Volvo RWD 1800 Forum

INDEX FOR 2/2026(CURRENT) INDEX FOR 12/2015 1800 INDEX

[<<]  [>>]


THREADED THREADED EXPANDED FLAT PRINT ALL
MESSAGES IN THIS THREAD




  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1973

posted by  Chris Mullet on  Wed Mar 11 10:47 CST 2015
Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
last visit: Fri Oct 24 09:08 CST 2014
[RELATED]

For one reason or another I had to replace the rear calipers on my 73 1800ES with a pair off of another ES parts car. Upon assembly of the RH side, I discovered serious interference between the caliper and the outboard rotor surface. Once I tightened the caliper bolts I couldn't budge the rotor in either direction. My first inclination was that the rotor wasn't sitting all the way home so I removed it and made darn sure all mating surfaces on both the rotor and the hub were clean. The rotor is easily sliding all the way home as witnessed by the two large holes in the rotor through which I can verify there is no gap between the rotor and hub. I bolted the rotor in place with the lug nuts and stacking three washers on each stud. I ground out the I.D. of the washers to assure that they wouldn't hang up on the stud tappers before they push the rotor all the way home. I tightened the lug nuts progressively to a "significant torque". There are no shims present between the caliper and backing plate. (Having a shim in place would make the interference worse.)

I pulled the replacement caliper back off of the car and compared it side-by-side to the original one. The part numbers read the same however I found roughly a 0.040" variance in the distance between the caliper/backing plate mating surface and the offending outboard surface inside the caliper "slot". Neither caliper appeared tampered with as I could still see the machining marks on the mating surfaces.

Other info: The rear axle in the car is the original for an auto trans. The parts car was a manual trans and appeared to be a very early 1972. Also, I had a bit of the same issue with LH side, however that one was cured by extra cleaning of the rotor/hub interface and torquing the rotor home. (The LH side is a tighter fit than the RH.)

But even so, the caliper part numbers are identical.

So, has anyone ever run up against this? Also, was it common for the Girling calipers to have that much variance in their dimensioning?

Thanks for taking the time to read this ramble.








  •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

    Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1973

    posted by  derek uk on  Thu Mar 12 07:00 CST 2015
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Fri Oct 24 12:33 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    Callipers are handed. Bleed nipple should be at the top.








    •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

      Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1973

      posted by  Chris Mullet on  Thu Mar 12 10:01 CST 2015
      Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
      last visit: Fri Oct 24 09:08 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      I've got that part right. It's the inconsistency in the caliper dimensions between the original and the replacement that is the problem.
      --
      Some people just absolutelt can't spell the colors worth a darn For others it's just a grey area.








      •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

        Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1973

        posted by  c1800 on  Thu Jun 25 06:23 CST 2015
        Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
        last visit: Sun Oct 5 19:37 CST 2014
        [RELATED]

        Chris, did you solve this problem? I've got a similar situation on the front of my 71E. the caliper needs to move inward to allow the caliper to clear the disc properly, thanks.








        •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

          Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1973

          posted by  planetman on  Thu Jun 25 11:00 CST 2015
          Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
          last visit: Fri Oct 24 09:29 CST 2014
          [RELATED]

          Did you install the spacer shim, 1 for each side, that goes between the caliper and the caliper adapter?

          This shim is a factory installed part and is sometimes improperly discarded after the rotor has been surfaced.

          The shims are necessary when installing new rotors.

          The shims were also used on 140/164 Volvos with front Girling calipers.

          In case you are wondering, the rear calipers DON'T have the same issue.

          i have used shims if you need them.

          FYI, each shim is 1 piece with 2 holes for the caliper bolts.







          •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

            Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1971

            posted by  c1800 on  Fri Jun 26 21:03 CST 2015
            Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
            last visit: Sun Oct 5 19:37 CST 2014
            [RELATED]

            I'm familiar with the shims, the other side had them. I've got 3 machine washers in this side which is about 2x thicker in total than the shims on the other side, and it still needs to go further.








            •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

              Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1971

              posted by  planetman on  Sat Jun 27 10:37 CST 2015
              Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
              last visit: Fri Oct 24 09:29 CST 2014
              [RELATED]

              Did you install new rotors or calipers?







              •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

                Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1971

                posted by  c1800 on  Sat Jun 27 19:20 CST 2015
                Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
                last visit: Sun Oct 5 19:37 CST 2014
                [RELATED]

                PO did the brakes, sort of. new pads, new rotors but not calipers. Rotors are 14mm thick so appear not to have been turned. rather than struggle with this any further I ground the inboard pad down about 2mm so I could drive it for the summer. new calipers next winter.








                •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

                  Rotor/Caliper Clearance Inconsistant - Girling (Sorry, a bit long) 1800 1971

                  posted by  c1800 on  Fri Jan 15 13:23 CST 2016
                  Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
                  last visit: Sun Oct 5 19:37 CST 2014
                  [RELATED]

                  New calipers didn't make any difference , after many hours of diagnosing and measuring, I determined the caliper mounting bracket was bent, just a few degrees. replaced with a known good one and problem solved.
                  Thanks to all that provided comments.







<< < > >>



©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.