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Brunton Stalker brake upgrade


Scott

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12 hours ago, Scott said:

Just purchased a Brunton Stalker and looking to upgrade brakes. Any suggestions?

 

Thank you 

It depends on what model stalker you have and what aspect of the braking you wish to upgrade. Some pics would help. I'll guess that you have chevy S10 spindles, rotors, and single piston floating calipers with braided hoses and the concern is pedal effort. Stalkers have been around a long time so it could just need maintenance.

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Christopher smith said:

Carlos got it by beating LeClerc.

 

DOH!!!  Some of us weren't able to watch it live.  Best not to post sports results to a thread with a title that gives the reader no indication a spoiler is ahead.

 

-John

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The issue with the s10 spindles is that the caliper mount is integral to the upright, and generally has to be cut off and a adapter plate fitted to use different caliper designs. Wilwood makes a caliper that would fit, but it is very expensive and is still the same basic design as the original caliper (single piston floater) but with some improvements. I assume much lighter (aluminum versus cast iron), a slightly larger bore and pads with a little more coverage/swept area.

 

There are kits too that are a big improvement all around but will run about $2000. The size rotor you can run depends on your wheel size and offset. Some basic instructions on the modification:

https://static.speedwaymotors.com/pdf/ds706.pdf

 

I think I'd just maximize the original parts.

 

Edited by MV8
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The s10 rotor has excess capacity in that it won't warp easily but it is also heavier than necessary.

I'd consider cutting the s10 spindle, keeping the integral hub rotor, turning the rotors to just acceptable thickness and cross drill or spot face/slot for less rotating mass yet still more than adequate for such a light car, then fitting late 90s camaro two piston aluminum floating calipers, rails and pads with custom adapter plates. The camaro calipers were designed for the thicker camaro rotor at minimum acceptable thickness and worn out pads. If this is a concern, a steel shim could be fitted behind a backing plate (piston side would be better to insulate and more rim clearance to the caliper with new parts). The camaro rotor is also larger so fitting the caliper to a smaller rotor is not optimal but can be made to work well. Fitting calipers from a small rotor to a larger rotor is more difficult. The end result is more pedal travel/lower effort stops, less weight, longer lasting pads, less fade, etc.

The same could be done with wilwood calipers for slightly more benefit to weight but the loss of piston dust boots that keep grit out of the bore and cutting a seal. Fwd full sized performance car calipers are also worth consideration.

The integral rotor/hub can be machined to remove the rotor leaving a bearing hub, with a concentric ring made so the hub will accept whatever slip-on rotor you want that will still allow the caliper to clear the rim, but the scrub radius will increase slightly for the thickness of the rotor flange.

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On 10/22/2022 at 6:26 AM, Scott said:

Just purchased a Brunton Stalker and looking to upgrade brakes. Any suggestions?

 

Thank you 

@ Croc , still no word from Brian regarding my Stalker. 
 

Scott,

 

With your Stalker being 20 years old means you are in possession of a an original Brunton (designed and produced by the late Dennis Brunton). Front spindles will be from an early Chevy S10 pickup. Researching brakes for a 1990 model will get you where you want to be. Here are links for individual components to complete kits for the S10. Pricing for kits range from the $800 range up to north of 2 grand. You will need to modify the spindle,  but it’s not a huge task.

 

https://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront?itemno=140-11009&year=1990&make=Chevrolet&model=S10+Pickup&option=4+x+2
 

https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/wilwood-disc-brakes/part-type/disc-brake-kits/make/chevrolet/model/s10?PageSize=25&SortBy=DisplayPrice&SortOrder=Ascending
 

https://www.buybrakes.com/1990-chevrolet-s10

 

Edited by xcarguy
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I really appreciate the feedback. I will send some pictures to make sure what I have. 
 

also looking to put disc brakes on the Rear. 
 

thanks to everyone for the support. 

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Ah, you have the expensive single piston floater calipers on unmodified (except the shortened toe arm for quicker steering) spindles.

There is nothing wrong with drums aside from the weight but you can find kits for that as well from the same sources. You'll need parking brake type calipers and an adjustable proportioning valve if it has the original s10 type. Lot of kits for racing that don't have a parking brake function.

 

I'd rebuild and paint the wilwoods, change the fluid, turn down the rotors, grease the bearings, change the seal, hoses, tie rods, and paint the drums and hubs flat black.

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Front setup looks good, I see no reason to update, just rebuild. 7's do not need a lot of brakes and that is a Wilwood 2 piston caliper. As for the rears upgrade if you want to, but not necessary. If it was my car I would re-build the front and upgrade the rears to disks. 

 

Graham 

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