Hello everybody, some pics of my 82 spider

[So Cal Mark]

here is the quote from the Brembo catalog
"Additionally, all of Brembo's slotted discs are directional, regardless of the vane geometry. The discs should be installed such that the end of the slot nearest the outer edge of the disc contacts the pad first."

There have been lots of countefeit Brembo's on the market in recent years. Brembo went so far as getting permission from ebay to shut down auctions of their products that weren't genuine. They actually had an employee scan ebay for Brembo items and cancel the sale.

[pope]

I guess you are saying that there is a left and right rotor and that they are cut for their individual side. When I look at htchevyii's pic and as you described how it should work, as the tire rotates forward (counterclockwise), the outside tip of the vane will contact the pad first and the rest of the vane will proceed through the pad, until the inner most part of the vane passes throught the pad. If that is how I understand it, that does seem to be the correct rotor for that wheel. Do I have this right?

[So Cal Mark]

both front and rear pics that I see look like the disc is on the wrong side

[ventura ace]

I guess you are saying that there is a left and right rotor and that they are cut for their individual side. When I look at htchevyii's pic and as you described how it should work, as the tire rotates forward (counterclockwise), . . . .

The pictures (front and rear), are of the Passenger side, unless I'm wrong. In this case, it would be clockwise rotation for forward driving, and Mark's info would suggest that the rotors should be swapped L <--> R. I'm not sure why -- it would be interesting to learn the reason.

Alvon

[pope]

LOL, I guess it is the passenger side,its hard to stand on your head while looking at the pic of the rear). I assumed, incorrectly, that it was the driver side. I am also assuming that the four rotors are all exactly the same, which would make the two on the drivers side correct and the passenger side incorrect. I guess it is possible that he has a matched set and just put all four on the wrong sides. We wont know till we see a drivers side shot of a rotor.
Alvon, Brembo shows their rotors as being a matched set, one for the left and one for the right. They are cut differently. Mark did correctly bring this to my attention, as I have only used the generic flat rotors before, that could be swapped on any wheel.

Again...I learn something new every day.

[htchevyii]

Um, They are different left & right & I could swap them side to side. They didn't say which way to put them & all the ones that I've noticed are mounted this way. I guess I should do some research. I did make some progress on the rest of the car.

[htchevyii]

both front and rear pics that I see look like the disc is on the wrong side

Looks like you may be right & I'll probabily switch them, but this mfg says they can be either way & the fin direction is what really matters. Since ours aren't vented It may or may not really matter.


The StopTech AeroRotors® are directional. If they are not installed on the proper side of the vehicle, airflow will be restricted and cooling will be severely diminished. The vanes on a rotor act like a centrifugal air fan, drawing air from the inside of the rotor and flowing it to the outside. The vanes of a directional rotor should arch back like arms on a pinwheel. On the top side of the rotor, the vanes should curve toward the back of the car.

The slots on StopTech AeroRotors are cut in the OPPOSITE direction of the vanes. The pattern on a drilled AeroRotor also has the same appearance. The direction of the slots or hole pattern should not be used to determine what side of the vehicle to place a rotor. Different manufacturers may have different strategies for slot and hole patterns.

The only correct way to determine what side a directional rotor goes on is the internal vane direction.

[htchevyii]

I also found this:
IMPORTANT: Pay particular attention to the rotational direction of the drilled holes and slotted vanes. The inner most holes (closest to the hub) contact the brake pad FIRST when rolling forward. This orientation has been verified by Rotorpros.
Note: Different rotor manufacturers may differ in the rotational direction of the holes and/or vanes.

I have emailed the place that sold me mine to see what they have to say.

[dogmad7]

Nice

[pleiades]

Great looking car - lot of hard work in there!

As for the rotor discussion - slots should run opposite of how the pictures are on the first page. The Brembo description is correct, and is the way almost all manuf. say to install their slotted rotors. The sweep in the direction that Brembo description has it, allows a cleaner and more effective evacuation of pad debris and gasses. When installed the way described for the Brembos, the sweeping action pulls that debris and gas down toward the center of the rotor where it has more open air to escape from the rotor surface. If you install them the opposite way, they force the pad debris and gasses up into the clapier, where it is much harder for them to escape from the rotor surface. All that said, it doesn't really matter that much on a street car.

[kmac33]

Very impressive job on the Fiat. I'm currently in the beginning stages of the same process on a 74 Spider that my dad just passed down to me. I hope that I can come close to the very impressive finished product you produced.

[NolanB]

Nice job, the wife's a very lucky lady. I'm picking up a '80 spider this weekend, I already have a '81 that I'll use for parts. I hope to get started on my resto project this weedend. Thanks for posting the pictures, they are very inspiring.

Nolan

[htchevyii]

I just heard back from the brake rotor mfg, here's what they said:

There is no right and wrong way to install it. If the rotors match our picture, we do recommended to be on the driver side for smooth engagement when brak pedal applied. However you can install it on the reverse for the aggressive style driving, thus it'll wear out the pads a little faster and may cause a slight vibration due to agressive engagement.

(The rotor in the picture is the same as the ones that I currently have installed on the driver's side). It makes more sence to me as the centrifical force is going to sling everything outward anyway, but who knows?

[pleiades]

I just heard back from the brake rotor mfg, here's what they said:

There is no right and wrong way to install it. If the rotors match our picture, we do recommended to be on the driver side for smooth engagement when brak pedal applied. However you can install it on the reverse for the aggressive style driving, thus it'll wear out the pads a little faster and may cause a slight vibration due to agressive engagement.

(The rotor in the picture is the same as the ones that I currently have installed on the driver's side). It makes more sence to me as the centrifical force is going to sling everything outward anyway, but who knows?

That's cool, and maybe makes a bit of sense. I've never felt any funny vibrations with similar rotors installed the other way on my Impreza (at speeds over 150mph on track) - but the pad wear is likely very true. One of the main functions of a slotted rotor is to remove glazing from the pad with each pass, which of course removes material.

[htchevyii]

well there's the link to your user name! I see another Detroit iron convert in the making once you drive the Spider.

I guess you're right, I just drug home a 48,000 mile '72 that's been in a barn since 1984. I wasn't looking (very hard) for another project, but for $300. had to buy it!