AC Industries Wide 5 Front Disc Brake Kit Installation

thefladge

About two weeks ago I purchased a disc brake kit at SoCal Imports for the front of my Baja Bug. I decided it was time to make an improvement on my car's braking ability and disc brakes always seem to be the best way to go.

The kit came with all of the parts needed as well as instructions, but as with most kits, the instructions are not always very clear.

I decided to post my experience here in case anyone else decides to buy this kit.

First, the old brakes must come off:

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My only concern in installing this kit was that my car does not have stock VW link pin spindles, it has Porsche 356 spindles:

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Because my car has Porsche 356 spindles, the brackets had to be clearanced in order to fit. The arm that the tie rod end fits into is much fatter than the one on a VW spindle:

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Once the bracket was modified, it bolted right on. I used allen bolts instead of the stock bolts because I could not fit a socket into the recessed bolt holes on the bracket. Then I had to grind the heads of the bolts slightly to clear the rotor:

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Next, I installed the bearings and seals in the rotors. I didn't use the ones that came with the kit. The Porsche spindles require an inner wheel bearing that has a larger inside diameter than a VW bearing has:

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Then it was time to fit the rotor to the spindle:

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After that, I had to figure out how the pads fit in the calipers. The instructions don't answer that question so it took some trial and error. I'm pretty sure the small one goes on the piston side:

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The instructions say that the mounting bolts are two different lengths, but the kit comes with four mounting bolts all the same size. I called up SoCal Imports and they said it was an error in the instructions. Also, the anti-rattle clips are not the same style shown in the instructions:

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Fitting the calipers:

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A close view of how the anti-rattle clips fit:

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Master cylinder installed. The reservoir was not included. The kit comes with braided stainless steel hoses, but I used the stock rubber ones I had. The ones that came with the kit seemed to be too long :

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After pumping two 32 ounce bottles of brake fluid through the system without getting the air out, I made my own pressure brake bleeder using a reservoir cap, a wheel valve stem and a bicycle tire pump:

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That's my story. The brakes work great so far.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers, Engle 120 cam, Bugpack Street Pro Heads, 12.5 pound Flywheel. Spare 1641cc engine.

Attention vendors! Don't send me racist political spam and expect to keep me as a customer.

thefladge · Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:09 pm Post subject:

Soon I will start working on the rear brakes.

Gear oil has leaked from one of the reduction boxes and has ruined the brake shoes. No disc brake kit is available for the rear, so I will need to fix the stock Bus brakes.

New seals, shoes and possibly wheel bearings are in order.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers, Engle 120 cam, Bugpack Street Pro Heads, 12.5 pound Flywheel. Spare 1641cc engine.

Attention vendors! Don't send me racist political spam and expect to keep me as a customer.

Barentine · Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 11:24 am Post subject:

I'm thinking about getting one of these kits soon, so thanks a ton for posting some info! Did you upgrade your master cylinder when you upgraded to disk?

thefladge · Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject:

thefladge · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject:

Well, I've put a few hundred miles on the car since installing the brake kit. It seems to be working pretty well, but it just doesn't grab quite as hard as I expected.

I suspect it's the cheap pads that come with the kit. They came wrapped in cellophane with no markings as to who made them or where. I think I can improve the stopping power with some better pads.

Also, I've noticed that at freeway speeds, it feels like one of the front wheels is a little out of balance. I did not notice this back when I had drum brakes. I will need to figure out if the wheel is actually the problem or if one of those heavy rotors is causing this.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers, Engle 120 cam, Bugpack Street Pro Heads, 12.5 pound Flywheel. Spare 1641cc engine.

Attention vendors! Don't send me racist political spam and expect to keep me as a customer.

It's a play thing · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:38 pm Post subject:

any more updates on your disc brake kit install ? overall was it worth it ? how does it stop ?
_________________
It's not the size of your shop, it's what comes out of it that counts.

I've been playing with my thing ever since I got it...

thefladge · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 7:43 pm Post subject:

No new news. I just got married and the Baja Bug has been locked away in the garage for the last 3 weeks. I've also been busy moving and starting a new job.

Overall, I would say it was worth it. It stops better than the original drum brakes. I might get some better pads sometime soon. Still need to figure out was is causing the wheel balance problem.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers, Engle 120 cam, Bugpack Street Pro Heads, 12.5 pound Flywheel. Spare 1641cc engine.

Attention vendors! Don't send me racist political spam and expect to keep me as a customer.

It's a play thing · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:02 pm Post subject:

Congratulations. We're looking to take the disc brake plunge and we're trying to do our homework. Thanks for your info.
_________________
It's not the size of your shop, it's what comes out of it that counts.

I've been playing with my thing ever since I got it...

joescoolcustoms · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:18 am Post subject:

Did this kit increase the front wheel track?

I installed a AC Industries on my '73 Thing and they are fantastic. It does not increase the track on a BJ car, but did not know about the L&KP car.
_________________
The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=479740

thefladge · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:17 pm Post subject:

My kit is also from AC Industries and does not increase the width of the track.

For an off road car, this is not really very important. For a lowered street car it is a good feature.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers, Engle 120 cam, Bugpack Street Pro Heads, 12.5 pound Flywheel. Spare 1641cc engine.

Attention vendors! Don't send me racist political spam and expect to keep me as a customer.

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