hooperman46 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Can anyone advise on the fitting of a brake servo to a TR4? Best position? Is there anything else to buy that's not in the 'kit', from say Rimmers or Moss? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 IMHO the Best position is vertically mounted on the wall of the garage. In that position, you will have plenty of space remaining in the engine compartment for useful things, and your brakes will continue to operate as TR brakes should and do i.e. very well indeed. Ian Cornish (an aged, 10 stone, 5' 5" weakling) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ray dore Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 my one is still in the box in the garage loft Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Hi Hooperman, a few years ago at Mallory Park I was eyeing up a GT6 servo for my 4A - nice small unit tucked away. The above weakling Ian, turns up and asks what I'm up to. 'Thinking of a servo' says I Â 'Can you lock the brakes' says he. Yes' says I 'Then why do you want a servo' says he. Â *Smug bugger* thought me. But he was right as far as I was concerned. Â Even with Greenstuff pads things work OK. Â Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) ^ +4 Â built and Won 2 Race Championships in a TR4 without them and the car I'd built then with Chris Conoley driving it, won the 3rd Race Championship consecutively. Once the tyres lock you don't need any extra braking. Â Mick Richards Edited January 19, 2017 by Motorsport Mickey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tim hunt Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 I had a chuckle at Ian's prompt response, which I thought spot on. I had always thought the standard set up, albeit with uprated friction materials for better fade resistance, to be perfectly adequate. I see this view appears to be endorsed by the racing community. A brake pedal needing a manlier shove is easier to modulate and a better platform for heel and toe changes. Â Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Fit it if you want to and if you want less pedal effort. I can pm you a picture if you like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
North London Mike Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 OK, so a TR is a mans car...........etc nice one Ian  I'm a wimp, I have a servo, brakes just as well as the mans version, easy to drive etc and the wife likes it  On long transit stages, riding the torque with the 1 speed auto (4th), it suits the car  As Pete says, its your car, fit it if you want to  (I'll get my coat) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 As you say (and I'm sure we agree) it's Hoopermans car, we just responded to his request for advice, he ploughs his own furrow. Â Mick Richards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 The thing that slightly bugs me is that the anti servo view sort of criticises by association the TR6 braking system as being unnecessarily servo assisted as after all it's the same as the TR4. I'm sure that's not the intention but to my mind it weakens the argument and I've not heard of many 6 owners disconnecting their servos. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) Hi Pete, Â I don't subscribe to the "he man" title given to the unservoed cars or the unwarranted criticism of cars that have servos fitted as standard (my wife hated driving an unservoed car) neither point of view is correct.... just different. Â However I do think that some owners jump on a servo fitment without understanding that it will make it easier to overbrake and lock wheels, sometimes when it's in critical situations, no ABS to help you here. The standard TR brake systems comprising of Disc and drum and the correct pad materials will offer excellent braking and can easily exceed the grip quotient of the tyres (even when the size is increased over the standard fitment). No ones arguing if owner preference or medical conditions make it easier or essential for servo fitment or even if a change to an automatic gearbox is made to enable an owner to continue driving his TR, these decisions are our own individual choice and always should be, as I said advice asked for and given, that's all. Â Mick Richards Edited January 19, 2017 by Motorsport Mickey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rockie51 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Greetings from warm Australia. My first post on the Register. Â When I rebuilt my 4A, I had to fit dual circuit brakes to get it registered because it had been converted from left to right hand drive. It seemed logical to use the TR5/6 dual circuit master cylinder which included the booster. As the centre section of the 4s 5s and 6s are all virtually identical, the later model pedal box fitted perfectly after some additional holes were made in the firewall. Â The car has vented front discs and Wilwood callipers with GreenStuff pads. I have never thought that the brakes were light despite the booster. However, after 5 reasonably quick laps of the Malalla race circuit at the Triumph National Rally last year, the brakes seemed to have a lot more bite. It would seem that GreenStuff pads work better when hot! Â My wife drives the car as well and has not complained about the brakes being heavy. Happy wife, happy life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TriumphV8 Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Greetings from warm Australia. My first post on the Register. Â My wife drives the car as well and has not complained about the brakes being heavy. Happy wife, happy life. Â Greetings back, I love the Melbourne area, Great Ocean Road and also the Bathurst Area! Â When often swapping from daily driver to TR I got complains from wife and to be honest although all is correct what was said about locking the brakes me too had to drive some time in the TR to get the confidence into the brakes that need much more pedal force to work properly. Â Special for me is that I already had a booster in the TR6 and swapped it to a double membrane Volvo booster. Â Now we have similar pedal forces in all cars and feel happy with that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi Folks, I've just re-read Hoopermans post. He didn't ask whether to buy or not. Â He asked for info on positioning the servo etc and did the kit come with all the bits. Â Has anybody got decent photo of the installation.? Â Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 I've already offered them in my first post. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hooperman46 Posted January 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Oh dear, good job I'm putting off the 'go-faster' stripes until next month!!! I haven't purchased anything yet and was interested in members views and experiences. Maybe the weight and balance of a Tr6 is better suited to a servo system? Â Anyway, thank you everyone, plenty to think about. I was just getting a bit concerned that with my metal knee and a wife that loves driving 'her' TR with vigour a servo might make life a little easier - even the chest hairs have gone white (mine that is!!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 If you do fancy one then just do it, be aware though from experience the cheap ones dont last. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hooperman46: as you have a metal knee and your wife enjoys driving the TR4, by all means fit the power assistance to make life easier for both of you. I had 5 years driving a TR2 which had been fitted with front disc brakes, so was perfectly happy to drive it without brake booster. Then bought my TR4 (in 1969) and it had a brake booster, which really spoiled the braking, so removed the booster within weeks and chucked it away. Happy ever after! TR4s got heavier with each model change, and TR6s are rather portly compared with the spartan TR2, so might well justify some assistance with the braking. Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 TR4s got heavier with each model change, and TR6s are rather portly compared with the spartan TR2, so might well justify some assistance with the braking.  ....or could it have been TRiumph being at the front of the game again. Not many cars had servo brakes or a dual system.  Cars were becoming modern and attracting all sorts to be in them - Gentlemen. Ladies and Hairdressers  Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR4A1965 Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) This is a dreadful picture but it shows where the first owner of my car mounted a brake servo back in the 1960s.  Click the picture for a slightly bigger one  It is not there any more.  Best  Paul. Edited January 20, 2017 by TR4A1965 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kob666e Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) Although it's not currently connected! Edited January 20, 2017 by kob666e Quote Link to post Share on other sites
North London Mike Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017  However I do think that some owners jump on a servo fitment without understanding that it will make it easier to overbrake and lock wheels, sometimes when it's in critical situations, no ABS to help you here. 's all.  Mick Richards  Mick  You're spot on, having had LNK for a few months before the conversion I knew how hard and how much in advance I needed to brake for a local zebra crossing. First time I approached it after fitting the servo, and with a young mother and baby on the crossing. I applied the normal (pre -servo) effort and promptly locked up, skidded and stop some 20' shy of the crossing, slightly crossed up and enveloped in a cloud of tyre and brake dust  As the dust cleared I could see the rather startled expression on her face as she mouthed 'Nutter' !! True story  However, ten years and a few track laps later I've learnt to modulate it.............. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 (edited) "However, ten years and a few track laps later I've learnt to modulate it" Â Â Strange that, after 10 years racing with numerous RACE laps and 5 TR Register Race championship titles I still never could and didn't use one because I didn't want be at a disadvantage to the other racers who didn't use one for the same reason, too easy to lock up brakes, but I'll always take advice. Â Mick Richards Edited January 21, 2017 by Motorsport Mickey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobinTR Posted January 23, 2017 Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 Hi Hooperman46, Â I don't have the same technical experience as some of those have responded to your question to date, but I can pass on my experience with a servo. Â My car is an F reg 4A (so 1967?), which I have owned since 1978. The servo was already installed in the car when I bought it, and to be honest, it is only fairly recently that I became aware that it may not have been the original Triumph spec. Â I had to replace the unit around 20 years ago... the new one being identical to the original, as far as I remember, and it looks very much like the one I can see in the Moss catalogue. I have had no problems in around 40-50k miles on the road; no locking of the front wheels, but then I may not drive with the same brio as my TR owning compatriots! If you plan to use your car for track etc. then you may want to take account of some of the previous postings. Â You can see from the attached pictures, that the servo has been mounted on the N/S bulkhead, with the vacuum hose connecting to a tee-adaptor on the inlet manifold. I think that the original cars had their windscreen washer bottles on the N/S, but with the servo in this position, it meant that the washer bottle had to be moved to the O/S. In turn, I think that this necessitated relocation of the voltage regulator towards the windscreen (with no changes to the wiring loom) Â I hope that the pictures attach ok, and that they are of some help. Â Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobinTR Posted January 23, 2017 Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) Just noticed that kob666e's servo is mounted with the white housing uppermost, while mine is on the underside. As I said before, mine has been like that for almost 40 years (as a minimum), but check the operating instructions to confirm if there is a correct orientation. I will try to find something on the internet, but if anyone has the information, then please advise. Edited January 23, 2017 by RobinTR Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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