How do you find the pad availability? Ive heard they use some obscure pad size from a motorbike.

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Simplify and add lightness

I've not had to get another set of pads yet... They came with EBC Red pads that look like they'll last for years under normal driving but I imagine if it ever came to it worse case I'd have to match something to the old pads.

Thats good to hear. They were the only concerns ive had before i invest in a set.

And David Rosenthal also makes a rear disc conversion. That looks pretty sweet and i believe is cheaper.
Im sure hell be along sometime to comment.

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Simplify and add lightness

Yeah, if DR's were about when I brought the KAD set I would have thought twice. His look much more 'chunky' though the KAD set is still a nice bit of kit.

I am a tight arse bastard and for the price of the KAD brakes you can build 15 sets of the rears that I have made.
1 all the parts are "off the shelf items" rough cost for hubs [including bearings], stub axles, new rotors, new pads.piston kit and 2nd hand caliper all up is around $200-$230
2 the only machining is the stub axle to fit the swing arm and a spacer that bolts the disc to the hub and a adapter plate to bolt the caliper bracket to the arm.
3 the magna caliper hand brake works well for hand brake turns, and it is self adjusting. and it's alloy.

If you really want to reduce the weight then look at setting up a replacement rear suspension set-up.
I am currently building a rear set-up using hyunda excel rear struts/arms. the whole subframe/ swing arm is gone and to mount the bottom arms all that is required is a tube fitted along the center of the car with mounts for the arm bushes. The radius arms are shortened[the excel are a tube type, easy to cut and shut] and a new mounting bracket fits to the original subframe mounts.
The bracket is adjustable for pivot height so the amount of toe in/out for cornering can be adjusted. the original bottom arms have adjustment for camber and caster.
The excel upright is easily fitted with a disc brake. The strut is about 2" higher than the wheel arch but that is easy to modify and you have coil suspension to boot. I am looking at dropping the strut to the bottom of the hub so no arch mods are required. Excel stuff is cheap and easy to get.
Roughly comparing the weight saving by removing subframe ,swing arms ,spacer drums and replacing with this set-up with discs is 25% of original weight

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

Ive been doing a bit of thinking since the last time we spoke (a few months) and i was thinking along similar lines. Except getting chromoly trailing arms made up with rose joints mounting the trailing arm to the bar across the car. Then running a mini rear coilover to the rear hub. As an even lighter solution to getting rear coilovers and discs.

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Simplify and add lightness

If it's for a road car then rose joints are not acceptible for transport.
studying up on the rules for engineering cars their idea is that the bending load is taken on a thread and "could" break. No matter how much I have argued this point and done all the calcs to support my argument, the transport engineers just say "NO". they would rather see a sloppy rubber bush that cushions the stress load.
they are used on race cars, but !!!!!!!!!

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

So does this mean they would also knock back Minispares style adjustable lower arms? Whether rose jointed or rubber bushed, the business (inner) end is basically a threaded rod.
My RTA etc BS detector is running here...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I was also under the impression that you couldnt use rose joints on a road car. I think Tricky (archangel 007) mightve found a way around it because he is running rose jointed front arms on his starlet conversion.

So i think its a grey area and depends on what day of the week you see them.

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Simplify and add lightness

I tend to think that they are scared off because it is un-conventional so the easy way out is to say no and be ignorant

look at the geometry and the physics of a thread on the centerline of a single arm with the influence of the turning motion of a radius arm.
With a LH/RH thread combination one or the other is going to be subjected to a loosening force.
On a radius arm the rod end is only subjected to a linear rotation as long as the rod end is mounted in a vertical position and not horizontal and the dist the arm moves does not exceed the sideways limit of the rod end. the bottom arm is subjected to both linear and rotational motion.
The type used on race cars are very different to the cheap type sold as a linkage rod end. Look at the manufacturer's engineering design application.
As for transport "approval" for modified items a classic lack of engineering understanding occured on a car that I have just worked on.
The car had just been passed by transport here and as it was fairly basic did not require a engineer's report. The previous owner had made his own"adjustable " arms. The standard arm had been cut and a high tensile 5/8" bolt welded into the arm. The ball joint end had a couple of nuts welded together and the whole lot bolted together. Definately not good engineering design, but it passed. So much for inspections.

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

Maybe it was High Tensile before welding.

this is why transport here will not legally allow a spherical type rod end to be fitted to a suspension control arm on a road car. I disagree with their idea on the ruleing as it is based on the engineering understanding of the person who is fitting the arm. Funny but I know of cars here that have them fitted, most after inspection.
A particular engineer here in SA raised this issue with transport SA.

1 a single bottom arm with a horizontal forward angle connected to a radius arm [IE what a mini has] , as the suspension moves in a vertical direction, the bottom arm will move thru a arc of a circle.[the top arm is fixed for horizontal movement] this movement will cause the bottom arm to be subjected to both a angular [horizontal] movement and a circular rotation along the center axis.
THIS I agree with. basic geometry of suspension movement.

2 This relates to non standard bottom arms and the fitting of a spherical rod end to the inner mounting point of the arm.
A; a std arm has 15deg of forward angle to the centerline of the inner mounting bolt.

B; a sperical rod end has 360deg rotation at 90deg to bolt centerline, but they have only 15 deg of lateral movement [IE twisting]. This is reduced depending on the rod end locating fixtures[IE a bush either side of ball to securely hold it from sliding along the bolt]



the arguement is that the rod end is almost or at it's maximum lateral limit if it is fix to the end of the suspension arm along the centerline of the arm[ as per one type of after market arm] and any further lateral movement due to the radius arm will cause the mounting bolt to jamb against the outer body and create load on the threaded section.

The action of the torsional force on the arm will cause a tightening or loosening of a thread with a locking nut that attaches the rod end to the arm.IE over stress the thread or loosen it off.

Now from a pruely engineering view this is correct, but if the unit is "fitted correctly" then the suspension movement will still be within the limits of the rod end. Their case is that if the rod end is not fitted correctly[the idiot factor] then the rod end could be mounted at it's angular limit and suspension movement will create a stress load.
Their idea of a rubber type of bush with no error for misaglinement during fitting over-comes the issue of a rod end.
The other issues that were raised were inregards to the "liability" of the car owner, transport and insurance companies. very interesting when you look into it, and as per usual the owner wears it.
So they cover their bum by going with the idiot factor and stuff everyone else.

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

I have been told that they are illegal for road cars. Does anyone know if that's right?

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

I have never heard that. Any brake upgrade from a recognised automotive supplier is considered fine as far as I know.
The handbrake is mechanical & so complies to Australian requirements.

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Too many cars, and too little time.