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Brake system The braking system operates hydraulically on four piston calipers on ventilated discs on all four wheels. The handbrake is cable operated on aset of small handbrake shoes inside a ventilated drum disc arrangement on the rear wheels. The hydraulic dual brake pipe system is fed from a tandem master cylinder mounted on the inner wing on the drivers side in close proximity to the Bonaldi servo & fluid reservoir. The Bonaldi servo vacuum is fed by Bonaldi pump driven by a key arrangement from the front end of the inlet valve camshaft on the left cylinder bank looking from the front of the engine.
The brake system components that were above ground level appeared to be in good condition but that did not apply to the rest of the system. The brake system was functional but after examining the brake pipes & other components it was clear that work was needed. The calipers were not attached with the correct bolts & three of them were bolted in place with a threaded bolt & 7 or 8 washers. The brake fluid was drained from the system & it was obvious that the fluid had not been changed for some time. I think that a car that stands around for a significant period of time should have the fluid changed regularly A full & complete overhaul would needed as I would be taking no chances with stopping a near two ton 150mph motor car.
The ATE calipers were in a poor state both in appearance & functionally.& required a total rebuild. I was able to obtain full overhaul seal kits including new pistons from a specialist brake equipment supplier in the UK. The calipers were completely dismantled & then the external & non-functional surfaces were gently bead blasted. After blocking off all fluid passages & the piston bores the calipers were electroless nickel plated to produce the appearance above. The four completely overhauled calipers ready for refitting are shown above. The brake master cylinder was removed, stripped down &all seals were replaced as the bore & piston was in excellent condition with no visible score marks
Above are the rear brake pressure limiters which had seen better days. The outer case of one was broken & the limiter was not securely bolted to its mountings. In view of the state of the brake fluid & the other components it is hard to believe these units were working properly. There are no user serviceable parts in these ATE pressure limiters & it was a pleasant surprise to find that a pair of new units were available from Ferrari UK
The brake pipes were corroded in several places & required replacement but i t was not possible to obtain a set of brake pipes. I was forced to make a new set of pipes in copper nickel alloy using a specialist pipe flaring tool & a pipe bender. Tighter curves & were made by wrapping the pipes around suitable tool handles or sockets. It was necessary for me to carefully remove each brake pipe, label each one & make a new replacement. Replacing the pipes in the engine bay was relatively easily without the engine in situ & but would completely impossible working around the engine. Replacing the two pipes from the master cylinder to the rear which travelled the length of the car in the sill beneath the driver side was a difficult task.. Removing the original pipe was done after attaching a length of flexible wire so it would be possible but difficult to pull & push the new pipes through. Threading the pipes through was further complicated by the fuel return breather hose which also went front to back in the same narrow channel.
This is the handbrake lever assembly which operates a pair of handbrake shoes on a special disc/drum assembly by a single cable running between both rear wheels. The existing system was completely seized so it was surprising that a car with a totally defective handbrake was able to achieve an MOT standard. After reassembly the handbrake is fully able to reach the requires level but it is not the most efficient arrangement. The brakes work extremely well & are now capable of stopping the car within a reasonable distance. I have not fully tested them but an emergency stop pulls this heavy car up smoothly & in a straight line. |
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