Scat disc brake conversion ???

[whale]

I'm ready to swap over to discs on the front of my '71 Baja. I am looking at the Scat kit...

https://www.scatvw.com/product/ball-joint-disc-brake-conversion-66-later/

But before I lay down my hard earned cash I thought I'd ask to see if anyone has any experience with the Scat disc brake conversions.

Nothing shows up through a search BTW.

[cletus_zuber]

Looks like your basic kit. If you want to go cheaper there is a bolt-on that uses brackets instead of changing the spindles.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1799896
_________________
1972 1302
HPMX 40's & 019

[whale]

A lot of people have viewed this post but none seem to have used the Scat brakes.

Dang.


Well... If I do end up purchasing the Scat kit I'll be sure to post a write-up on them.

[Bashr52]

Basically these are just ghia spindles and calipers. Most everyone has a version of this setup on their 4 bolt cars.

[mark tucker]

ditto, for the most part the same kit everybody else sells, with that said, scat is a gooder company than many are....

[whale]

Along with what most kits offer, the Scat version includes bearings and backing plates at pretty much the same price as every other company. Those two items alone don't make it a great deal, but they're certainly nice to have.

My baja has a 1910 Scat engine and it runs very strong with zero issues. I'm not a Scat salesman. It's more that with so many companies cutting corners these days I've been very happy with their quality of the Scat workmanship and materials.

I'm going to go ahead and put in the order for the brakes today. I had a set of Empi discs in the past so I'll post a review comparing the two once I get everything installed.

Thanks for the assists.

[whale]

I went ahead and purchased the front disc brake conversion kit from Scat. For those who might be wondering about the experience, here's an update...

I spoke with the Scat sales rep and confirmed the kit that I wanted and that it will fit my 71 (Baja) Bug. As we were finishing the conversation he mentioned there would be a shipping charge. I was able to wrangle out of that by pointing out that Summit offered the same exact kit for a couple of bucks less and they included free shipping. The sale rep then matched the price - thus saving me a buttload of bucks.

Delivery took a week or so longer than expected. When I called for a status I was told that Scat was waiting for the parts to arrive so that they could then ship them to me. Even though the kit is offered on several sites as being from Scat, it must be made by another company.

When the brake kit did arrive the box was HEAVY !! This makes me twice as happy that I didn't pay the shipping fees. Also, everything was packed in a double box lined with bubble wrap to ensure it arrived safely.

The kit includes everything you'll possibly need except for brake lines and grease for the bearings. This includes dust seals, backing plates, spindles, bearings, rotors, calipers, the brake pads, and all necessary bolts. The installation instructions are rather sparse, but if you know a screwdriver from a wrench you should be more than capable of completing this job.

Interestingly, the instructions mentioned that this was a kit only to be used for off-road applications. Since this kit is basically designed the same as all others, I'm guessing the note in the instructions must be some sort of way to avoid liability should both of my wheels come flying off while I'm doing 90mph. On the plus side, if this kit was indeed designed for offroad use only, it's probably stronger than others and I won't have to worry too much about the normal abuse incurred while driving on the road.

As for any out of the ordinary tools, you'll need a picklefork, a soft punch (to hammer the bearing races into the rotor), and possibly a grease packer.

Unlike the Empi kits I've used in the past, I didn't face any issues when installing the kit from Scat. Everything lined up and fit perfectly the first time through. Bleeding the brakes was a breeze, too. No issues whatsoever. All in all, it took me about 50 minutes per side and a fair bit of that time was spent packing the bearings.

To be fair, the Empi kits I've used in the past also took the same amount of time. I can't really say that one is higher quality than the other because I didn't have both in hand to make that comparison and don't want to lead anyone astray. I will say, however, that I didn't have to grind any of the Scat parts to make it all fit. On my earlier Empi kits there were instances when the parts simply would not go together. Or if they did, I found the fit so bad that I wondered if Empi had mixed up the parts within the order.

My only quibble is that the rotors are painfully thin on 99% of the brake conversion kits. I wish they were nice and beefy as seen on today's vehicles. But then, these kits are basically reproductions of those that came on the Ghias, so I can't complain.

When it comes to actually stopping my car, the difference is like night and day. I live in Portland, Oregon where we normally get six straight months of rain each year. Even on wet roads and being pushed by a modified engine the brakes worked beautifully (compared to my earlier drums).

All in all, I'm happy with the purchase. I wish the kit had been slightly cheaper, of course, but you get what you pay for. In this case, I feel that I made the right choice both in terms of quality and safety.

[jinx758]

Sounds straightforward. Glad it went well.

I have been considering this purchase as well ... Not only for the rain factor but I drive a lot in a big city of over 2mil so I'm thinking this may help me avoid those who occasionally look up from their phones.

My question is : does this upgrade require a proportioning valve ?

Thanks in advance ... jinx
_________________
" It's not valuable unless you learn something from an experience. " Henry Ford

It's not unlike the same difference

You can't push a rope


VALVES (cold)
POINTS
TIMING
CARB (fully warmed engine)

SCRAPE ALL GROUNDS

My Craigslist rescued 100 footer :
1971 Standard Bug
1776cc dual port
034 distributor
38mm EGAS Carburetor

[Starbucket]

I hope you replaced the rubber brake hoses as they tend to swell closed on the inside and don't let the pads release as there is no return spring. They will look good on the outside and that fools a lot of people.

[whale]

I used my stock double master cylinder and everything worked fine. I thought about a proportioning valve because I thought it would be necessary, but I was told that the kit would work fine without it... just as the original drum brake set up does. So far, they were right. My braking feels good and I'm very happy with the results.

In time I may go with a rear disc setup, as well. I'm told that the bigger tires used on Baja Bugs causes issues with the drum brakes having to battle inertia. I'm not sure if this is so, but I figure if I can find a nice set of rear discs for a good price it might be money well spent.

[whale]

Actually, I replaced both of my brake hoses during the installation of my kit. While putting in the spindles I noticed that a chunk of the rubber on the ends of both my hoses was worn away in the same place. I'm not sure how the previous owner managed to do that, but since hoses are relatively cheap, I figured it was good insurance to replace them while I had everything out and and access was easy.

[Starbucket]

I think you will need a proportioning valve with rear disc's to keep them from locking up. If you can lock-up all fours at speed with disc/drums you won't gain anything but less money and more problems with disc/disc.

[whale]

^^^ That's good advice.

[Bashr52]