Recent Posts

Hello Nigel
Yes, I met you two years ago.
At that time I had no idea I would buy HPE.
I am sorry I did not have a conversation with you.
Are you coming to the AGM again this year? The location is Arundel.

Masataka

That would make a nice drive so maybe I will! Well done on your HPE, I hope you
have fun with it.

Best regards, Nigel

Hi Steve,
Just coming at this from a different direction to consider.
Maybe there isn’t any air in the system and you have successfully bled the system.
Maybe there is a mechanical issue introducing ‘play’ into the system. If a calliper isn’t sliding correctly in the cage then after you release the pedal pressure the calliper will settle back too far from the disc and the next time you press the pedal you will have to take up the play again.
On many cars with different calliper sliding designs they can experience seized sliders which would give uneven pad wear ‘and’ a spongy pedal.
Maybe, just maybe some mechanical part of the system is flexing, assembled incorrectly or simply not seated properly.
Presuming you have a right hand drive car? Then you also have a fair amount of linkage from the brake pedal to the master cylinder on the opposite side of the car. Many times I have found excessive play in these linkages which spoil brake pedal feel. RHD cars are more like factory converted LHD than true RHD cars in some ways.

If you can safely drive the car to a test station and put it on the brake testing rollers it will show you what is and isn’t doing it’s part of the work.


Good luck
Ian

Interesting....When I bought the car 5 months ago I have never since driven it on the road except to a roadworthyness testing station ( Western Australian equivalent of the M.O.T). When the car was delivered to me in the first place the front discs and pads were almost new so the previous owner had done some work on the fronts. This is such a simple job to change the disc and pads so cant imagine what he might have done to mechanically compromise the brakes. Having said this he did neglect to fit any spring retainers for the pads which is so typical of the sort of carelessness of all the other problems I have had to fix.

However...thanks for the advice, I will test out the mechanical operation of the fronts to ensure the carrier slides and centres. I will also remove a pad to ensure the piston is moving in and out smoothly, The previous owner had definitey some other work as the caliper has been cleaned or even replaced and also put on new flexi hoses.

Also, not sure how the linkage from the pedal is supposed to be set up. The previous owner may have tampered with this although I suspect not as there would ne no reason to.

This is all driving me nuts although I now understand the primative operation of the brake compensator device and have cleaned it all up and changed the bushes......just because that is we all do.

Cheers,

Steve

cheers Guys
Will give omicron ago

Midwest Bayless have the front discs, postage may be expensive though!

Hi.
I struggled to get a binding caliper sorted out to get my car to the 50th celebration the other year.
I bought discs and pads from EBC at the time.
Omicron engineering seem to have front discs in stock at the moment.
https://shop.omicron.uk.com/collections/beta

I used Brake caliper solutions in Barwell Leics for the remanufacture of the original calipers. Fast turnaround, competitive price, good work (bleed nipples had previously  broken off) to make all good.

I think you will struggle to find replacements calipers. Which is why I had mine remanufactured. You will also know they will fit the car having them remanufactured.
Clifford

Hi Steve,
Just coming at this from a different direction to consider.
Maybe there isn’t any air in the system and you have successfully bled the system.
Maybe there is a mechanical issue introducing ‘play’ into the system. If a calliper isn’t sliding correctly in the cage then after you release the pedal pressure the calliper will settle back too far from the disc and the next time you press the pedal you will have to take up the play again.
On many cars with different calliper sliding designs they can experience seized sliders which would give uneven pad wear ‘and’ a spongy pedal.
Maybe, just maybe some mechanical part of the system is flexing, assembled incorrectly or simply not seated properly.
Presuming you have a right hand drive car? Then you also have a fair amount of linkage from the brake pedal to the master cylinder on the opposite side of the car. Many times I have found excessive play in these linkages which spoil brake pedal feel. RHD cars are more like factory converted LHD than true RHD cars in some ways.

If you can safely drive the car to a test station and put it on the brake testing rollers it will show you what is and isn’t doing it’s part of the work.


Good luck
Ian

Hi Peter,

I managed to remove the rear brake compensator. Bit worried about the 40 year old connections being siezed and possibly having to make new brake lines but needent have worried as the whole thing came off easily.

I couldn't dismantle the unit itself by removing the big screw plug at the back so decided to just bench test it instead.  I found that wiggling the plunger made the action smoother and it gave about 4mm of movement. I then forced compressed air into the inlet port and got the full force of the air blowing out of the exit port. I then used plyers to pull the plunger out whilst blowing in air and the exiting air was significantly reduced. So the unit seems to be working as it should.

I can only assume the hydraulic pressure under braking pushes the plunger / piston and the "torsion bar" connection to the ARB then inhibits the plunger movement accouring to the ride hight at the back.

I am pretty sure that this device would not trap air and therefore be the cause of my spongy brake pedal but I can see that it could have an affect on the abaility to bleed the rear calipers if the wheels are off the ground (as stated in Haynes).

so....no closer to solving my problem of spongy brakes.

Today, I am going to try reverse bleeding the MC directly....still desperate for any help or suggestions.


Cheers

Steve


PS. I discovered a handy hack on the inerweb which was to use something to press down the brake pedal just a little such that the MC piston shuts off the passage back to the reservoir. This then prevents brake fluid from leaking out under gravity from any disconnected unions. I literally only lost a drip. I am sure everyone already knows this....so just me then  !

Thanks Peter
Tried EBC , Big Redd ,Larkspeed and Mark,whilst I can just about track down rear Discs , can't seem to locate fronts.

Hi

I bought my brake lines here, ignore the 6 lines comment, I received the front 4 and had to ask for the rear two, but decent price and helpful.

https://www.gb-ent.com/products/hel-brake-lines-for-lancia-beta-13-6-lines

As to disks, try EBC, they seem to do them in batches.

https://www.ebcbrakeshop.co.uk/info-brake-parts?make=LANCIA&year=1977&model=Beta+Coupe&engineSelect=1.6&engine=1.6&bhp=

Wheel bearings available various places, you could also try Mark at lanciabetaparts.co.uk?

Peter

Hi

The Series 2 parts book just shows bi coloured lenses listed, so may be S1?

Also I had not realised that all HPE came with the single piece lights, mine had individual ones which look like they were taken from a Berlina which also had adjustable lights.

I am going to use a set of stainless framed side windows. The original stainless attachment to the B pillar often breaks away from the main frame so I am going to have a pair of lugs welded on to replicate the original early ones an domaway with this attachment.

Peter