipers, discs etc should be more than adequate. I've always had doubts about the hydraulic compensator, which is probably no longer available. The very earliest of the 1987 cars had a design fault involving the right hand drive conversion. Some main dealers had a template for re drilling the disc on the end of the cross shaft. My first 75 had this treatment and it totally transformed it.
There's also an optimum setting for the step on the pistons in the calipers.