Car stripped as part of a home school STEAM project … Anyone got any hot tips for upgrading the brakes, particularly the rear drum to disc? The rear are absolutely shot… so just looking at options… before I order new set of drums. Also any suspension set-ups people have had success with would be great too. cheers.
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Nordicar do a rear brake conversion from drum to disc, see: https://nordicar.com/en/product/4245/brake-disc-conversion-kit-rear-axle-ruilbasis-exchange-retourner-austauschartikel.html?_gl=1\*suktoa\*_up\*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5YvAovmK5QIVE62WCh1zUArMEAAYASAAEgLkW_D_BwE
The other way is to adapt a later 1800 E rear end, but that would change the bolt pattern at the rear to 108 mm PCD, which only makes sense if you also do the front. Also the rear suspension mounting points are different, and would require much modification (I did this on my 1966 122 rally car, separate thread). Certainly easier to use the Nordicar setup in my view.
Guess you're not a purist, then? 
In which case I'd be more tempted to swap in a factory disc brake rear end from a later model 1800, and swap the front wheels / hubs / brakes over the later 5x108 wheel spec, and the later mode Girling 4-piston front calipers, etc.
The advantage of swapping over to the 1970+ disc brake rear axle is that you get a Dana 30. AFAIK, the swap is not a huge job on the 1800s. Using the Nordicar disc brake conversion kit as arebee suggested means you're stuck with the old Dana 27 diff, and there are a lot more choices of ratios and LSDs around for the the stronger Dana 30.
Process of conversion is broadly described here, on Phil Singher's pages -
http://www.vclassics.com/archive/qrdisk2.htm
My 1800E is a 72 model and already has the disc brake rear axle. I won't be trying to shove so much power through it to justify a 8.8 Explorer diff or similar.
Suspension-wise, I'm still to make many decisions; for the front end, I'm entertaining thoughts of a custom-made double wishbone setup with a rack & pinion steering setup (to hell with purity - I'll keep this car until I die). My car is it's currently LHD, and LHD cars aren't pleasant to drive in LHT countries like OZ. RHD steering boxes for 1800s in good nick are old, rare, and hideously expensive, and I'd likely spend as much to get one as I would on a custom-built crossmember with double wishbones and RHD rack & pinion anyway.
For the rear.... well, if I can find a suitable IRS at the correct price and correct size, I might get things done that way. If not, the original 1800E rear suspension with the Bilsteins I bought a while ago, some more sensibly-rated springs, and fitting a rear sway bar that acts like a torsion bar between the two trailing arms (like the 240, and not the iPD type of rear bar that mounts to the floor of the body), along with some fresh bushes, might work out just fine.
Not related to thread, but looks like someone has already welded some reinforcing on the rear lower wishbone cross member mount. It is a very common weak point in the front end.
Major Ledfoot thanks for the post and comments. Certainly not a purist… want to upgrade and modernise where we can. Found a B20 and Volpro are currently rebuilding with new everything and injecting it also… will start paint and panel next week. Any other ideas and suggestions welcome! Making it up as we go and talk to people.
Well spotted Massey165, I always get the front cross members sandblasted to make sure that it is all clean prior to painting, also shows up any cracking, which can then be easily repaired beforehand. Since the car is essentially all in bits, and given the low cost of sandblasting, well worth it in my view.
