CamarosRUS

where can i find a 2 piston caliper for the front of my 91z i want to get powerslot rotors for it and also a stock sized 2 piston caliper for more grabbing power. someone help me out please

Ward

iTrader: (1)

Its not as simple as just bolting on a 2 piston caliper. The only cars which came stock with 2 piston calipers were 1LE equipped cars, but those are a rare sight at the junk yard, and buying the components used will cost 800 to 1000 dollars. Baer's track kit is around $1000, which I believe is a bolt on installation.

This page has information on upgrading to 1LE front brakes, but you much modify your stock spindles, and the parts from GM are not cheap.
http://www.ws6transam.org/1LEbrake.html

CamarosRUS

ooooooo so you cant just replace my one piston factory with a better 2 piston one like this one from summit (please look!) http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=4491

i want to get new rotors too but would it be better to just upgrade my stock drums in the rear then up front just get slotted rotors and better brake pads????

ebmiller88

iTrader: (7)

You can't just bolt the 1LE calipers onto stock iroc single piston caliper spindles. You have to mod the spindles, get the brackets, etc.

Try AndyZ28 or Spohn for 1LE setups, complete.

HTH..Ed

Ward

iTrader: (1)

That caliper might work, but I am not sure. Even if it did bolt in place of the stock caliper, you would still be stuck with 10.5" front rotors which is more of the problem than the caliper.

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

rotors won't make you stop any faster..........that is unless they are larger with a higher piston count caliper like 2, 4, or 6!


pick up a cheap 2 piston baer kit anywhere from 500 to 800 without options or you can go 1-le for a little more........

4 piston systems start around 1200 and up....

if you need to know pricing on 6 piston systems your in the wrong place. good luck, read up in the future so as not to get burned quite so easily.

BretD 88GTA

That caliper won't fit your stock mounting bracket. It fits only the earlier style GM cars.

89firechicken

we have a few options for brakes. you can go the 1le steups from either baer, spohn, or ssbc, their all the same thing with the exception of price and name. or if your running big wheels global west makes a wilwood 6 piston kit for our cars.

Dewey316

where are you finding Alcon for that price.

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

do a search my good man........there out there so long as you don't go with some special rotor. it's all about the options.

i'd post it but moderators get on me for that stuff.........if your really into purchasing them you will find great prices for almost anything. i would have went with something like that but i didn't like the brand who made them for that cheap. that and even though they are 4 piston they don't look nearly as good as baers 2 piston....which is more than enough for the street.

Dewey316

ohhh i though from your previous post you were refering to baer 4 piston kits for 1200 clams. and i just about **** my pants and went for the ol' check book.

Matthew91-Z28

Wait a sec......is everyone absoulutely sure that these calipers won't work for 3rd gens???

They are designed for "GM style mounted caliper". ILE was an option that is pretty tough to find these days. You would not think that this company was only marketing calipers for those who are already satisfied (ILE owners) with their brake systems.


And what defines stopping power is the degree of friction applied and the surface area over which that friction is applied. So it does not matter how big your rotor is, as long as the pad is long/wide enough to utilize the increased area of the rotor.

I'm supposing that 2-piston calipers can use a pad with largere surface area more efficiently than a 1-piston caliper....

So...if these calipers work for a 10.5 rotor and stock (non-1LE) spindles, go for it. Spend $200 doing that, or spend $800-$1000 on a baer setup that may work mildly better.

Who knows? I'm just piecing it together here.

-Matt

Dewey316

and yes the size of the rotor does mater, because give the same friction constant, pad size, and clamping force, the larger rotor will win because of leverage.

BretD 88GTA

Yes, this has been looked into before and they do not fit third generation caliper brackets.

Well, you're theory might be true IF the pads were SIGNIFICANTLY larger. However, the PBR pads are pretty much the same size as the standard pads. In fact, the calipers aren't much different in regards to how big they are. So, to increase friction surface you need bigger rotors. Look at any car make – from GM to Porsche, when they put good brakes on their cars they use larger rotors. It's the most efficient method.

Matthew91-Z28

DAMN!!

Would have been really cool if they did work though, wouldn't it?

Guess this is why I'm a doctor and not an engineer (sounds familiar doesn't it??).

Crap....Well, I guess if maintaining, restoring, and modifying 3rd gens were easy, then everybody would be doing it.

I'm going to have around 330hp this summer and really need to beef up the stopping power. I dig the baer system but the cheapest complete set I've seen is around $900 though. Pretty penny. Hope its worth it.

-Matt

gtaguy87

If i was going to spend $1200 i would spend it on making my car faster. One your car is real fast thats when you got to worry about stopping it.

BretD 88GTA

Matt,
FWIW, here's what I have invested in my 1LE front brake upgrade:

For $600 to $700 you can do the 1LE upgrade at the wheels. The prop. valve, hoses and maybe a master cylinder will add to that cost.

Here's what I've spent on my 1LE upgrade so far: (at the wheels)
Slotted 1LE rotors - $149.00 (eBay)
Carriers, brackets, hardware - $325.00 (Spohn)
Calipers - $123.00 (includes $55 core charge - AutoZone)
Pads - $80 EBC Greenstuff (Tirerack.com)

Total = $677.00


Additional items I've pruchased:
New GM master cylinder - $137 (Dal at VanDevere Olds/Buick) (You can go with Pep Boys or AutoZone for $30 if you don't mind their rebuilds)
New GM 1LE prop. valve - $49 (gmpartsdirect.com)
Spare set of spindles and machine work on them - $100 (fellow third genner)
New spindle nuts and washers - $10 (Pep Boys)

Cosmetic items:
Powder coating and zinc plating - $80

Items left to buy:
Steel braided hoses (FREE - going with a replacement set from Russell Performance)
Timken bearings and seals ($40)


When it's all said and done I will still come in under the price of Baer or SSBC and that inlcudes the new master cylinder and prop. valve (which Baer and SSBC do not include) AND the painting and plating (again, which Baer and SSBC do not include).

Here's a pic of one of my spindles with the bracket and carrier attached:

CrazyHawaiian

Wait wait ... the calipers are only $129??? What kind of calipers are those? You got a part number? Thanks!!

Like Matt I plan to upgrade my brakes on my 91z pretty soon here. The 1LE setup seems to be the best bang for the buck that will still allow the stock 16's to fit (for daily driving).

BretD 88GTA

The calipers are PBR's remanufactured by Fenco. AutoZone carries them – part numbers are C364 and C365.

CamarosRUS

the way i figure it is im going to do mainly drag racing and ill have plenty of room to stop there so im not too worried (untiul later) about good brakes. i am however going to upgrade to disc in the back then just keep my one piston calipers up front and get those truly awesome greenstuff pads. later on in life when i have the cash i will get 6 pistons al around!

Benny

Crazy, I got a price of $137 for the calipers each from Salt Lake Carquest, but has a core of $55. This is for a friends 1LE conversion.

To everyone else: After going from a '92 Z28 5.7 J65 4 wheel disc. (10.5" front) to a B4C with 1LE, the difference is night and day. Stops fast with alot less fade.

BretD 88GTA

$137 each for rebuilds? At that price you can just about buy brand new calipers thru a GM source such as Dal or gmpartsdirect.com. I paid $34 each plus a total of $55 in core charges.

Also, a guy on eBay recently sold a set of brand new GM in-the-box front AND rear PBR calipers for $400. Wish I had caught that deal in time.

Benny

You paid only $34 for brand new 1LE front calipers?????????

Matthew91-Z28

You're the man. There was an article in superchevy about a 1LE upgrade and they were using rebuilt PBR calipers. But I had no idea you could get them thru autozone. Nice.

How big are those 1LE rotors by the way??

I dream of finding a 1LE parts car, untouched, in a slavage yard.

Thanks for the super info. It helps alot

BretD 88GTA

Benny, my calipers are not brand new. They are remanufactured. They look brand though.

BretD 88GTA

The rotors are just under 12". The standard stock rotors are 10.5".

AutoZone carries the PBR's remanufactured by 3 different companies: Fenco, Morse and ARI. The Fenco calipers are the cheapest. The Morse and ARI version are "loaded" and come with pads and hardware.

Also, you will need new banjo fittings to attach the brake hoses. These are a dealer only part (#10286122) and do not come with the calipers. The size is M10 x 1.0. Another option is to get Aeroquip or Earl's fittings thru Summit Racing.

Finding a 1LE "parts car" will be a difficult propostion at salvage yard. No one I know has ever come across one. You would have better luck watching eBay or some of the other message boards at sites like www.CamaroZ28.com, www.1LE.net, etc...

ebmiller88

iTrader: (7)

I used the Fenco Reman'd front dual piston calipers from Auto Zone in my 1LE upgrade. After I took my "cores" back in, they ran me $55 for the pair.

Ed

B4C Hawaii

If you are doing an upgrade how can you have 1LE "cores" to bring back in, will they accept the single piston as a core.

ebmiller88

iTrader: (7)

I know it was sleazy, but you gotta love chicks working at auto parts stores. A knowledgeable parts guy probably would have caught this.

B4C Hawaii

Thats pretty cool!