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After 25 years of service my front brakes needed to be replaced.
I looked at some LS-1 Conversion kits but don't think they would fit behind my 15" wheels.
Besides, since I only use it for a DD, I just went with the best stock replacement parts NAPA had to offer, along with a set of ceramic pads I really like from O'reillys Auto Parts.
This is my first build and is my first time doing it. I love to work on my car, so it was fun...
Total at NAPA was $ 322.75 counting the $22.50 x 2 core charge on the Calipers ( Ultra Premium Rotors were $ 80.00 ea.)
The pads were $ 44.00 .
Subtracting the $ 45.00 I get back on the cores and counting the pads and hoses it came to = $ 321.75
The peddle feels nice and tight and best part the vibration is gone.
The light is playing tricks because the caps look dented to me in the photo.
There new without any dents.
Its just a basic brake job using the best parts I could find locally.
A reputable shop here quoted me $ 650.00 to do it with who knows what parts. I do NOT like taking my car to shops so I did it myself.
I looked in the Chilton Manual , watched a few videos and read this thread , and that combination made for an easy disassembly and instalation. =
I've read a ton of information about burnishing the pads and rotors and most of that advice is pretty extreme.
The Hawks site has a reasonable set of instructions. There video about burnishing the pads and rotors could be done.
The only problem I can see about actually doing it is that I have read that city stop light to stop light driving will remove any burnishing that has taken place on the rotor. Its more for performance pads that will be used at a road track for example.
I'm just going to drive it as always and let the pads and rotors bed in.
Even though its only been a few days I really like the feel of them.
Much..... nicer as far as being smooth with slight pressure but grab well under harder pressure. It does not take much.
I've never driven a Third Gen Camaro with Performance brakes so I don't have anything to compare it to.
But if this is an indication as to what they will feel like once the pad and rotor have bedded/mated in I'm "very" happy.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; Aug 16, 2014 at 02:42 PM.
You can get all that stuff from rock auto for less than half that much. 3rd gen front disk brakes are practically the cheapest disks out there
Pocket...I checked Rockauto and you are correct. I rebuilt my rears years ago. Fronts are original....Its time for "new and improved"! I just want the car to stop!
Pocket...I checked Rockauto and you are correct. I rebuilt my rears years ago. Fronts are original....Its time for "new and improved"! I just want the car to stop!
I like Ron U.S.M.C's idea also
I have stock replacement parts on kitt. I haven't decided on anything performance yet. I just put out some ideas.
Could never spend serious money on stock thirdgen brakes. New parts store stuff is fine for that. Paint/clear it if you want it to stay looking nice. But otherwise don't buy into performance upgrades if they don't involve larger rotors and different calipers. The stock 10.5" brakes just can't hold up to any kind of extended use.
Can't wait to make my C5 brake upgrade cry. Road America, and Autobahn raceway are the perfect place to do it.
Could never spend serious money on stock thirdgen brakes. New parts store stuff is fine for that. Paint/clear it if you want it to stay looking nice. But otherwise don't buy into performance upgrades if they don't involve larger rotors and different calipers. The stock 10.5" brakes just can't hold up to any kind of extended use.
Can't wait to make my C5 brake upgrade cry. Road America, and Autobahn raceway are the perfect place to do it.
I want performance brakes that can fit under the 15 inch stock rims
I want performance brakes that can fit under the 15 inch stock rims
You'd need some thick rotors to sink that much heat. And the leverage provided by a 10.5" rotor isn't anywhere near as good as a 12" or larger rotor. You could probably do it if you combined it with cooling ducts. It could probably be done, but it would cost more than moving to a larger diameter rotor.
But realistically, if you aren't tracking it, nor having to stop from excessive speed at the strip, the stock system is fine. It'll give you that one good stop, just not much else.
That's one of the reasons I stayed with the stock set up. My wheels.
They are 15" and only offered in that size.
I have decided to keep them for a very long time.
My car had 3 previous owners and from the looks of it was driven pretty hard with no aperient front end damage.
That's not to bad for 25 years with beat up stock 10.5 in. rotors and stock hydraulics.
I'm not saying the stock set up is adequate for anything other than my DD because its not . Its lacking what GM should have put on the car in the first place . Performance.
Any way I can see where a true upgrade could be a real benefit concerning racing and very aggressive driving .
Its something I will definitely look into if I buy at least a 350 IROC-Z to play with.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; Aug 27, 2014 at 02:28 AM.
articwhiteZ ,
Dam man, talk about clean. Very nice bro.........
I'm going to look into this for future reference.
( "For $365 you can get wilwoods bolt on with wilwood pads..for $150 more new rotors all the way around.. another $30 Timken bearings and seals " )
They also make a 2 piston caliper in the same set up same price give or take 2 or 3bucks
You can get red/black /polished.
Check with summit and jegs price match for the best deal.
When I started they picking up parts for my car 4 years the price as gone up in price $10 now.And they have added a dual piston model for the guys that must have more than one piston. On a side note with this size of rotor and setup wilwood states the single piston has more clamping force. but if you want they do me the 2 piston model also direct bolt-on..
Last edited by articwhiteZ; Jul 4, 2015 at 09:49 AM.
Guys I bought almost an identical kit to the OP. I did not get slotted / drilled rotors but it seems I could have for the same money. My parts guy at oreillys said it was pointless unless I was going on the track or driving it hard (neither of which I'm doing). Thoughts?
The drilled rotors in this price category should not be used on a car that will see road course time. I have a dedicated track toy Miata and the drilled rotors that I have tried all BROKE well before the regular blanks started to develop cracks. Thank goodness they usually break after pulling into the pits during cool down.
On a street car drilled rotors are generally for bling.
C4 Vette 12" brakes (pretty much what the 1LE brakes are) fit under most 15" wheels, but the face of the caliper (the part you see behind the wheel) hits on 70's plain jane steel wheels, which i don't think i've ever seen on a third gen F body.
LS1 brakes fit behind 80's Monte SS 15X7 aluminum wheels with only a slight grinding down of the fins on the calipers- like maybe .030 dusted off with a flappy wheel on a grinder.. i don't know if that's true in all cases, since i made my own caliper brackets to put the outer edge of the pads right at the outer edge of the rotor for maximum leverage... move the caliper in a bit closer and it's a non issue..
My car was built to drive hard.. I've never had any problems with drilled and slotted rotors.. Jeep uses them along with Brembo manufactured(made by pbr) for Brembo...my camaro Has less than 50,000 miles on it and this is its third engine ..so you tell me what her driving is.. but yes dont spend your money on performance parts. Unless you're going to use them.
Last edited by articwhiteZ; Jul 6, 2015 at 02:56 PM.
The rear calipers are very rusted and so its difficult to get them off.
I got the rear left one off and the rotor, but the new pads would not fit on, so i had to stop. The pads were code 154 with the spring. I snapped the spring off - because other wise they looked identical... should that have worked?
See how clean the caliper below is. It should be just as clean inside.
I don't think you can rebuild one that can compete.
I was under the impression the cylinder can drag if the walls of the caliper are not perfect.
It could be the bleeding though.
Its not just watching for the air bubbles to disappear, its the feel of the peddle.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; Jul 21, 2015 at 02:03 AM.
No, I have drums on the rear and the shoes look good. Drums too.
So I looked for a video I watched that showed a few things extra to do with the front rotors and calipers. Cant find it.
So before we started to bleed we pushed on the peddle a few times to set the new pads against the rotor. Then slipped on the wrench and clear plastic tube and made sure the end in the bottle was in about an inch of break fluid so no air could be pulled back.
Then we did the "up" & "down" procedure removing the air but most of all the peddle being stiff. Then done.
In the video he showed to tighten down the rotor with a nut and washer. One on top and one on the bottom so it would not move during the bleeding procedure. He pushed a small amount of rag around the stud then the washer and nut so it did not scratch the rotor. The nut just hand tight.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; Jul 21, 2015 at 02:21 AM.
brake hose could also be collapsed. i would replace both sides, $30 tops and should be available over the counter at your local parts place. tough to tell from the outside if that is the actual issue, the inner membrane could be damaged restricting flow.
They also make a 2 piston caliper in the same set up same price give or take 2 or 3bucks
You can get red/black /polished.
Check with summit and jegs price match for the best deal.
When I started they picking up parts for my car 4 years the price as gone up in price $10 now.And they have added a dual piston model for the guys that must have more than one piston. On a side note with this size of rotor and setup wilwood states the single piston has more clamping force. but if you want they do me the 2 piston model also direct bolt-on..
What year i have a 1985 T/A will it fit? summit does not say
