lowering front -hr disc front end

[jack_fc]

Gday. My fc has hr disc brake front end fitted with King springs-supposedly 1.5 inch lower. It has hr discs, callipers, etc., and hk standard rims on front. I want to lower it a further inch as it still looks too high (top of wheel arch is still approx half inch above top of 185.60X14 tyre. Kings do not appear to offer a lower coil than currently fitted. I do not want to cut the coils. Drop spindles are available but are costly and only apparently 2 inch drop which mean replacing current coils. If I fit hq spindles, would that require hq discs callipers etc? Does anyone know of coils available that would give a further 1 inch drop? (shockers are already shorter than standard - look to be hq?). As I'm fairly new to this old holden caper (and computer- averse!) I would appreciate greatly the advice of anyone who has been down this road before!

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Have a look in the yellow pages for a local spring manufacturer. There is one in Adelaide that will custom make springs to your specs, there is probably one in your city.
I got quoted $130 odd for a pair of HR springs the other day.

[mcl1959]

Jack, drop spindles are 2 3/4 inches lower on a HR front end so would give you the drop you are after.  HQ calipers will drop the car about 3/4 inches from HR spindles so this would also achieve what you are after.  The good news is that HK, HT and HG spindles are exactly the same as HQ spindles so you could fit HK/T/G brakes and keep your existing wheels.

Cutting the springs any further would give you a harsh ride with very little travel before you hit the bump stops.

Regards   Ken

[jack_fc]

Hello Ken
Thanks very much for your info, but due to my ignorance, it leads to more questions! I like the idea of HQ spindles (3/4 inch drop over HR) but if I do this, do I have to fit either HK/T/G or HQ rotors n calipers, or can I retain the existing HR ones? Are HQ spindles compatible with the existing HR steering linkages etc.? If I have to fit HK/G/T discs n calipers, would they be compatible with existing brake system (EH "ute" or "taxi" rear brakes n PBR VH 44 booster, HR master cylinder)? Do you know of any other parts I may have to change or problems I may encounter if I fit HQ spindles?
Regards
Jack
PS If you are ever visiting Port Fairy, its my shout!

[mcl1959]

Yes with HQ spindles comes either HKTG brakes in early pattern or HQ-WB brakes in later pattern.  There will be issues with caliper clearance to the upper wishbone so some notching will be necessary.
As long as your rear slave cylinders are off a car with disc brake front, then they will be OK with the later brakes.
VH44 booster is not really right for either HR or later brakes, you should be using a VH40 booster.  The VH44 is for 4 wheel drum brakes.  You will need to use HKTG steering arms on the later spindles, not the HR ones and not the HQ ones.

Ken

[jack_fc]

Ken
Thanks for your latest info; I'll have a crack at it. Getting new HK/T/G rotors is no problem, it appears that I will have to get calipers from a wrecker n rebuild them- should be no probs, but getting HQ spindles is (so far) a challenge. Any ideas?
Regards
Jack

[mcl1959]

If your getting the callipers from a wrecker, get the spindles as well from the same car.

Regards  Ken

[jack_fc]

Gday Ken
Thanks again for yr latest reply. Do you mean HKTG (disc brake) spindles will give 3/4 inch drop over HR or must I use HQ (disc brake) spindles? Are HQ (disc) spindles the same right thru to WB? If so, I have already located a pair.
Are HKTG steering arms identical on both disc n drum front ends or must I get arms off disc front end?
Will existing HR steering linkages still fit this new setup? If not, any suggestions on what linkages will fit?
Sorry to keep hassling you, but no-one locally (even brake/suspension mobs) can answer these questions satisfactorily!
Regards
Jack

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

There's a different way of lowering a HR Front end here -
http://www.fbekholden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1262

You'd want to be confident in your fabricating skills though.

[jack_fc]

Gday,Stinky
Thanks for your reply. Had a look at that site; very interesting, but I'm just not good enough to attempt it!
Regards
Jack

[mcl1959]

Spindles are the same right through from HK to WB.
HKTG steering arms are all the same.
HR steering will fit straight in.

Regards  Ken

[jack_fc]

Gday Ken
Really appreciate your help. Have already got spindles (hz) n calipers (HT), can order new rotors (HT) and looks like no problem getting HKTG steering arms locally. Will get calipers reconditioned somewhere, then the fun begins...
Again, THANKS! Without your help I would have been farting around for ages getting the necessary info.
Regards
Jack
PS - I'm not really a club-type bloke, but I'm joining Vic fefc club out of appreciation of this forum - its bloody excellent!

[Rob_FE_56]

  Hi Jack,
It probably won't affect you too much if the tyres you are running are on a narrow rim?

You will find that hr disks have the narrowest track of all of the factory Holden rotors. Hq-wb and Lh-Uc are nearly 3/4s of an inch wider on each side!

 You could keep the narrow (HR) track if you use hk-wb drum brake stubs with the hr disks/calipers. Make an adapter plate to mount your calipers.
 
 Otherwise if you aiming for a brake upgrade (vented disks) at the same time, then I would look at running a set of p76 rotors with the hq stubs and calipers. This will get you back pretty close to your original (hr) track.
 
 Cheers, Rob.