S1 Front Brake Rotors

OK folks… time to start thinking about getting the remainder of the brakes complete - specific to the front:

Question 1: for replacing the rotor, I guess the spindle needs to be removed to accomplish? Any special advice?

Question 2: Recommendations on rotor supplier - I want to stay with original equip and just had the calipers rebuilt by White Post

Question 3: Does anyone have photos of the pipe routing from the flex line to the caliper? - and the dust shield config. The originals pipes are off the car and they look different from each other (left / right side).

The car has been apart for 25 years, way before photo documentation was so easy…

Thanks a bunch in advance,
Nick

Not, the spindle does not have to be removed. Just un-bolt the caliper, undo the castle nut on the spindle, pull the rotor off.

Can’t help with the dust shield, early cars didn’t have them but the front brake flex lines are connected to a simple flat metal bracket bolted on the picture frame, just above the upper bolt for the A/R bar supports and on the rear flange of the frame. You can just see one at the bottom of this photo.(I used SS braided lines and cunifer brake pipe.)

!

Here’s a pic of the bracket on the upright.

Note: this info is from my S1.5, which has the S1 brakes I believe.

I bought my rotors from SNG. They installed just fine, but I haven’t used them yet. I still need to get my front brake cylinders off to White Post for a rebuild before I can wrap up the front brakes. The new rotors measured 0.384" thick with a “minimum thickness” of 8.6mm (0.339") stamped on the edge.

Here’s what my dust shields looked like installed on the right-hand side (RHS):

Here they are cleaned up and off the car, so you can see the various pieces. RHS here again. The “L” bracket fits behind the largest dust shield section and its holes line up with the two lower holes in that section. The small captured bolt in the bottom, small section (you can see the head on the right side) passes through the small hole in the largest shield section and the “L” bracket.

SNG has some good pictures and a diagram too:

RobY

Thanks, Rob… this is very helpful… did you go with the std rotors? Wondering if anyone has exp with the drilled/slotted ones. I don’t want to go the Wilwood route, just wondering if there is a noticeable difference w/ the non-vented slotted. thanks, Nick

Yes - I purchased the standard rotors. I haven’t actually driven with them yet though - that’s still a ways off. I don’t have a baseline for standard or non-vented slotted discs, so I can’t offer any educated opinion or advice.

None whatsoever…

Drilled and/or slotted rotors are little more than a fashion statement on a street car. They will do nothing to improve braking, and drilling, in particular, weakens the rotor. Take a close look sometime at a car that has them with significant miles on them - you will see small cracks radiating out from all the holes.

Vented rotors are simply unnecessary on an E-Type, unless you’re going to be driving on the track. The rears will ALWAYS fade first, and if you’re seeing fade in street driving, there is something wrong with your driving style. I live in the mountains, and drive hard, and have NEVER experienced fade in my 3.8.

Ray…why do you say the rears will always fade first…seems the other way around…

Not on E-Types. Because the rears are mounted in-board, they do not get enough cooling air, and ALWAYS fade, and fail, first.

Jerry Mouton would regularly do track days with his E-Type. Invariably, after just a couple of laps f Laguna Seca, his brakes would give out, rears first, with the seals and dust boots literally melting. The fronts were always fine.

I had the same experience with the rears at an autocross. Autocrossing is pretty brutal on brakes, with very little chance for them to cool off. I would also agree with the others that for normal street driving, the plain rotors are fine. If I were going to do anything, you could install the cooling air scoops on the rears that Jaguar discusses in one of its competition bulletins.

Rob Beere now sells a fan blade that clamps between the driveshaft flange and diff input flange to cool the rear brakes if you’re worried about such things.

I saw that the other day.

That idea is nothing new…I believe vintage racers used to installed the engine cooling fan off a Porsche 911 in that location.