fst2qtrmile

i bought rotors for my 88 trans am on ebay from trinet auto sports. They are cross drilled rotors.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWN%3AIT
That link is the purchase. If im not mistakes, the 1LE package are on 89 and up correct??? I question this because I have 4 wheel disc brakes. At auto zone the 4 wheel disc brakes note that they are dual piston calipers. But the 2wheel disc rear drum are noted at single piston calipers. The odd thin is, is a i have 4 wheel disc with single piston calipers. Autozone computers deny that. Are the computers at autozone as stupid as the people that work there - no offense if ou work there or have family work there. Also I was wondering the difficulty on replacing these rotrs. I have replaced rotors before but not like thses. Do i have to repack wheel bearings and all??? I have only replaced the rotors that slip over lug bolts. These have the bolts built into the rotor, looks like the bearings go inside there. I have never taken these off before and what are common problems? As you can tell, i am new to the 3 gen f bodys so bear with me. Im more of an import person (97 eclipse GSX T04 turbo). help please.

kairles

iTrader: (2)

the 1LE cars got 2 piston calipers with 12" rotors all others have single piston calipers I say go to a different parts store

and yes you should repack you bearings its not that hard get a haynes or chilton manuel for you car

fst2qtrmile

hey thanks. i never have in my life have taken off rotors like this - sound like a rookie huh - but im not, just a rookie to these setups. import guy here converting to american muscle. Anyways, thanks. TTYL

TKOPerformance

Don't feel bad about not being able to find the right parts int he parts tore computer. A friend of mine has a '95 F150 Lightening. What we've come to find out over the years is that the truck was basically built from Ford's parts bin and has parts that shouldn't be on an F150, but no computer lists the Lightening as a seperate model. The trans was only available in 250 & 350 trucks, the engine was only available in 250 trucks. The front crossmember is from a 4X4 F350 (the Lightening is 2WD). It's tough to keep it all straight.

On F-body rotors you will have to remove the wheel bearings, clean them, and re-pack them with fresh grease IF the bearings are still good. Then you have to set the bearings up. There should be a descriptin on how to do this in your service manual (Haynes manuals have a good description).

The good thing about the F-body style rotors is that you can't warp the rotors by over tightening the lug nuts like you can on a car that uses the slip on rotors. I found that out the hard way on my WRX. I'm the exact opposit of you. I started off with american muscle, but when time came to buy a daily driver the WRX couldn't be beaten for the price. It really changed my opinion of imports. Some of them are actually fast!

fst2qtrmile

i just bought outer and inner wheel bearings for both sides. I have bought cross drilled slotted rotors. Bought hawk brake pads and 2 brand new brake calipers. I plan on buying stainless steel brake lines at one point too. But is there anything any of you guys can think of repalcing while im there and apart???? SUGGESTIONS. common problems. im new to F-BODYS and never repacked wheel bearing but im sure im capable of doing. LET ME KNOW. thanks

TKOPerformance

The calipers on an F-body are floating style. Check the pins that hold the calipers (allen head bot that holds the calipers on) for wear. If they're work replace them. Make sure your new calipers ahve new bushings to ride on the pints. Always put anti-sieze on the pins to prevent locking the pin the sleeve with rust.

fst2qtrmile

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=7948992558

are those trustfull spacers because the are alot cheaper than what i am finding here on thirdgen.org????? typical ebay quaility or is this a good buy

TKOPerformance

Looks like a good deal. The specs are the same as the more expensive ones I've seen. I see no reason not to use them.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

Are the Trinet cross drilled and slotted brake rotors any good?
I saw them on Ebay as well.
Are the brake rotors front and rear the same on a '88 Firebird Formula 5.7 TPI WS6 with four wheel discs?

TKOPerformance

I would not run cross drilled rotors on the street. These are designed for race cars. The main reason the rotors are drilled is to save weight. Eventually cracks form between the holes, and the rotor can fail. This isn't a problem on a race car as they are inspected regularly and changed often.

I'd use slotted rotors instead. The slots work to de-gas the pads for better braking, without the liability of the cross drilling. I would go with just a slotted rotor for the street. I run them on my WRX and the improvement in braking and rotor stability (resistance to warping) is greatly improved. Mine are from Stillen. I'd see if they offer them for the 3rd gen (I think they do). Tell them you want the pilar vane slotted rotors. They have a huge selection now.

fst2qtrmile

I DISAGREE!!!!! i bought those trinet rotors from ebay and they still holding up fine. better braking by far over stock rotor. Weighs alot less too. still holding stron on track and daily driving. no sign of cracks. trinet has some good rotors. I used the cross drilled slotted rotors. KEY THING: when u replace your wheel bearings, the inner wheel bearing is going to come off a 3rd gen trans am with 4 disc brakes and the outer wheel bearing will be off a 3rd gen firebird front disc rear drum. very key factor there. Or just use your old bearings but id recommend replacing them with nice timken bearings and a nice new grease. My opinion - standing by it strong

TKOPerformance

I've seen plenty of cross drilled rotors on street cars that didn't have a problem. I still won't run them, because of the possibility. Most brake companies will give you this same advice. The slotted ones on my car improved braking dramatically. Pad life also went up, and the rotors have not warped yet in 15,000 miles, where the stock ones use to make the wheeels feel square at 10,000. To each his own.

Definately replace the wheel bearings too if you are still running the stock nylon caged ones. These are really Mickey Mouse in my opinion.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

@TKO, do you have part#'s for the rotors you use?
And a website maybe?
And what bearings do you suggest? (part #'s?)
( and I DO like Mickey Mouse.... )

TKOPerformance

www.stillen.com go to the Brake Pros section, you want part number GM1200, they are $170 for the pair plus shipping (probably about $50).

Inner bearing w/ race N60748 (NAPA part number BR6 cost $6.23 each) Outer bearing w/ race LM12749 (NAPA part number BR34 $8.29 each) You will need two of each to do both rotors. The bearing numbers will cross into any bearing manufacturer (they all use a standardized numbering system). I tend to use NAPA stuff because I get good prices there, the quality is excellent, and the people behind the counter always seem to help me out.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

Ok, thanks for the info.
No Napa stores overhere in Europe, but I'll try local partsstores!

TKOPerformance

I should have checked your info. I'm thinking shipping might be more than $50 then! The last set I ordered were like $50 to ship, but that was inside the contiguous US.

Like I said, the numbers are universal. Any parts store can use them to get you a Timken, Koyo, Bauer BCA, or other manufacturer's bearings. It's really cool how they do that. I wish everything was like that (oil filters, etc). It would make life easier.

It's really cool how many guys are on TGO that are from the UK, the Netherlans, Australia, and other countries. That's a real testament to how good this site is.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

Well, we have Mac Donalds, Burger King, Subway (recently!), Toys'rUs, Levi's, Walmart and so on, so maybe Napa or Pepboys is next (would be great....! but i doubt it, carmarket overhere is so very different, I know because i visited your country many times, and besides a lot of sightseeing, always on the hunt for Firebird parts of course..!!)

TKOPerformance

Yeah, with gas prices being what they are I know Diesels are very popular in Europe. I just keep thining about what you guys are paying for a liter of gas, and I don't mind as much when the prices at the pumps go up. 93 octane is hovering in the $2.40s per gallon here.

On a side note, are the American fast food chains in the Netherlands really nice inside? I went to a Burger King when I was in Spain and it was like a palace. Wood paneling on the walls, marble floors, it had a second floor where you could go and eat! Oh, and it was cool that I could get a beer there too.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

Fuel prices are a record high right now overhere, about $8 per gallon!
This, plus the fact that we have to pay roadtax over the weight of the car, even when not in use, is the reason I don't drive my Firebird much.
Every last sunday of the month, there's a large USA car meeting at our local MacDonalds.
Depending on the weather, about 75-300 cars show up, all makes, years, and conditions!
http://members.tripod.com/~sundaycruisers/

(My daily driver is a small Fiat Fiorino Pick-Up 1700 Diesel....)

Most MacDonalds over here are styled like the 50's, Rock and Roll etc.
And yes, some of them sell beer!

TKOPerformance

$8 per gallon! Man, we do have it easy. I keep saying that if it crests $3 a gallon here I'm making a still and turning all my yard waste into methanol. Cars are interesting here too. The day of the cheap, powerful, gas guzzling V8 cars are gone. They've been replaced by expensive, powerful, gas guzzling SUVs. Fat lot of sense that makes. I guess with cars like my WRX around what's the point of a gas guzzling V8 as a daily driver. The WRX makes 227 horses from a 2.0 turbo motor. I've run a string of 14.50s with it at the strip. I get 20+ MPG around town, and can easily top 30 on the highway. It's a 5.0 Mustang with more space and better gas milage. All the new V8 cars are so expensive, like the GTO (big disappointment).

Thanks for the link. There are some really cool cars and trucks on there. My '67 Mustang GTA fastback was a very similar color green as the one pictured on the site when I first bought it. I wish it had a 390. It took years but I finally realized that the 289 4 barrel isn't all that powerful. Hey, it was my first car.

I just remembered that my grandfather had a boat built in the Netherlands back around 1969 I think. My grandmother lived there for two years while it was being built, and then my father took it back across the Atlantic (when he was 18 with a crew of three other people!). I'll ask my Mom where they were.

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

Hey TKO, what kind of boat?
Both my late father and late grandfather were owner/ operators on cargo ships ( coastal vessels)
Their ships were built at the shipyards at the canal Winschoterdiep in places like Hoogezand/ Foxhol/ Zuidbroek ( Northern part of The Netherlands).I live close to those yards now!
My grandfathers ship was built in the 30's and the ship he owned together with my father in 1957 ( sadly it sank in the Northsea in 1985..)

It's a small world...!!

TKOPerformance

It was an '86 foot pleasure boat. He used it personally, but it was also a very valuable marketing tool for our family's business (commecial construction). He used to take clients out on the boat for the day, or run down river and have a business lunch on the boat. Our office was right on the Christiana River. He had it docked in a slip right in front of the office.

I will definately find out where it was built. It is indeed a small world!

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

TKO, when you look at this Dutch site,(it's in English!) and go to "The Dutch Coaster", or "The Port Of Groningen", you know what kind of ships I'm talking about.
It's a very interesting site about "The Little Grey Devils" as the British called them.
Their glorydays were in the 50's!
Today, they're almost all gone..!
Two years ago I made a trip on one of the survivors, the MV "Anda", the pictures of this fine ship are also on the site!
Most of them were built at the ship yards in the Nothern part of The Netherlands.
The city Groningen is where I live close by!
Enjoy this piece of maritime history...!!!
http://members.home.nl/lmjohannes/index.htm

TKOPerformance

Very interesting. I am very much a history buff, and love old iron of all types (boats, cars, planes, it doesn't matter). You can tell these ships were built it a different time. They are much more elegant than the vessles of today, where function has totally outstripped form.

BTW, I assume (possibly incorrectly) that you are a native of the Netherlands. Where did you learn English? Your writing is perfect (better than mine most of the time!).

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

TKO,
Thanks, I'm Dutch, but i like England and the USA a lot, so I payed extra attention during the English lessons at highschool I guess.....
Anyway we all have to learn some basic English at school, most of us forget, I didn't...!
And besides that, owning an American car in this country is only possible when you know something about the English language!
( that's why I found this board as well, some 6 years ago!)

Those ships are beautifull aren't they?
Some years ago I was waiting for the ferryboat to take me to the outerbanks of North Carolina, and I noticed they had sunk about 4 (former Dutch?) old coasters as a seawave barrier, that's where they end....

TKOPerformance

Yeah, Europe places a higher priority on teaching languages than the US. It seems like every exchange student I've met speaks at least three or four. My friend who was an exchange student from Denmark speaks at least four and can understand several others (apparently Norse, Sweedish, and Dannish are all similar, but Finnish is totally different). I speak English, and often badly. If I practice I can speak fluent Spanish, but when I don't use it for a while I get rusty.

It's a shame when they destroy old ships and the like. I've seen footage from after WWII of Corsairs being litterally chopped in half. Stuff like that breaks my heart. Like watching a new movie where they wreck old cars.

My grandfather's boat was built in the Netherlands in '70-'71. Apparently the shipyard that turned it out was going bankrupt as it was finishing the boat, so he moved it to England, then Spain, and finally to Italy where is was fully completed. The IRS attempted to take him to court over it, because they claimed it was a "constructive dividend", and that he therefore owed tax on the cost of the boat. He proved that the boat was purchased by one of his companies for conducting corporate business, and that any time he used the boat for personal reasons he paid the company the boat's charter fee out of his own pocket. That's what we call sticking it to the man! I'll ask my Mom or my uncle where it was built over the weekend. I got the above information from a collection of old newspaper articles I have about my grandfather and the family business, but they only say that it was built in "Holland". BTW, what's the deal with that? Is one name more politically correct than the other?

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

No, it doesn't matter, Holland, The Netherlands, Dutch, it's all the same in my opinion!
Would be interesting to find out the whole story behind your grandfathers ship, like where she is now ( ships are female...!).
My grandfather and father's ship was build in 1957, like I said, and we ( my mother, younger brother and me) went with her on many voyages until 1967, when my father passed away due to a heart attack at see.
My grandfather (one of a twin) sold the "TWIN", as it was called, in 1970 and I never saw her again.
Many years later, early nineties, I decided I wanted to see her again, and started searching for about a year!
Turned out to be I was too late, because she had sadly sunk in 1985 into the Northsea.
It took such a long time to find her fate, because her name and flag were both changed, and I didn't know about that!( she was renamed "Tyche"and was sailing under Hondurese flag!)
Anyway, I named our house "Twin", it's writen on the front outside wall, in the same way, same large, white capitals, like the welded capitals that used to be on the ship itself, she,(and my father and grandfather) will never be forgotten that way, I hope!