Survey of 944 Front Brake Adapters and Handbrake Cable

[R2.0]

I've been planning on putting 944 brakes under my Ghia for some time now, and collected a number of plans/pictures of the various adapters that have been posted on the internet. I decided to post them here on STF to share and for reference. If you have any that are different, please post them as well.

[R2.0]

First, from a French VW magazine. Unknown web source

[R2.0]

Next, from the Netherlands(?) the same drawings and dimensions with some modifications. Web source unknown.

[R2.0]

Third, some bearing adapters from http://www.ricola.co.uk/brakes.htm. He says he can source the seal, but he's in the UK, so who knows where to get it in the US.

[R2.0]

Fourth, more hub adapters from http://www.volkspower.nl/tech/944brakes/944brakes.php

[R2.0]

And finally, rear cable adapters.

Edit: As mentioned below, Lanner at vDUB Engineering makes adapters for Beetle brake cables to 944 arms: 944 Ebrake Adapters

[Bruce.m]

Stock beetle handbrake cables.
Stock 944 handbrake pivot plate.

Grinder.

- Cut a notch in the plate, up to the Clevis hole, to form the hook shape, so you can use the stock cablle.

Beetle cable conduit doesn’t fit inside 944 tube at brake shoe mount. So cut a stub of aluminium tube, drill the bore to be an interference fit on the 944 tube. Warm the aluminium to expand it so it taps over the 944 tube then cools and locks solid.

[H2OSB]

I have n/a 944 rear brakes on my '74. I used swans and tubes from Vdubengineering.com out of Canada(I think Machine7 in England has them as well...perhaps others?), which allowed me to use factory park brake cables.

Kerscher, for some reason, uses a crimp on cable end, which I wouldn't trust myself to crimp correctly.

With regard to modifying 944 front hubs, over the years, I've seen several places who do that machine work (including the afore mentioned Vdub Engineering), but, perhaps an easier way to go would be to purchase the front hubs from CB Performance which are made for their 5x130 front brake conversion kits(you can buy them separately), though I'm sure some work would be required for them to work with 944 rotors.

Another thing to CONSIDER, though they've been used successfully for years, the 944 front calipers are HUGE, heavy boat anchors with 54mm pistons. They do fit inside a 15 inch wheel, but Ive always been concerned the pistons were too big for the front of a feather light Beetle and would cause premature lock ups.

I'm using rear Boxster calipers(and rear rotors) as my FRONT brakes over custom turned hubs made by...Vdub Engineering(hey, he does outstanding work, so I tend to get my brake bits from him. No intention of being an advertiser for his products. I would list other sources if I knew of them, but I simply have no need to find other sources...Lanner's work is excellent).

Oh, btw, Vdub Engineering can make hubs for your needs, from scratch, but i do like the idea of modding those lightweight 944 hubs for use on a Beetle.

H2OSB

[DORIGTT]

Another option...

https://epytec.de/en/chassis/wheel-hub- ... -pcd-5x130

https://epytec.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/16972

[H2OSB]

Not gonna lie, those are some damn sexy parts in the links above. Not to take anything away from American ingenuity, but our Euro brethren have been doing this far longer than we have. You're very likely to find exactly what you need, tested and proven from a source in Europe. Lotta guys on this side of the pond as well, but over there, particularly Germany, they have to meet TUV certification standards so not so experimental.

H2OSB

[doc]

Excellent post. Thx.

[Bruce2]

I'm using rear Boxster calipers(and rear rotors) as my FRONT brakes

What do these calipers look like? Are they aluminum? What is the piston bore?

[H2OSB]

I can take a pic tomorrow. They're from the base model Boxster(the calipers are often called "blacks" by the Porsche guys due to the factory color. The Boxster S had larger 4 piston calipers which are red). They are 4 piston calipers and though I can't recall the size off hand, they work out to a total piston area equivalent to typical 2 piston calipers with just over 41mm pistons.

My goal had been 42 front/36 rear, but this was the best I could do. They're very light, which is never a bad thing for unsprung weight. Also, because I'm weird, I wanted vented front rotors to match the vented rear 944 rotors.

All Boxster rotors, whether they're from the black caliper brakes or red caliper brakes, are cross drilled from the factory, so naturally, I bought 944 rear rotors to match my front brakes. I also disassembled my 944 sliding rear calipers, sand blasted them, then painted them gloss black so they match the fronts.

If I could do it all over again, knowing what I know now, and knowing how much money I'd end up wasting to ultimately get where I am with the brakes on my car, I would have either just adapted Porsche 914 front brakes and lived with the solid front rotors (with the rotors driled for 5x130 wheels), or bought the kit CSP in Germany sells which uses custon, exclusive vented rotors (made by Sabro) and the 42mm piston rear calipers from a BMW 3.0 CS, which all bolts up to Ghia spindles (or disc brake conversion adapters on a Super). Either set up would have been far less money than I spent on failed attempts to adapt other brakes to my car.

H2OSB

[Bruce.m]

I have the base model boxster (986) “blacks”. These are not the “s” model brakes which are bigger/thicker/heavier. In Europe the base model discs are not cross-drilled but the “S” brakes are.

I’ve fitted a full set of front & back calipers. They need fitting upside down at the rear because the caliper moves from in front of the wheel to behind the wheel. They can’t be flipped side to side, as the pistons are not equally sized (left caliper must stay on the left side but be upside down). So the bleed valves and the link pipe must be removed and swapped. Warm the caliper when you do this otherwise you are likely the round the nuts or bend the link pipe.

If you use the front discs from boxster over a hub, matching the “blacks”, you will need a minimum of 16” wheels. Otherwise you need CSP vented discs or early 911 discs fitted to a suitable hub, to stick with 15” wheels.

[H2OSB]

I flipped the calipers by swapping the cross over tubes and bleeders end to end. You swap the cross over tubes side to side to get the correct bend of the tubes.

I have rear disc on the front over custom hubs. I have 15 inch wheels (15x6 Phone dials, 15x5.5 alloy(red) space saver spares and 15x5.5 steel 944 space saver sares), and all clear the brakes.

My buddy Lanner told my all of the rotors came cross drilled, when I couldn't find any that weren't. I prefer non-cross drilled rotors. Would have been nice to find rotors that weren't, but no source I could find offered them without cross drilling.

P.S. I didn't read your whole post before responding (bad habit). I swapped the caliper exactly as you said.

H2OSB