Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
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Car: 87 Firebird, 89 Trans Am
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Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
Hey everyone. Thought I'd share the results of my recent brake swap. First I'd like to say Scott at BigBrakeUpgrade was great to work with and answered all my questions. This setup is/was still a little in development so we didn't know if it would work out.
I really liked the looks of the C7 swap in this thread: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/brak...ette-base.html
so I started looking for a set of C7 base calipers. While I was looking, I saw that Cadillac ATS front calipers looked identical to the C7 calipers. I took the plunge and bought them then sent them off to Scott to verify my thoughts. He confirmed that the calipers were the same as the C7 calipers. I had him set me up with spindles, 1LE hubs, brackets, and braided brake lines. According to Scott, the 1LE hubs really help with correctly aligning the caliper and rotor.
Now for some pics:
Calipers
Fresh out of the box from Scott
Factory brakes
ATS setup
I really liked the looks of the C7 swap in this thread: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/brak...ette-base.html
so I started looking for a set of C7 base calipers. While I was looking, I saw that Cadillac ATS front calipers looked identical to the C7 calipers. I took the plunge and bought them then sent them off to Scott to verify my thoughts. He confirmed that the calipers were the same as the C7 calipers. I had him set me up with spindles, 1LE hubs, brackets, and braided brake lines. According to Scott, the 1LE hubs really help with correctly aligning the caliper and rotor.
Now for some pics:
Calipers
Fresh out of the box from Scott
Factory brakes
ATS setup
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Car: 87 Firebird, 89 Trans Am
Engine: 406, LB9
Transmission: T56, 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen, 2.73 Posi
Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
I was also able to check something that I'm sure others will be curious about. Fitment in factory 16" crosslace wheels. The setup fits within the barrel of the wheels. However, a 2"+ spacer would be necessary to get the face of the caliper to clear the spokes. I was running 2" spacers because my wheels have 4th gen backspacing. With the 1LE hubs (0.375") + rotors (0.340") I need something around a 1.25" spacer to get everything tucked back in the same.
Here's some pictures of the ATS setup in a 16" wheel. These were taken with the spacer in.
Here's some pictures of the ATS setup in a 16" wheel. These were taken with the spacer in.
#3
Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
Are you able to measure the clearance between the caliper and barrel of the wheel for me? I'm trying to fit the Z51 brakes which are the same caliper but on a 13.6" rotor with the same wheels and I'm not sure if theyll fit or not. Setup looks great btw
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Car: 87 Firebird, 89 Trans Am
Engine: 406, LB9
Transmission: T56, 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen, 2.73 Posi
Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
I'll be able to measure tomorrow. It will be tight. That's taking ~.5" of clearance.
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Car: 87 Firebird, 89 Trans Am
Engine: 406, LB9
Transmission: T56, 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen, 2.73 Posi
Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
At the tightest point, there is about 0.625" clearance between the caliper and wheel barrel. I'd like to measure the distance from the spindle centerline to the outer edge of the caliper. That will be a good measurement for everyone.
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Car: 87 Firebird, 89 Trans Am
Engine: 406, LB9
Transmission: T56, 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen, 2.73 Posi
Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
I measured from the spindle centerline to the outer edge of the caliper. They measure 7 3/8".
#7
Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
Oh that's really helpful, thanks man. The centerline measurement will probably tell me if they'll it for sure and is a good measurement to have out there for anyone trying this out. Thanks again, your setup is inspiring me to try this swap
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Car: 88 IROC Z/28-under re-construction
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Re: Cadillac ATS/C7 Base Front Caliper Swap
No backing plate? Splash guard
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