The Galant gets "Cruz Control" (a Big Brake Upgrade)

My 2.0 litre, 5-speed hardtop.

Any Holden Commodore forum you can find will explain how rubbish standard VN to VP series' brakes are. Even the anchors fitted to the 5.0 litre V8 variants cop a bollocking for having under-sized rotors, coupled with puny single-piston callipers, neither of which is anywhere near being able to bring GMH's finest to a quick stop after a sustained hammering.

I couldn't resist a squirt of calliper paint!

Everything's relative, though! What's underwhelming on a 1,300 to 1,500 kg Commodore turns out to be pretty trick on a 970 kg Galant hardtop, especially when they're coupled with a set of beefier rear drums from a Galant station wagon.

The maths are pretty simple: a VN's 290 mm vented rotors, matched with finned alloy calipers and largish pads, versus solid 230 mm Galant discs with callipers of heat retaining cast iron and medium sized pads. It was never really a contest! The wagon drums out back are similarly over-specced for the lighter hardtop, featuring shoes that are both wider and of greater circumference (230 mm -v- 203 mm for hardtops and sedans). This makes for a nice front / rear balance, too.

Finned alloy calliper.

Of course, it would be possible to fit a set of Willwoods or other after-market twin-pot callipers, and to simultaneously upgrade to drilled and / or slotted rotors. But why? Again, I refer you to the maths.

On the car.

Standard Galant brakes are surprisingly adequate, generally able to bring the sub-one tonner to a halt at anything short of a full-noise-flogging on the twistiest of twisty bits or during a frenzied track-day attack. For sure, they'll die in the a*se if they get too hot but, honestly, how often does that happen away from a Targa road or a circuit?

The kit, complete with new lines.

That's where all that extra friction surface comes into play! With a standard brake booster and master cylinder, there's no more pressure applied to the brakes than occurs with the ex-factory Galant units. However, the pressure that is applied occurs over a greater area, with more surface to slow the car and dissipate the heat generated, meaning there's less chance of cooking the system.

The front brake set-up on my hardtop was supplied by well known Galant aficionado Jamie Cruz and comprises of new rotors, pads and lines, with reconditioned callipers. Jamie has the rotors re-drilled for the 4 x 114.3 Galant hubs and supplies a simple but effective mounting plate that allows for an easy bolt-up to standard Galant struts, obviating the need to source GK Sigma versions. I run 15" wheels that allow lots of air circulation but the components supplied will fit behind 13" alloys, if required, but won’t if your Galant has standard steel wheels.

Looking quite tasty behind my 15" wheels.

Of course, the big question is how do they drive? So far, so good. The pedal feel may be slightly softer than with the standard Galant brakes, with fractionally more travel. However, this is not enough to make heel-toe braking difficult, they require very little pressure to wipe a bit of speed off and they respond strongly when the pedal's pushed hard. The balance between the front and rear seems good; there's been no indication that either end's likely to lock-up before the other does. I haven't yet been able to induce any brake fade at all but I promise to keep trying to!

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

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