Linson

i have an 89 Formula 350 and i want to replace the front and rear brakes with a Baer Kit or any other aftermarket kit.

NOBODY MAKES THAT!?? i called Baer, SSBC - even the kits that they advertize as FOR 82-92 w/16 inch wheels, they say wont fit my car.

i would really rather not use another rim other than the factory deep dish hi-techs.

anybody know anything?

-Linson

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

flynbye.com Ed, is a member on this board... he will make anything you want, and has numerous kits available already for our cars.. check it out.. pricing is great too.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

You don't have 16's?

luvofjah

iTrader: (2)

www.aerospacecomponents.com

http://aerospacecomponents.com/index...d=18&Itemid=69

makes a nice set for the front... drag or street, but pricey...

Some steel braided lines and good brake pads really help stock stuff, and a bit cheaper than $800

Rafael

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

THINK about "brakes" and their size for just a minute.

Start out with a 16" wheel. That means you get 8" between the tire bead and the center of the spindle. The wheel has some amount of thickness; say, ½", by the time the whole shape of the inside face of the rim around the bead is accounted for. You're down to 7½", at the very outside of the wheel, right under the bead. As you know, wheels are somewhat cone-shaped for strength, meaning they get smaller as you get toward the center. Let's say, ½" smaller.

OK, you get the picture. You've got 7" of space in there, with a normal 16" wheel. That's IT.

Now assume you want to put a larger rotor in there; say, 12", like the stock LS1 size, or typical "upgrade" (NOT lightweight one-time-use drag race setups). OK, that's 12", and half of that is 6". Then a caliper has to go over the top of that; how thick is a caliper? a half inch maybe? plus it has to clear the outside edge of the rotor, at least enough that if something wobbles nothing gets destroyed, let's say by another ¼" or so maybe, right? That means the outside of your caliper is now 6¾" from the center of the hub, and the inside of your wheel is 7" from the center of the hub. How much space is left in between there?

Then on top of all that, your wheels have a "special" "feature" on the inside that makes them EVEN SMALLER in there than the ideal, optimum 7" I just described. Some other 16" wheels will fit, BUT NOT certain of the Firebird wheels, specifically the "crosslace" ones.

THAT'S why nobody make a brake kit that fits your car. IT WON'T FIT THE WHEELS. Fits the car just fine; just, your wheels are too small inside to fit the brakes.

Nothing Baer, or SSBC, or ANYBODY ELSE, can do about your wheels. If there's no room inside them to fit a set of brakes, then .... there's no room inside them to fit a set of brakes. No matter whose name is on the box. It's all just numbers, very easy to see how it all works, if you just stop and think about it for a bit.

However, if you take those off and put something else on there, a whole new world opens up, because all of a sudden, MAYBE there's some space!!

So, it mostly comes down to, either you want brakes that stop your car, or you want those wheels. Take your pick. One or the other, not both.

Personally, I know which one I'd take. (aside from, that I don't like those gaudy 80s bling wheels at all, they look silly to me, but that's just me, you plainly feel differently) You could always just put your stock wheels in the attic and run something else THAT FITS larger brakes for the meantime.

Linson

great input. thanks guys.

sofakingdom, while your post came off as condescending, there was a lot of good information to be had, so i appreciate your time in writting it.

UPDATE: i may be willing to go with a factory 17x9-ish wheel from a 4th gen Trans Am. friggin impossible to find nice tires for 16" wheels anyway. does anyone know about fitment of say a 2002 TA WS6 wheel on a 3rd gen Formula? probably need spacers in the front...

just ordered some AS&M LTRs. wanna get this wheel & brake issue out of the way before i order the heads, cam, rest of engine stuff.

back story: the engine and brakes are being overhauled because the car (which has < 30,000 miles on it, has sat for about 18 years.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Yup, you'll need spacers... somthing in the 1¾ - 2" range.

Other wheels you could consider might include Vette ones; same basic fitment.

Yeah I know sometimes just about anything can seem condescending, when it gets basic enough. But it's easier to write it with EVERY detail in there, starting like from kindergarten, than to argue with somebody about "but... but.... I want it real bad and I don't want to pay anything for it, SOMEBODY just HAS TO make it for me don't tell me the truth tell me what I want to hear!!!" but they can't "get" the physical reality of why it is not possible. Not saying you're like that necessarily, but it happens ALOT. Gets real tiresome. Best to be as clear as possible from the get-go.

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

I have the 16" Deep Dish Formula wheels. It is difficult! Lots of time, re-fitting, time, patience, re-fitting...you get the picture. Ed is the Man - you'll need lots of time and patience but it can be done.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/brake-board/594223-ed-miller-brake-fitment.html

Linson

[quote=sofakingdom;4840726]

yeah, my main concern is rubbing in the front, what with the wider rim and tire.

maybe, but if possible, i would like to stay away from anything OVERTLY Cheverolet, and not Pontiac like ZR1s.

sure, but i stand by "Guys WTF" because i think that the aftermarket offerings in general are a slap in our collective faces. there isnt even a "mainstream" CAI kit for a 3rd gen Firebird.

Linson

thanks, man. TBH, patience is something that i dont have.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

Ed makes a 12.2"x1.25" Wilwood FSL kit for the firebird guys. Should be very capable. An I believe fits all firebird 16" wheels.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

yeah, the setups made to fit the crosslace wheels, since they neck down a lot just behind the wheel face.

Linson

thanks for all the help guys.

UPDATE: in the interest of staying on budget, this is the course of action: use stock replacement parts (for now) and buy the 17" wheels/tires and sit on them until i can better afford a "big brake" system.

just ordered:
GMPP Fast Burn Heads
Edelbrock Hi Flow Base Plate
ZZ4 Cam
AS&M LTRs
new lifters
24 lb/hr injectors
1.5 RRs
Scat Forged Rods
Fluidampr
Cloyes Double Roller Timing Set

unfortunately im going to have to get some (probably ugly) 245/50/16s. for the short term (hopefully) until i can upgrade the brakes. Riken?