The how to modify page.

Some of this information was provided by various car magazines and Mig Performance Vauxhalls.  Be sure to give them a visit at http://www.f9.mikey.co.uk

Ever wondered what a Touring Car stopped like? Never thought about upgrading your own braking system? Well, I really think you should because you never know when a Granny or even your own moggy will jump out into the road to sniff the dead hedgehog!

Stage 1 : Front disc upgrade

This is the most simple and effective upgrade you will perhaps ever do to your car without any trouble what so ever.

The conversion has been done on a Nova SR (Jason Gemson) and a Nova Spin (Gareth Hallett) and has worked perfectly, but at this time we are unable to confirm the conversion on any other model of Nova.
First of all, purchase the brakes from any good Nova spares dealer such as NovaTech or do as I did and go to your local scrap yard to get the parts yourself. Look to spend around £100 for the parts you need regardless of the source. The cars you can use are as follows (in order of braking ability and price of parts)
Cavalier GSi
Cavalier SRi
Astra GSi
Nova GSi
Astra GTE
Nova GTE
All of the above have vented discs and uprated callipers. The Novas and Astra GTE’s have the same size discs as the more standard Nova, but are vented. The quicker Cavaliers and Astra GSi have larger discs with vents that not only exit at the edge of the disc but also at the hub, and have larger callipers.

Unfortunately, the larger Vauxhalls such as the Omega are rear wheel drive and have 5-lug wheel mountings so are unusable.

The parts required from the above vehicles are as follows:
Discs Callipers
Dust shield From Astra GSi and Cavaliers only

Consult your Vauxhall Nova Haynes manual for instructions on how to remove/fit the front discs. Similar steps are taken to remove the discs from the other Vauxhall vehicles.

Stage 2 : Rear disc conversion

The next stage to upgrading your Nova's brakes is to fit rear discs. This is NOT an easy job, so be warned!

When converting to rear discs, you will also have to upgrade the Servo and Master Cylinder to cope with the extra amount of brake fluid required by the massively larger callipers at the rear, as well as the bigger callipers at the front.

You will need the following parts to convert your rear discs:
Discs
Callipers
Hub carriers / dust covers
Stub axles

These parts can come from any of the following vehicles:
Cavalier GSi
Cavalier SRi

Unfortunately, the mounting on the rear discs is not universal between all Vauxhall vehicles, so the conversion is not as easy as with the front discs. Therefore, it is not recommended for you to do this job yourself or on your own unless you are extremely experienced and have a lot of confidence. You will also require a lot of specialist tools.

Its is advised that you contact a specialist car engineering firm to get this conversion done if you are in the least bit complacent about doing the job yourself.

Wear
When looking for the brakes on cars at the scrap yard, make sure they don't look too worn. Signs of wear include thin pads, and a lip around the edge of the disc.

Rust
Don't be put off by rust, it comes off easily with a wire brush and some brake cleaning spray.

Painting
If the vented discs look very dark and dirty, and callipers don't look much better, then simply spray them with high temperature paint. Don't worry about getting paint on the disc surface because it will simply burn off the first time you brake.
Bleeding
As per the Haynes manual instructions, never forget to bleed the brakes once the lines have been exposed to the air (E.g. when swapping callipers). If you don't, then instead of braking quicker to stop for your moggy, you will end up at the Vets! Never forget to keep checking the brake fluid level.

Wheel Sizes
If your Nova is running 13” wheels, alloy or not, then be aware of the fact that the larger discs will not fit. You need a 14” wheel at least otherwise the calliper will rub on the inside of the rim.
If your Nova is running alloy wheels and you have a 13” spare wheel, then fitting larger discs and callipers (particularly from the Cavaliers and Astra GSi) will mean that it won't fit! Make sure you have a big enough spare wheel otherwise you will be hung out to dry when you get a puncture.

Wet Weather
Larger brakes mean you can stop more quickly, but if you aren't using tyres 185 mm wide or greater then you have increased your car's ability to lock up. In wet weather and on greasy roads this is hazardous, so be warned!

Take it easy!
The final note is to be careful.
When you first fit the new brakes, make sure you carefully run them in for 10-15 miles because they may not have been used for some time.
When you have run them in, and you are confident with them, then it isn't your license to become a touring car driver. The car will still need a similar distance to stop, but the larger discs will simply allow you to stop from a higher speed without the brake performance fading.