The X-1/9 hand brake assembly fits. (1)
Front calipers, pads and kits from a late 131 brava fit as do 124 rear pads and kits. (1)
X-1/9 brake flex hoses will fit. Braided steel lines are available. (1)
Various X-1/9 and other FIAT brake cylinder rubber parts fit as do X-1/9 clutch cylinder parts, master and slave. Parts might not go in the same place. (1)
Upgrade the brakes. Remove and bypass the brake booster by installing a bypass line between the master cylinder and front brake lines in the luggage compartment. Then install metallic brake pads and steel braided brake lines. This setup provides adequate braking efficiency while eliminating front brake lockup. You'll notice the brake system is much easier to bleed without the extra 15 feet of brake line. Also, opt for 14 inch or larger wheels to use larger rotors and dual caliper brake setup as Series II Montecarlos. (2)
Run the engine when bleeding the brakes so the booster will work if you still have one. (1)
Anti seize compound on the spark plugs and caliper wedges help. Don't use much! (1)
Rear brake caliper handbrake cable pivot by Tony Lloyd -- Often a cause of the handbrake cable snapping at the caliper end and to some degree inefficiency of the handbrake can be down to seizure of the cable pivot. By cable pivot I mean the actual steel lug/post that secures the outer cable and not the lever that operates the mechanism. It is not obvious when you first look but this is a pivot and should move in the body of the caliper.
The reality is that the majority are seized solid due to lack of lubrication and little actual movement. Freeing the pivot off can be done with frequent soakings with penetrating fluid but perhaps the most effective method is to drill a small hole through the alloy of the caliper down onto the top of the post. Releasing fluid can then be fed into the hole and the seizure attacked from both sides. When it is free, a squirt of oil in the hole now and then keeps it free. The post is retained by a hardened role pin, which is very difficult to drill out.
Brakes by Mike Panell -- If your car still has the original brake pipes and hoses, these will almost certainly need replacing. There are a couple of areas to be careful of when performing this operation.
The original hoses have 2 flats on the union which align with the brackets on the car. This stops the hose union turning when you tighten it up. Most replacement hoses do not have these flat pieces and require you to file open the bracket on the car to allow them to fit. Also check the hoses you have been supplied to ensure that the union is the same length as the original. If it is shorter you may have to stretch the existing pipework to fit them.
The rear brake pipes are very prone to corrosion. If you are changing the hoses, replace the pipes at the same time. For a small cost (less than £30) you can replace these pipes and not have the worry.
Obviously when replacing brake parts, always use new copper washers (where fitted) and only re-use banjo bolts if they are completely clean. When refilling the fluid after a rebuild, some people advocate using DOT 5 as this helps inhibit any further internal rusting of the pipes.
Pedal Modification by Sjaak van den Berg -- Pedals changed shape (clutch and brake)by cutting out V-pieces, bending and re-welding (+3 cm legroom) change connecting rod between steering column and rack with prisma /delta one (another 1 cm knee/ leg room)
Series Two pedal box by Tony Lloyd -- The feel of the brakes on a Series two car is superior to that on the early cars, particularly when the brake servo has been removed. I had considered changing the braking system to series two specification but this meant changing the wheels to the larger type fitted on the later cars (due to the slightly larger disks). However, I did not wish to spoil the original look of the car.
The compromise I made was to fit a series two pedal box which has a variable ratio leverage arrangement. This modification coupled with Tarox disks and pads, Goodridge hoses and quality brake fluid provides much improved braking over standard.
I did match up the series one pedal box with the series two version before I fitted it, but unfortunately the differences are considerable. This makes conversion a case of substitution rather than modification , difficult as not many series two pedal boxes are available. A useful modification that can be carried out is the removal of some of the free play in the brake pedal, which can be excessive on some cars. I have seen as much as 25mm free movement at the pedal! This is an easy modification involving slightly extending the master cylinder push rod. The best way to do this is to machine off the end of the push rod and drill and tap it to accept a cap head set pin. This can be slightly rounded off to fit the profile of the master cylinder piston. Minor adjustments to the length can then be made by inserting washers under the head of the pin. A small amount of clearance must remain to allow the master cylinder piston to fully retract. This is important if the brakes are to function properly .