I need more cooling air to my brake rotors and since 1LE brakes don't even have backing plates I'm thinking that I should be able to remove mine. Are they there for any reason beyond keeping water off the rotors in the rain?

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Member Southern California 3rd Generation F Bodies
Co-President Golden State 3rdgens
AOL IM: Andy89RS

 

i don't see why you couldn't but i'm not 100% sure. it would allow water to get on the rotors easier. i also doubt if it's make that much differance as far as cooling the rotors go. if you're auto crossing or something like that i'd consider making a duct system to channel air to the rotors.

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

considering your backing plates are 10" and your rotors are ~12" they probably don't do much anyway.

however I'd only remove them if you road race. then it make might a difference. For auto-x it will not matter. for street use it won't matter.

I'm guessing you don't like how it stops with the 1LE's???

what pads are in there?

 

I do not think he is equipped with 1LE. Is is not possible to install the stock backing plates (shields) on a 1LE car.
Mine does not have backing plates, front, or rear.

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82Z 305 w/comp 270 magnum cam,Edelbrock Performer RPM,Holly 1850-4,serpentine belt drive.TH700R4 w/B&M holeshot 2000 converter,& megashifter.1LE front brakes, 9bolt 3.27 w/1LE rear brakes.Aluminum driveshaft,boxed rear susp.poly everything,IROC swaybar+wonderbar. 70mph@2200rpm ASE Master Tech plus L2
also recently obtained a
'69 chevelle SS396 w/Turbo 400,3.31 posi,11.0 to 1, headers,etc. Latest project car,'86 IROC stock 305TPI hit on left side,but not too bad

 

I ended up doing the brakes yesterday and I took the plates off. They are the non-1LE brakes so they need all the help they can get for road racing. Cooling ducts are going to be installed before the next time at the track. The calipers and the rest of the brake system is fine under extreme use, but the pads and rotors were heating up way too much.

I knew the pads and rotors were done for but I had no idea just how bad it was. I was using Raybestos Brutestop pads (work great for everyday street use) on stock rotors. The pads had about 40 miles on them before the track. The pad material was almost entirely gone but that wasn't the bad part. The pads were actually bent into a nice "w" shape. The bend was enough that the outer edges had about 1/4 - 1/2" of pad left, but the low points had barely 1/16". The inner pads have great impressions of the piston, while the outer are bent around the caliper contact points there. The brake lining on 3 of the pads is cracked, and on one it shattered and is probably strewn on the side of the track somewhere. I'll be taking pictures of those and I'll post links when I get them online.

So where is the best place to get a set of Hawk Blue's anyway?

 

Your problem is not cooling ducts or backing plates. Brute stop pads are street pads, not track pads. so the heat crumpled them.

get hawk black as a minimum for road racing. if your a very serious road racer, then hawk blues, but hawk blues are not suitable for the street. blacks are barely streetable, meaning I drove 5 hours with them to the track, and back. but they are a little noisey for the street. and I guarentee Blacks will lock the brakes at will zero fade!

not that cooling ducts won't help but the proper equipment selection may mean life or death.

I have a set of hawk blacks that have one RR school on them. I'm willing to sell them for $40. I paid $54. They are like new since it was my first time, and 1/2 of it was in the rain, so the speeds were very reduced.

I have an IR temperature gun, so I take my rotor temperature after each event. I would love to chat about temps if you get a temperature gun.

 

Hmmm.... I guess my Brute stops are going straight to the trash can now! I couldn't stand all the squeeking with my Brutestops in the front of my car so I put regular dheapo pads in there for street driving and I was going to keep the Brute stops around for a track day in the future since they only had about 200 miles on them......

I kinda figured that they weren't the best thing since sliced bread for track duty, but I didn't think they would do what Andy said!! Shattered friction material - warped backing plates!!!! DEEEAAMMM!!!

Oh well, I got all winter to go through my brakes again.... I gotta get rid of those drilled rotors in the front as well since they are just asking to crack from what I have heard when it comes to thrashin on them at the track...... More wasted money on parts I didn't need....

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
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The Minnesota F-body Club