Hello
I am building a 1984 Z-28 with my son it has a 350/700R4 in it with the Holley EFI sniper. We have had trouble with the rear drums they just don't seem to work well even after new pad shoes and brake components.
We would like to install upgraded front brakes and calipers and add rear disc brakes. Who supplies a complete kit front and rear? Also do we need to do anything with the brake booster and master cylinder to make these new brake system work I thought I read we had to upgrade that as well as a portioning valve?
It would be nice to retain the parking brake but not a most have since the car is an automatic.
Looking for knowledge on buying the correct parts the first time and hoping for a bolt on kit. I am up to some modification but would prefer bolt on kit.
Thanks
Chad

 

Well, they're drums; you can't expect too much out of em. For the time being though, adjust em up as high as you can and still be able to get the drum to go on over the shoes; that'll help ALOT.

Good place to start would be bigbrakeupgrade.com. I've never dealt with them personally, but lots of others on here have, and seem to have gotten good hardware and service.

There are few to none that meet that. The strongest weakness of the fronts in our cars is the tiny rotor, and the way the caliper is attached, that can't be changed without at least a little bit of modification. But that said, the LS1 fronts require only very minimal work other than bolting on, and not only are a YUUUUUJJJJJJE upgrade to the old cast-iron system from the 60s, but also have VERY COMMON replacement parts. After all, you don't want to be in the situation where you need pads or whatever, and have to wait for a month for replacements to ship out of some foreign country or something. There are similar choices for rears. Much better to stick with something that's about 99.9% assured will be in stock at the parts store down on the corner, and will STAY that way for many years into the future. Which rules out aftermarket setups like Wilwood (not that their product is "bad", just, far less easily maintainable) or exotics like Brembo since even theirs that are offered as stock on some cars are not common at all.

Yes you will likely need to change the MC and combo valve but that will depend on what system you end up with. Some, a stock replacement might work fine. Would be incredibly stooooopid to put in all-new hydraulics elsewhere though, and leave those old rusty things with dissolving nearly 40-yr-old rubber parts in them. Probably won't "have to" change the booster, but it's cheeeeeeeep anyway, and like the MC & CV, not much sense in totally revamping your brakes and leaving ONE old failure-prone part in place. Same for your steel lines and rubber hoses.

Be aware also, that 84 was the changeover year from SAE fittings & threads, to metric. Some 84s had the one, some the other. Something to watch out for as you try to mix & match. Easily avoided if you do a TOTAL swapout.

 

Thank you for the information. I would much rather have available parts! Don't mind some modifications I will look into the LS1 swap