Hey guys. I have a 1949 buick super 50 that I run a 3rd gen rear in. The tag on the rear is (p/n 10054239) 3.27 out of a 1988 GTA I believe. The calipers came with the rear. I recently took the pads off and threw them away OF COURSE. If I didn't need them they would be a tripping point for the next three weeks! When I went to pep boys, they brought out pads for a 1988 pontiac GTA and they were TOTALLY different. She proceeded to bring out 15 boxes and try all of them. None fit. The only numbers that I can fin on the calipers are a small 15 and 426. Can anyone suggest a solution?

 

If the gear ratio is 3.27 its a 9 -Bolt Borg Warner. I bought mine at Advance Auto. When you go back in specify that you have that rear end because most third gens had 10 bolts so it is probably the default in their system.

 

Up to 88, the 9-bolt rears had iron calipers. 89-up, they got the aluminum PBR calipers.

My guess is, they were bringing you pads for the 89+ PBR calipers, because your calipers in the pics certainly are the iron calipers.

 

The pad is a 202 or D202, its almost identical to a 154/D154 (the front pad).
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...75-post13.html
Dont use a semi metallic back there, unless all you do is race short tracks they will not get hot enough to become useful.

FYI it does not matter if its a Camaro, Firebird, 10 bolt, 9 bolt... the rear pads for those earlier style calipers are all the same.

 

1. Went to auto zone. The guy said they cannot change the search due to the rear. Searched for 1988 GTA. Does not have the pads in stock. Cannot get them from the hub. Left empty handed

2. Went to pep boys. Asked them to search "202" or "d202". D202 showed promise in the form of wagner pads. They are discontinued. Of course. Asked him to search a 1985 Camaro rear disc. He brought out pads which are in the pics I have attached, but they dont look like the originals. The original pads had some sort of retaining frame to hold one to the piston. These pads dont seem like a fit to me but I am wrong MANY times a day.

3. Called Advance and asked them to search "d202". He insisted that camaro has shoes in the rear. I hung up.

 

Where do you live? Remind me never to travel there.

Get some front pads in organic then. They will fit, just a little more difficult to install the calipers have to rotate them into place instead of just sliding them on. The rears have a tiny clip that fits around the piston and under the inboard pad, but I'm pretty sure its not absolutely necessary.

 

PBR calipers started in 88 not 89, but the calipers shown in this thread are the older iron calipers.

 

Not quite sure what you mean by organic. Part numbers?

I live in Philadelphia.

 

madmax, according to your link here; https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/po...75-post13.html

The brake pads they showed me at pep boys (PD154mr) look VERY similar to what I need. Could I use these pads?

 

Yes the front and rear pads are the same except for the tab opposite the wear indicator is trimmed off. You can install them anyway, or remove that portion. The photo I put up has a red line on it where they cut the backing plate.

Organic=soft material
If you run a semi-metallic or worse yet ceramic or carbon pad in the rear, the rear brakes will never get hot enough to do much if any braking at all. They'll just happily slide across the rotor doing virtually nothing. Cant believe they're NA in Philly, that just makes no sense. I sure hope thats not happening everywhere.

About the changeover year, 1989 was the year the PBR's started, not 1988.

 

According to all the parts lists PBR rears started in 88, goto rockauto.com, advanced auto, autozone, acdelco website and look up the rear calipers listed for 88 thirdgen. Not sure what the discrepancy is? Maybe it came on the 10-bolt disc rear in 88?

Here is the vehicle list on acdelco's website for the PBR caliper and they list the 88 thirdgen.

 

If they started before 89, it wasn't on 3rd gens.....You really wanna trust these stores, more than the members here on TGO? Who KNOW 3rd gens?

Be my guest, but you'll be sorely disappointed when you home to put the parts on.

 

Parts lists are almost always wrong. Those are. Go find some people with 88's, ask them what brakes are in back. Do some searching, find a white book, 1989 was the intro year for PBR's in back.

 

82-88 for the old-style Delco-Moraine iron calipers, 89-92 (actually 89-97 since the 93-97 versions are nearly identical) for PBR's.

JamesC