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Old 07-20-2012, 11:32 PM   #1
randyx007
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Spokane WA
Vehicle:
2005 Subie STi
Blue

Default Hydraulic Hand Brake

Hydraulic Hand Brake Install
in 2005 Subaru WRX STi
IMPORTANT: I do not hold any responsibility for what you choose to do to your car... a vehicles braking system can be fragile and is the most important part of safety in your car!

Install at your OWN RISK!!!



FIRST- There are some things to consider
Is this safe for your daily driver?
-You are messing with your rear brakes and could be dangerous
Is this safe for my subaru's center differential?
-I only recommend this on a 2004-2005 STi because of the center diff
Where will you mount the device?
Will you push or pull on the lever?
What bore size do you want on the master cylinders
-Governs how easily the brakes lock up and length of motion

What you need to install a Hydraulic E brake
(I work at Carquest and got all the hand bendable brake lines and fittings there)

All of this costs about 120 bucks or so...

2- Wilwood compact master cylinders (need two in order to keep your abs)
1- Bracket to mount E brake/master cylinders
6- Brake fitting adapters
2 Male to female
(male-10mm inverted flare to female-3/16th bubble flare)
2 Female to female
(female- 10mm bubble to female- 3/16th bubble)
2 included with Wilwood master cylinders (MC's)
2- Brass washers (to seal MC's fittings)
4- Universal 3/16ths 60" brake lines
Dot 3 brake fluid
Nuts/Bolts/spacers (just random fasteners and spacers for the handle)

Also some tools like line wrenches etc...

Hardest part to do is to fabricate your own bracket if you do not have a welder. Sense I was extremely busy I terribly fabbed my bracket by bolting a lot of shapes of metal together because I wanted to make sure the center diff would "open" first before I put the time into a whole custom setup and it does =)

It is a extremely simple setup and works even when you half ass the fabrication!
(I will not go into nitty gritty stuff like interior removal, if you can't figure that out yourself you probably shouldn't be attempting this)

To start here is a simple diagram of how the Subarus X circuit braking system works with Compact Master Cylinders that are one way




First Get All Items
-Brake lines
-MC's
-Fittings
-Bracket

IMPORTANT- Blue is into MC's and Red is out (and the picture right below is wrong/switch the red and blue around haha)


Second
-Locate rear brake line junction (next to strut tower)


-Pre kink the brake lines a little more than half the way down at about a 140 degree angle to steer clear of the dash on the other side
-Here is the grommet you will run your brake lines through the firewall with (label them in/out and left/right cylinder to save time)


-Run the lines through the firewall (I recommend taking out the glove box before running the lines so they dont jam into it)
-Put all the brake line adapters that didn't come with the MC's on the lines in the engine bay

Next

-Bend the lines so that two fit out of the junction and two run into the rear brake lines like so... BUT do not unhook your stock line yet!!!!!


Blue runs to MC's "in" and Red runs from MC's "out"

-Now the fun part running brake line through the cabin of the car...
-Come through the firewall and bend the lines so they come toward the center console


-Take off the plastic cover below the center console next to the passengers leg room
-Then unbolt the center console so it can move freely
-Time to bend again!!!
-With some interior trim removed you should be able to bend the line beneath the center console to the bracket
(you all ready made and mounted of course)


-With the brake line in place you can now hook up the lines to the master cylinders!
-Also it is smart to bench bleed your brakes b4 hooking everything up into the brake line system (I didn't at first so your ok if you dont)


NEXT
-You will want to make sure you hooked up the brake lines the right way!
-Blue will be the line going from the junction in the engine bay to the backside or "in" on the MC
-Red will be the line going from the "out" on the MC back into the stock rear brake lines... as the pictures all show/label

ALSO don't forget to do both RIGHT and LEFT Lines from both MC's (dont mix them up either)

-Now that everything is in place you can bench bleed from the lines running out of the firewall by only hooking up the BLUE line ONLY to the junction and bleeding the brakes as usual
Note
-Submerge the end of the RED lines into a jar of brake fluid and then you can bench bleed
-DO NOT BLEED from the handle, only the brake pedal as usual otherwise you will put air into the system

Now
-Hook up the "out/red" lines into the stock brakes
-Bleed your brakes
-Bleed your brakes again
-Maybe bleed one or two more times just in case...

LAST
-You must tear out your arm wrest area to get to the BRAKE light!
-Then you must mount the switch to the light to match up with the throw/movement of the plungers of the MC
-I mounted a elbow off the plunger and made it adjustable so that way I could make the light be precise to the throw


All right it is really that simple. I probably don't explain everything and will add more (or explain very clearly)

P.S.
I still havent bled my system all the way but works well, I used a .7 bore on my MC so it takes a lot of force to make my rear Brembos lock up, BUT I found a solution to my problem... it was a piece of square stock that was a foot and a half long I slid over the lever of the e brake for leverage. Makes 10x's more pressure and kicks the back end out like no other!

Enjoy, have fun, be responsible etc..

Have any Q's just ask!

Thanks

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!

Many people thought my center diff would be toast by now but still running AMAZING!

I also mad a new bracket (sense the other one was half assed like no other) works 10xs better =)
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Last edited by randyx007; 02-07-2013 at 05:07 PM.
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Old 07-20-2012, 11:39 PM   #2
Psychoreo
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subbd
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Old 07-20-2012, 11:40 PM   #3
randyx007
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Location: Spokane WA
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Blue

Default 1st Step

let me finish!

Last edited by randyx007; 07-21-2012 at 12:20 AM.
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Old 07-21-2012, 01:24 AM   #4
randyx007
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Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychoreo View Post
subbd
There ya go
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Old 07-21-2012, 04:04 AM   #5
Coreycarlile911
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Whats this kid know. phhhhh! lol
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Old 07-24-2012, 12:58 AM   #6
indytruckboy
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2007 Outback Wagon

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I'm mostly interested in your mounting location. Can you take a picture with the plastics on and you sitting in the seat looking down?
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Old 07-24-2012, 01:06 AM   #7
randyx007
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2005 Subie STi
Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by indytruckboy View Post
I'm mostly interested in your mounting location. Can you take a picture with the plastics on and you sitting in the seat looking down?
ill take a pic soon, but the side view is what ya see! If it was one mastercylinder you can cover it up, but with two i leave the sheet of plastic off. I dont even notice it when i drive but looks sweet to me lol

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Old 07-24-2012, 10:46 AM   #8
indytruckboy
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Thanks. Any problems with right leg movement?
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Old 07-24-2012, 12:03 PM   #9
jonthesloth
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Sweet writeup! That looks boss!
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Old 07-24-2012, 06:25 PM   #10
randyx007
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Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by indytruckboy View Post
Thanks. Any problems with right leg movement?
nope, im a lazy driver on the freeway and sit almost criss-crossed and never bothers me. I barley make contact with it. Im sure you could mount it even better too
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Old 07-24-2012, 06:26 PM   #11
randyx007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonthesloth View Post
Sweet writeup! That looks boss!
Thanks man! It took alot of research, time, and testing to make sure it would all work with the ABS and the center diff
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Old 07-24-2012, 08:41 PM   #12
indytruckboy
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It will work with my 04 STI as I already have been using the handbrake for years.
I'm doing my switch differently though.
I'm adding a separate switch for the hydra. setup, and a toggle switch to remove it out of the loop. The switch sends ground to the controller. I will have the secondary switch active when I want it to slide and inactive when I want to use it for staging brake to ensure full AWD.
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Old 07-24-2012, 11:44 PM   #13
randyx007
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2005 Subie STi
Blue

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Quote:
Originally Posted by indytruckboy View Post
It will work with my 04 STI as I already have been using the handbrake for years.
I'm doing my switch differently though.
I'm adding a separate switch for the hydra. setup, and a toggle switch to remove it out of the loop. The switch sends ground to the controller. I will have the secondary switch active when I want it to slide and inactive when I want to use it for staging brake to ensure full AWD.
Ya 04/5 is the only years that should work 100%
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Old 09-11-2012, 11:37 PM   #14
Mulisha301
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Im planning on doing this install soon aswell.. Already have all the parts. Just curious, after you use the handbrake, do you notice any play in the brake pedal? Ive heard in some cases you can feel the effects of the fluid returning to the lines ahead of the handbrake and there is a delay in the pedal or it feels squishy the first time you press on it?

p.s. great write up.. Glad to see you went with dual cylinders to retain factory cross over system and ABS. I looked in all the forums for months and theres nothing on the dual cylinder installs.
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Old 09-11-2012, 11:55 PM   #15
randyx007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulisha301 View Post
Im planning on doing this install soon aswell.. Already have all the parts. Just curious, after you use the handbrake, do you notice any play in the brake pedal? Ive heard in some cases you can feel the effects of the fluid returning to the lines ahead of the handbrake and there is a delay in the pedal or it feels squishy the first time you press on it?

p.s. great write up.. Glad to see you went with dual cylinders to retain factory cross over system and ABS. I looked in all the forums for months and theres nothing on the dual cylinder installs.
No I don't see any difference in feel, my brakes were a tad squishy but you just gotta bleed them 100%

I recently bled them again (cuz the first few months they were a bit squishy) and now its just as stiff as b4 (and other peoples scoobs), the volume of fluid doesn't matter but the hard part is bleeding the mc's

The only play it has is the original subaru thin firewall give =)
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Old 09-12-2012, 08:12 PM   #16
Mulisha301
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Thats cool.. What was so hard exactly with bleeding the MC's?
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Old 09-12-2012, 10:12 PM   #17
randyx007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulisha301 View Post
Thats cool.. What was so hard exactly with bleeding the MC's?
If you don't bench bleed them they just have tones of air stuck in them! Cuz they can be stuck in little pockets and just doesn't wana bleed (even power bleeding)
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Old 09-25-2012, 11:11 PM   #18
Mulisha301
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Well, I fabd up the bracket for my handle and got my cylinders all mounted etc. All that's left is to hook up the lines, going to do that this weekend. I'm probably going to cut into the lines right from inside the car along the door jam and just flare new fittings and lines myself. Just curious why you didn't do that or does it have to be done at the junction box? Thanks.
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Old 09-26-2012, 01:01 PM   #19
randyx007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulisha301 View Post
Well, I fabd up the bracket for my handle and got my cylinders all mounted etc. All that's left is to hook up the lines, going to do that this weekend. I'm probably going to cut into the lines right from inside the car along the door jam and just flare new fittings and lines myself. Just curious why you didn't do that or does it have to be done at the junction box? Thanks.
The reason I didn't cut into factory lines is because If i needed to uninstall it for repairs or problems etc (even though you could do that with your own flares also) Plus I didn't feel like messing with cutting the lines/flaring out in 20 degree weather lol

But it was extreamly easy and not messy via that junction
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Old 09-26-2012, 05:23 PM   #20
Mulisha301
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Yea that's cool... Ive got my mechanic friend comin by to help, will see which route we decide to go. Thanks for the input.
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Old 10-07-2012, 04:20 PM   #21
davidsti1
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Nice setup me like it!!
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Old 10-13-2012, 03:54 PM   #22
Mulisha301
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Just curious how did you bench bleed the cylinders exactly. Seeing how theres no resevoir to supply and return fluid too how did you do it? Thanks again..
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Old 02-07-2013, 05:09 PM   #23
randyx007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulisha301 View Post
Just curious how did you bench bleed the cylinders exactly. Seeing how theres no resevoir to supply and return fluid too how did you do it? Thanks again..
I forgot to bench bleed them, but you can bleed your brakes as regular and it SHOULD be ok (sense it uses your brake pedals resivor)

But if you want to make it easy, just bleed after the NEW brake lines (un connect them) from the Hand Brake OUT and bleed from there. Sorry for the late reply
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Old 03-26-2013, 08:40 PM   #24
Andrej
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Hi randyx007,

please be so kind and let me know how your handbrake is working in conjunction with ABS.
Can you kick the rear of the car out despite active ABS or have you deactivated/deleted the ABS?

Thank you in advance,
Andrej

Last edited by Andrej; 03-26-2013 at 08:53 PM.
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Old 03-26-2013, 10:36 PM   #25
randyx007
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abs works fine in snow/dirt and its awesome overall
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