Brakes

The brakes on the Zink are Girling 16 on the front and 42MM ATE inboard brakes on the rear transaxle. Originally the car had inboard drum brakes but Joe Virog changed them out with ATE calipers and manufactured disks for the car.  Both front and rear pistons were seized in the calipers and trying to get them out was at first challenging. Air pressure can be dangerous but using a grease gun with a fitting makes it much safer to get the pistons out. The process wastes a little grease and of course that has to be all cleaned out but much much safer as the piston does not become a bullet like with air pressure.

Both front and rear brakes needed new pistons as they had sat so long the chrome on both front and rear pistons had become pitted.

The Girling calipers are the same as a TR6 or Sunbeam Alpine which the front uprights are from the Alpine on the Zink so parts are readily available from Moss Motors or Victoria British. In restoring either the front or rear calipers I did not paint them just wire brushed the calipers on my grinder so the Zinc coating shines up. After a little sit they pick up a nice patina.

 

The rear brakes were a little more challenging as initially I thought they may be off a Porsche 365 but a Porsche 365 uses a 48 MM piston calipers vs these are 42 MM piston calipers. So here are the ATE calipers after cleaning but before disassemble and wire buffing.

They also had kind of a funky cross over tube so I have decided to go with a stock Porsche cross over tube for cleanliness and organization. Plus trying to bend new tubes like the ones on the calipers was going to be more work than they were worth.

Here is one of the calipers after restoration:

Just waiting to go back into the proper places on the car.