Rear brake conversion for Mk1 cabriolet

Hi guys, I need some advice on rear brakes. I bought some mk2 calipers and discs to put on my mk1 cabriolet but when coming to fit them found that the gap between the rear beam and the caliper was very tight. I'm wondering whether braided hoses are an option. The only other way I can see is to cut a section of the lip out on the rear beam so i can get to the caliper.

PLEASE HELP   shes off the road until I can remedy this soloution.

firstly, don't do it!
secondly you need the complete hubs and all. also a 16v scirocco handbrake cable (very not cheap)

im with wooders on this one dont it unless you want the back coming out everytime you hit the brakes    

190071428802 was the item number and I got the handbrake cables with it. So what you guys are saying is im stuffed!! So why is it a bad thing to convert drums to discs??
Back on ebay they go do you think??

Forgive a humble bod for trying!!
Thanks guys

is it the 16v scirocco handbrake cable, or mk2 gti?

mk1 were designed with rear shoes in mind by putting rear discs on unless you get it 100% setup right the back of the car will be a nightmare under breaking

i heard some realy bad things about rear discs :cry:  :cry:  i run a 20vt in my cab and would never put discs on the back  :wink:

Get yourself an adjustable brake-bias valve from someone like Demon-Tweeks. Feed the brake pipes into it and you can then vary the rear pressure, like a rally car set-up. Disc rear brakes are good but not really worth the effort & expense unless your doing some serious competition work

Consider advice taken! Drums back on and Discs/calipers back on Fleabay!!

I still however need some improvement to the brakes, what can I do
better shoes/pads braided hoses??

Any suggestions guys?

brake linkage can be overhauled, goodridge hoses are good, good quality discs and pads will always help. other than that it's 16v servo and master cylinder and bigger discs options. i think firestormer had some brackets to fit g60 discs (280mm) with standard calipers. good discs and pads with these would be a huge improvement. have to run 15" wheels though.

I do still have a set of brackets that allow you to fit 280mm discs and use your old callipers Ive just done mine and they are loads better, I have also fitted rear callipers using a bias valve and it all seems ok

Kind of as said above, don't do the rear discs until you've gone to at least 256mm discs and type 54 calipers on the front with a 22mm master cylinder.

However rear discs are a good upgrade once you've gone this far (VW didn't put 'em on the back of a 16v rocco for show), you just need to get the bias right. Don't bother with adjustable valves as you'll loose the diagonal split. You'll need scirocco 16v in line regs.

whats the craic with these rocco inline regulators?

ManicGTI said

whats the craic with these rocco inline regulators?

Post 84 sciroccos and cabbys had a bigger fuel tank and revised floor pressing so didn't have the load compensator on the beam, instead they had a pair of in line regs screwed into the master cylinder for the rear lines.

The 16v rocco, having rear discs as standard had different rated ones to the standard drums. If you use the drum ones with discs chances are you will over bias to the rear end, the surface area of the caliper piston being greater than that of the pistons in a rear cylinder on drum braked cars.

I have a theory that you could rob these off a mk2 astra gte 16v as they had rear discs. Its a similar size and weight car to the scirocco, and with the exception of slightly smaller pistons in the rear calipers (35mm as opposed to 36mm) the hydraulics are identical. You'll need to find 2 donor cars theough, as one reg has M10 thread and the other M12.

Cheers Boss, very interested in this.

Strange why the regulators are different threads!  Are they different specs?

I know a guy in the US that races a 16v rocco, i'll ask him to see they're available over there….

Hi all,

I am currently converting my Mk1 GTi cabriolet to have a vr6 engine and as such i was planning to convert the rear drums to disks and pads but after reading this topic i might not.

How bad is the rear end if I do convert them? Is it all about the set up or is it to do with the breaking power of the disks on the rear because the car has been set up to handle with drums? because I have a mechanic friend who has converted a few drums to disks and pads in the past and so if it is just the set up then i think he'd be able to get it right.

Also does anyone know of a haynes manual that covers the Mk1 cabriolet, I've got the one covering Mk1 golf and jetta from 83ish to 92 but it excludes the cabriolet.

Cheers in advance.

ive got standard size's, brembos (groved and yes they eat the pads) with fats road pads up front, new cylinders, shoes an drums up back, well adjusted an it stops mint, imo disks on the rear only look good

just my 10p tho