Wesley Hooper

iTrader: (1)

I have an 88 Camaro with the stock brakes. I was wanting to swap the rear brakes for disc brakes and was curious about how money intensive the swap would be

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Depends on how much you have to spend.

Which in turn, is related to how you go about it.

Typical choices are, 89-92 3rd gen ones (1LE); 93-97 (LT1); or 98-02 (LS1) styles. You might obtain any of the above by buying a "kit" from a vendor, buying a junk car, buying a compete rear axle and ganking the brakes of of it, buying new at the parts store, or some/any combination of these. Cost can obviously vary wildly.

Check out www.bigbrakeupgrade.com for ideas. I'd suggest concentrating your research toward the "LS1" ones. Very cost-effective, work well, cheeeeep to maintain over the long term since there are SO MANY of em on the road. Replacement parts aren't likely to ever be a problem: you can walk up to ANY parts store counter and ask for ANY part for say 99 Camaro V8, and it'll be in stock. Many of the other possibilities can't offer that level of serviceability.

Whatever you do, DO NOT get the 88-back style with cast-iron calipers. If the calipers are cast iron, you DON'T want them.

If you have drum brakes now, your choices for the rears are either more limited/costly, or, you have to do more work. Not impossible or anything, just, more work; and the work must be done with a certain level of precision. We ARE talking about BRAKES here, after all; they protect yourself, and everyone else on/near the roads you drive on, from DEATH.

The ABSOLUTE WORST MOST WRONG POSSIBLE way to think about brake upgrades, is by the cost. Pay whatever it takes to get a PERFECT finished product. No flaws, no compromises, no half-assed, no alternate-ethnic engineering: PERFECT. Which doesn't necessarily mean, bone stock; just; no ***-rigging. (whatever the *** might stand for, to you) Kinda like, you wouldn't buy nuclear power plants from the low bidder (you'd get Chernobyl); treat your brakes the same way.