Delco-Moraine ABS Deletion

[shaunw]

1 hour ago, Sparky said:

<revises plan to remove @shaunw's kit with hatchet and lump hammer>

@Sparky

Edited April 6, 2023 by shaunw
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[Sparky]

Now you know all my secrets.

[Giniw]

On 06/04/2023 at 08:47, MrDangerUS said:

With ABS Delete projects proliferating, I'm wondering where all the dismantled parts are going. Anyone has anything for sell?

Any leads would be appreciated. PM me, please.

Same.

Personally I would keep the parts in a box if I were going to replace it. I hope it's not binned.

[Sparky]

The Delconator strikes again.

This one's already turning out to be a b'stard as someone has thoughtfully put the pedal shaft securing pin in the inboard end of said shaft.  Even my weirdly bending fingers will have trouble with that.

[shaunw]

I'm a recent convert to Ian's very well thought out brake kit. It was bought to replace the Delco Moraine system on my very low mileage GT3 that was exhibiting quite a few of the common problems like pulsing / wooden pedal feel, fluctuating level of assistance and early ABS cut in. 

I had the kit fitted by Sparky as although I'm reasonably competent mechanically, it is quite a major job and I wanted the kit fitted by someone with lots of experience. Needless to say, Sparky has done a fabulous job! 

The kit itself is excellent. It looks very well made ( especially the bespoke parts ) and transforms the the brake performance and pedal feel (at least it did on my car which according to Sparky had better brakes than many Delco equipped Esprits he has driven). The best part I think is that the servo assistance is adjustable to suit your own taste! 

I'd highly recommend this kit and Sparky's services to anyone who is not happy with the performance of their Delco Moraine system. Just remember that you will loose the ABS!  

Shaun

 

[Bibs]

[Chillidoggy]

Thanks for the review Shaun, and it's great to see another satisfied (and relieved) Esprit-owner! I always recommend Sparky for kit fitting, he's carried out quite a few conversions now, and he does an excellent job on every one of them.

I have about 6 kits left of the batch. If you're interested, e-mail me for details.

[Gjk]

I have just completed the installation of the kit and as previously stated by so many others, the difference is immeasurable.

the pedal feel is excellent and it was very satisfying that the kick back had gone.

the kit is extremely well engineered and easy to install.

many thanks @Chillidoggy for all the time and effort you put in to the project to make it happen. I can finally begin to enjoy driving my esprit again.  👍

[Chillidoggy]

Thanks Grahame, another satisfied Esprit owner!

I still have kits available if anyone is interested.

[Chillidoggy]

I just received another very welcome e-mail from another chap in the US who took the decision that he'd had enough of his Delco, here's an extract:-

"I finally put the Esprit back on the road yesterday. In addition to finishing the brake kit installation, I had quite a list of other items that needed to be addressed. What a transformation! The brakes have never been right since I bought the car 2 1/2 years ago and finally had gotten so bad the car was undrivable. I finally feel like I can confidently drive it as intended. It has good pedal feel, stops straight, and will put you through the windshield. I am very happy with it. Thank you for designing such a good comprehensive kit, and for all of your support during the process."

I have kits available at the moment, e-mail me if you're interested - espritservobrake01@yahoo.com

[markw996]

To anyone who has fitted the ABS deletion kit, how did you manage to remove the Rear Pressure Limiting Valve? Mine will not budge, the manual says it is secured with a set screw (I agree because I can't feel a bolt head inside the chassis) and a roll pin. My valve is very rusty and dirty, but I don't think I can access the roll pin from the valve side... Did you guys just wrench it off or can you drive out the roll pin from the valve side? 🤔 

[Erikl]

Hmm I cant recall much difficulty in removing.  Maybe the US cars are different?  Can you post a pic?

[markw996]

On 09/10/2023 at 14:25, Erikl said:

Hmm I cant recall much difficulty in removing.  Maybe the US cars are different?  Can you post a pic?

There wasn't much room to get my hand inside the chassis because of all the hoses & pipes (and even less room for tools) but eventually I found the 13mm bolt head. I was feeling the roll pin before, and thinking it was a threaded grub screw without a head!! 🙄

For anyone else removing one, the roll pin is tight in the valve body so you don't need to worry about it because it comes away with the valve once you've removed the bolt.

[Tim Raven]

Good Morning Esprit enthusiasts !

It’s been several years since I logged onto this Forum, very glad to see its still up and running !

I have an Esprit S4S , maybe five or so years ago a fellow Forum member had developed a replacement master cylinder and ABS delete system for the car . I’ve not driven mine until recently for several years and had forgotten just how dangerous the standard braking set up actually is .

I actually purchased a kit from the Forum member but never took delivery because my wife very unexpectedly passed away at that exact time, and my focus was diverted from Esprit brakes .

I wondered how the kit has worked out long term , and if anyone knows who the Forum member was who developed the kit ?

Best Regards,

Tim.

[Bibs]

Very sorry to hear of your wife's passing Tim, my condolensces. 

@Chillidoggy is the man you're after.

[Chillidoggy]

Hi Tim - To answer your question, the kit has not only worked out well long-term, but has evolved over time to make it easier to fit.

[The_Del]

Finally got to test out the new brake conversion after various other issues that needed to be fixed first but got some issues and want to get other users views and comparisons to their setup to make sure I haven't done something silly.

First off the kit is very well put together and the installation was ok but need time and make sure its not rushed.

First, the issue is very hard pedal not much travel, and MOT braking stats were 210kgf front and 110kgf rear. My expectation would be near the 400-500 front but has anyone got MOT braking figures ?

The servo is working, with the ignition off, pump the brakes until wooden, turn the ignition on pump works and the pedal goes down about 10-20mm.

Guage is showing a nice 0.5 vacuum and holds that overnight+ so no leaks.

The pump works every time the brakes are pressed.

Pedal height is, resting 165mm to bulkhead approx, no server hard press goes to 130mm, with ignition on, and after vacuum pumps up will go down to about 110mm.

Other parts I am looking at are discs ok, a bit of rust in places but the surface is generally clean. 

The rear pads are new but the front EBC are old, so changing to some new standard pads just to zero that out.

Rear hand brake efficiency was 160/200kgf so the handbrake on the rear is giving better results than the service brakes, which sort or rule out disc or pads on the rear and would suggest a lack of braking pressure.

Any thoughts or comparisons to your installation so I can rule out a few bits?

 

 

[Bibs]

@The_Del, wow, great to hear from you (it's been 16 years since your last post!) and glad to hear you've still got the Esprit

[The_Del]

Hi Mate, yep been hovering around silently and the old girl has been in various states of repair over the years. 

[Erikl]

Other will chime in, but if you turn up the vacuum a little the hard pedal will soften.  Did you set the vac at the recomended?  I forget what it is.  When I installed mine I initially had the recomended, wanted a harder pedal so turned it down.  Then after driving it for a while and getting a feel - tweaking the vac, ended up at the recomended pressure.  Has great feel for me!  Note I have larger discs and calipers then stock.

[Sparky]

If you're talking about 0.5bar, that's way too low IMO.

[The_Del]

1 hour ago, Erikl said:

Other will chime in, but if you turn up the vacuum a little the hard pedal will soften.  Did you set the vac at the recomended?  I forget what it is.  When I installed mine I initially had the recomended, wanted a harder pedal so turned it down.  Then after driving it for a while and getting a feel - tweaking the vac, ended up at the recomended pressure.  Has great feel for me!  Note I have larger discs and calipers then stock.

Used the preset value as received as did not have off-road area to test brakes out to fiddle with the setting.

Will up a little and get a retest with new pads and see if that improves it.

If everything else seems the same as other people it just needs tweaking.

 

2 minutes ago, Sparky said:

If you're talking about 0.5bar, that's way too low IMO.

Good to know, what is a suggestion for a softer feel pedal?

[Erikl]

When I installed the suggested setting was in the instru tions

 

mine did not come pre set but he may be. Doing that now

[Sparky]

As Erik states, the instructions recommend an initial setting.  I'd be starting at 1 bar for sure.

[Bibs]

@The_Del - Off topic I know but I'm allowed!

What are the chances, this came up in my photos memories - 20 years ago today that Nick re-arranged his V8 at Leicester Forest North!!