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e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 1:38 am
by mr edd
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDg3Mw==/ ... u/$_57.JPG
bought these brembo calipers off ebay poland and i have never seen a e21 with factory alloy brembo calipers just girling or ate steel ones. if they did not have bmw cast on them at the side of the brembo logo i would have thought they were off some kind of alfa. can anyone shed any light on this as google comes up with nothing.
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:55 am
by Jeroen
New to me, never seen Brembo calipers on any contemporary BMW so more than curious as well! Did you try if they fit at all?
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:11 am
by Duracel79
I can't see the link at work but when I first built my race car I bought some Alfa Romeo SZ calipers. These have the same pistons and pads as standard E21 and external look very similar and just bolt straight up.
They were Brembo and aluminium.
I think they were also fitted to 75's as well.
Ben
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 11:21 am
by Jeroen
OK sharing them in a different way, never seen this combo for older models: clearly both Brembo and BMW cast on them

Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:40 pm
by Mihajlo
I have "brembo bmw" alloy brake calipers on mine..
and mine was 315 from factory... ( I doubt that anyone ever changed brake calipers.)
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:43 pm
by Mihajlo
Duracel79 wrote:I can't see the link at work but when I first built my race car I bought some Alfa Romeo SZ calipers. These have the same pistons and pads as standard E21 and external look very similar and just bolt straight up.
They were Brembo and aluminium.
I think they were also fitted to 75's as well.
Ben
you are right!
alfa romeo used same brake calipers as bmw.
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:46 pm
by Jeroen
Interesting new facts guys!
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:59 pm
by Mihajlo
actually, solid disc calipers can be turned to vent disc calipers by just putting spacer between two halves...

that was done in my case.
and we took that middle part from alfaromeo calipers that had AR logo stamped on them

Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 11:19 pm
by mr edd
This is exactly what i plan to do in time..i am currently fitting spacers to a pair of new old stock mk1 cavalier/ascona steel ate calipers which are identical to e21 calipers except for needing the pistons rotateing 180 degrees
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:17 pm
by majkl
Hi! How thick should the spacers be? Is there a shop selling them cheap?
Sorry for the off topic.
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 1:07 pm
by mr edd
10mm as that is the difference between solid and vented discs....my ate spacers came a scrap pair of 323i calipers ..caliper half seals are avalible from w+n for a couple of euros each or from pmb performance in the usa for 1 dollor each ...8 needed to fit spacers to two calipers ..longer 12.9 bolts are also needed ....bolts torqued to 14 lbs first then 25lbs....
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 1:34 pm
by Jeroen
Is a conversion to vented fronts plug and play on any front setup? Ie do the vented discs also fit 4 cil hubs and do the calipers always bott right on? As the 6 cyl models do have different hubs and bearings and the 323i has its own struts...
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 3:30 pm
by Mihajlo
Hm.. I don't know for sure because I used solid rotor disc on 48mm strut and 51mm strut turned to adjustable coilover on vented rotors...
so I think there is a difference...
somebody must take measures for both strut sizes.
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 4:11 pm
by mr edd
4cyinder cars and 320 6 cylinder use the same solid discs and calipers ....except the euro 320i 4 cylinder which as far as i can tell uses...4 cylinder springs and top cups (4 pot springs are shorter and have a deeper top cup than 6 cylinder) along with the same strut as a 6 cyl 320 (big bearing. 48mm strut) and the same disc and caliper as a 323i...everything went together with no problems ..i think recks car had vents on 4pot struts until recently...
Re: e21 factory brembo calipers
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:25 pm
by e21-Mark
Didn't Jimmy Alpina have these Alfa calipers fitted years ago? I know they were lighter but didn't offer any increased braking.
I also thought vented discs would bolt on to any later strut inc 316?