After many years of just replacing the standard front 9.4" brakes on my 8v with stock replacement pads and rotors I stumbled across a lucky break at a local scrap yard, a 16v with working calipers and carriers, bought them and proceeded to get a new set of stock vented 10.1 rotors and Mintex red pads. Those are all the parts you require to convert your front 8v brakes to a large 16v brakes, remember you need 15" wheels or bigger to be able to perform this conversion so the calipers clear the rims. Its a simple and easy process, and while I was at it I purchased a set of stainless steel hoses to replace my original VW brake lines The pads and S/S lines where purchased at www.germanautoparts.com. you could get ATE or Zimmerman rotors or any other brand Pads if you like instead.

	Jack your car up and remove your wheels from the car, turn your steering pointing the caliper outwards from the wheel well it will make your task easier. now, you need to remove the brake line.
	the red box highlights the two nuts you are going to work with, the bottom nuts is the one attached to the hard line, and is the one you should unscrew, this will prevent twisting the brake line around.
	Remove the top bolt of the carrier assembly (we will remove caliper, carrier and pads all in a single time.
	remove the bottom bolt of the assembly and remove the assembly from the wheel. UN-screw the small Phillips screw holding your rotor in place (if you don't have one, don't worry about it), just remove the rotors form the wheel.
	This pictures shows the 9.4 8v rotor on the left and the new 16v 10.1 rotor on the right...bigger is better !
	Take your brake line and screw the end into the caliper.
	From the original line, pull out the center rubber grommet and fit it unto the stainless steel line, you will need this.
	Here we see the 16v caliper (left) with stainless steel line attached, and the caliper assembly (right)
	Remove any grim/rust from the hub, and reinstall your new 10.1 rotor in place, If you do not have the mini screw to hold it in place (like I do) use two wheel bolts to hold it in place as picture shows.
	next assemble the carrier unto the hub, and slip your new pads into the slots.
	Gently Compress the piston back into the caliper and slip the caliper unto the carrier, the picture shows the location of the bolts to tighten to hold the assembly in place.
	Re-attach your brake line unto the hard line, don;t forget to slip the rubber grommet into place as seen in this picture. once you have done this side, repeat the whole process for the other wheel, I kept the car on stands so both wheel would be "open" for the last steps explained below.. the bleeding process.
	We see the pressure bleeder attached to the master cylinder, this make brake bleeding an easy task. This tool keeps a constant pressure on the brake system and helps get rid of rust and water from the lines. Starting with the rear wheels (accessible from under the car without lifting it off the ground) then doing the front wheels.
	Here we see my friend George Curl, bleeding the front brake system, letting the brake fluid collect in a can, until the new brake fluid (will come out clear after a while) comes out.

Remember, If you need help with any of these technotes -Contact Me!
We are not responsible for damages caused while following the directions in these pages. These pages are for informational use only.
This site is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Volkswagen of America or VW AG. Volkswagen and the VW logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. To visit the official Volkswagen sites go to Volkswagen Germany or VW of America.

All original images and content Copyright © 2001-2005 Eric Soltwedel, Tim McConnell and vintagewatercooleds.com, all rights reserved.

Not all of the pages comply with the new standards yet. I have the links here for debugging purposes.

About the Standards and Scripts