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My LCR Since '05 with Static+ Front Air Lift - Project Gone to a New Home.

dgjdrummer

Part-timer
Nov 5, 2011
1,310
4
Wrexham, N. Wales
Thanks for the guidance mate, that's much appreciated:)

You sticking with the split rims this year? I spoke to my wife about some new wheels yesterday evening, showed her some pictures, told her how rare and expensive they are and the response I got was "it's your Birthday soon" :funk: I'm not sure I actually want any wheels yet but it might be nice to get some one day. There's loads of other bits that should really take priority - a respray being the obvious pressing one.

No worries mate, just be careful pulling the clips out as they're really tightly as secured and I've got 2 small cracks in my boot panel now :(

I wish they were splits mate! I'd love to get some proper LM's but would want deep staggered ones, otherwise some really nice concave rims but can't find many that aren't the usual 3SDMs. I'm sticking with mine for now as nobody else has them, just need to strip the peeling/cloudy lacquer off the lips and hopefully get them refurbed later in the year.

That would be a pretty nice birthday present! Lol. I know what you mean mate, I've got a few bits and pieces that need doing, all small niggly things that add up to lots of time and money!

You goin to any shows this year?
 
Oct 21, 2006
1,226
1
Norfolk
No worries mate, just be careful pulling the clips out as they're really tightly as secured and I've got 2 small cracks in my boot panel now :(

I wish they were splits mate! I'd love to get some proper LM's but would want deep staggered ones, otherwise some really nice concave rims but can't find many that aren't the usual 3SDMs. I'm sticking with mine for now as nobody else has them, just need to strip the peeling/cloudy lacquer off the lips and hopefully get them refurbed later in the year.

That would be a pretty nice birthday present! Lol. I know what you mean mate, I've got a few bits and pieces that need doing, all small niggly things that add up to lots of time and money!

You goin to any shows this year?

I didn't manage to get to any shows last year due to the arrival of our little man, so I'm hoping to get to as many as possible. The car might get back on the road for a few shows towards the summer. I'm starting with Ultimate Dubs. Looking forward to seeing some quality cars.
 
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Oct 21, 2006
1,226
1
Norfolk
Brembo 18Z 356mm brake upgrade – What I’ve learned along the way…

Hi All,

As some of you will have read, I’ve wanted to upgrade my brakes for a while, and for a long time I’ve been slowly collecting parts. Like with everything else, I’ve not made it easy for myself; I enjoy learning about what I’m doing, sourcing the parts individually for the best price and doing what I can myself – I work in medical so this hobby is worlds apart from my day job.

So, I started by wanting to use Brembo 18Zs rather than the 17Z variant as allegedly you achieve a better pedal feel as they use slightly smaller pistons, from what I’ve read (17Z 38,36,34mm Vs 18Z 38,34,30mm pistons). I’ve also read that 17Zs fit behind 17 inch wheels and 18Zs behind 18 inch wheels. In hindsight, I’ve reviewed and discovered other options which are competitive alternatives (had I have known…) - List is just what I’ve looked at:

• ECS Porsche Stage 5 kit – Nice and complete but it’s expensive and I’ve heard from some that have used it that the drilled elements of the discs have been prone to cracking.
• Badger5 334mm brake upgrade using the existing LCR Brembo calipers – a competitively priced and well performing kit by all accounts.
• AKS Tuning 370mm brake upgrade consisting of Aston Martin 4 Pots and AKS bells & discs – I like the look of this a lot.
• Forge 356mm caliper and disc upgrade – heard mixed reviews about this product – a bit soft in feel on the pedal in the LCR apparently, but then others have raved about it.
• K-Sport and PB 356mm calipers and discs – Very competitively priced and the PB products are highly regarded in other car communities, with good performance tests to prove too.

Like I said, the list isn’t extensive but this is what I would have considered as an alternative to an OEM product.

I purchased the Brembo 18Z calipers second hand for £300. They were removed from a 2009 Audi Q7 Quattro. They’re also fitted on the Porsche Cayenne and VW Touarge. I didn’t need to but I decided to buy bits to replace the working parts:

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• Brembo OEM brake pad wear indicator.
• Brembo front brake caliper seals rebuild kit, which includes 38mm, 34mm and 30mm pressure seals, and 38mm, 34mm and 30mm dust boots .
• Brembo front brake pad fitting kit including brackets and pins.
• x4 Brembo dust caps and S/S bleed screws.
• Bell exact fit braided brake lines.
• Brembo brake fluid.

With nice results achieved, they were built back up. I’m really pleased and hopefully they’ll be super durable.

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Other things to consider….

Mount Adapters: To achieve fitment to the hub and against a 356mm sized disc, I needed a set of adapters. This was the hardest part of the search. Long searches through loads of forums that led me to a guy called Lee who made a few pairs to work against either 334mm or 356mm fitment. Luckily I managed to buy one of his last sets (his prototype set) for £60. Top bloke, very helpful and a great product.

Bolts: I needed 4 new carrier to hub bolts to fit the adapter (8 bolts in total – 4 each side). I bought 8 bolts priced at £1.82 each from David at Sere Motors. David was very helpful as always and they were delivered promptly.

Discs and Pads: This was the expensive part from me. I purchased Forge’s 356mm 6 grooved discs and bells. AP Racing I found to be very complicated and others wouldn’t sell bells and discs separately from their kits. They were £590 delivered. Ouch… I’ve decided to buy a set of Pagid pads, and we’ll see how they bed in. I've used DS2500s over the past few years and really liked the wear rate and performance of them. However, at £260 I can’t justify the spend just yet, as there’s so much I want to do to the car on a limited budget.

Hopefully they’ll be fitted over the next month along with the arch work that I want to complete, and then it’ll be onto the rears… Still some decisions to be made… :think:
 
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Oct 21, 2006
1,226
1
Norfolk
Rear Window Wiper Delete.

In a nutshell, what a pig of a job that was! The rear wiper was seized on so I had to cut the spindal. I purchased the kit a whole ago and unfortunately the silicone sealant supplied had gone off, so I couldn't fit it. I'll get some at the weekend and fit it. I think it'll take some getting used to, but as its a good weather car, I think I'll come to like it.

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Oct 21, 2006
1,226
1
Norfolk
Those calipers look smart as fook mate nice job and hope they're easier to fit than removing the seized wiper lol

Calipers look awesome mate! Bet you are please with the outcome! :thumbup:

Thanks chaps.

Calipers look awesome dude.

I'm waiting for my discs to arrive then I can get mine fitted. Current pads and discs are well passed it.

My rear wiper delete was simple my motor just fell out but when I did my brothers I had a similar problem.

I'm ready to get them on now. I'm sure you are too? Hope the motors has rested well over the winter? Any updates?

you've done that good a job with the brakes you've now got me looking at some on ebay. Damn you!!!

Honestly, I'm really happy with the results but I think if I was to do this again, I would seriously consider either Alex's AKS 370mm setup or Bill's Badger5 setup. I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform. Hopefully they'll perform as well as they look:)
 
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t0m

LCR 225
Apr 29, 2007
8,133
7
Kent
Stunning job as always mate with a good write up to match!

Love it. Like Rich says though, it's a real shame the car isn't out but that's what keeps it pristine. One day we'll see it I'm sure :)
 
Oct 21, 2006
1,226
1
Norfolk
Thanks guys. It's been a well driven car - it has 112,000 miles on the clock after all, but it needs some TLC paint wise. A busy family and work life gives little time to what is a much loved hobby. With the time that i do have, its spent focusing on future proofing it but i hope that I can get a real stab at it over the next year before the 2015 season, as long as I don't get made redundant on 12th June.
 

CraigFrTsi

"Dude I almost had you"
May 23, 2013
1,534
0
Stapleford, Notts
Thanks guys. It's been a well driven car - it has 112,000 miles on the clock after all, but it needs some TLC paint wise. A busy family and work life gives little time to what is a much loved hobby. With the time that i do have, its spent focusing on future proofing it but i hope that I can get a real stab at it over the next year before the 2015 season, as long as I don't get made redundant on 12th June.

Fingers crossed for you mate as this is a great car and would obviously hate for you to lose your job
 
Oct 21, 2006
1,226
1
Norfolk
Glass Rear Wiper Delete Kit

Well the acrylic rear wiper delete was a fail. Even painting the backside of it didn't achieve the seemless blend that I was hoping for - you can see the cured adhesive underneath and it looks messy IMO :(

I'm really pleased that I've finally been able to find a glass delete, and hopefully it'll arrive from Germany early next week. Here's a link for anyone who might want one in the future: http://www.gecleant.de/shop/glasstopfen.html. Of course, I'll upload some pictures when it's fitted.
 
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