Broken banjo bolt into rear caliper

[mrpeugeot]

Having just finished rebuilding my '67 Elan S3's rear brake calipers, I was putting everything back together when I snapped the banjo bolt on one of the rear calipers right in half (long story short - my torque wrench failed to indicate when I reached the proper torque). Thankfully, the part inside the caliper screwed out easily, and the threads within the caliper are fine. However, I must now replace the broken banjo bolt.

Having done a bit of research, it appears that most Elan brake fittings were 3/8-24. I then found the following available from Pegasus Racing here in the US:

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produ ... RecID=6761 (Banjo Bolt, 3/8-24 Single, Standard [.98 Shank])

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produ ... RecID=6770 (Banjo Bolt, 3/8-24 Single, Short [.78 Shank])

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produ ... RecID=6767 (Banjo Bolt, 3/8-24 Thread with 7/16 Shoulder)

Would any of the above be the appropriate banjo fitting to replace the one that I have broken?

Thanks!

Adam

[StressCraxx]

Hello Adam,

Give the guys at B.R.I.T.S a call. They are located in Sonoma. Shipping should be faster and cheaper.
http://www.britsinc.com/

No connection other than satisfied customer.

[mrpeugeot]

StressCrax - thanks for the tip! I'll give them a ring tomorrow.

[robertverhey]

Readily available on eBay (where I got mine), just search on 3/8 24 banjo

[CBUEB1771]

The original Girling banjo bolts (026J6016) should be available from any of the normal Lotus parts suppliers or Moss Motors. The Girling brass banjo fittings are a bit taller than the steel parts that Pegasus and many other suppliers carry. If you get a Girling bolt at least you know the shank length is appropriate for the banjo fitting. This is not to say that the banjo bolts from any of these other suppliers would not work, just check for the correct shank length.

[mrpeugeot]

Thanks for the tips - checking eBay now. Moss Motors doesn't immediately appear to have them in their online catalogue, so a call is in order.

As for the shank length, I'm not quite sure I understand its purpose. I'm assuming if one were to have a slightly shorter shank, that fluid would still enter the caliper under pressure regardless of whether or not it seated at the bottom of the threaded hole. Is that not correct?

[StressCraxx]

Measure the thickness of your banjo fitting. If it's 1/2", the 3242-001 will work.

The 0.98" dimension is from the underside of the head to the end of the bolt.

[robertverhey]

Not sure length of bolt is that crucial. All the sealing is accomplished through the two copper washers. Of course, too long would prevent these washers from seating

[CBUEB1771]

StressCraxx and Robert offer good advice. The banjo bolt cannot be allowed to bottom in the threads in the caliper as that would prevent the crush washers from sealing. I just went through my parts bins and the height of a new Girling banjo fitting is 0.50", the stack height of this banjo and two new crush washers is 0.63". I also checked a couple of new Goodridge banjo bolts, one is 0.98" long under the head and gives about 0.36" thread engagement in the caliper. That should be fine. The other Goodridge banjo bolt is for a lower profile banjo and is only 0.78" long under the head. That would not give enough thread engagement in the caliper, in my opinion.

[Jeff@Jae]

Yes, just compare the length (width of banjo) with yours.

[mrpeugeot]

Just wanted to follow up and let everyone know what I received which worked.

This particular replacement banjo bolt - the one with the .98 shank - is nearly identical in overall length to the original banjo bolt that I broke on the rear caliper. It appears to work perfectly:

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produ ... RecID=6761 (Banjo Bolt, 3/8-24 Single, Standard [.98 Shank]).

Hope this helps someone else in the future!

[CBUEB1771]

Great, happy to hear it worked out for you.