my brakes had always been a little weak, id have to press pretty far down on the pedal to come to a stop. i could powerbrake just fine, but i only did that like three of four times so i guess they held all right. now i have this problem to where when i first start my car and drive it somewhere after sitting for a few hours the brakes squeek and squeal like theres no tomorrow. only when i brake again do they stop. is it time for new brakes? what is included in new brakes? pads, rotors, shoes and whatnot, im a total rookie to this. i have alot of friends and my dad who knows alot about brakes, should i work on it with them or would it be best if i took it to a shop. what would be the price difference if i did it myself as opposed to a shop doing it? thanks

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1987 LG4 Camaro z28

Performance
KN airfilter, flowmaster 80 series and catco high flow converter, 180* thermostat, edelbrock performer intake, msd blaster coil

System
Panasonic CQ-DF200U deck, fosgate speakers (hpc1369, frc2246), fosgate 400a4 amp

 

Sounds like it just needs pads. If you have a pulse when you hit the brakes you may need rotors. IMO machining the rotors to get rid of the brake pulse is worthless--it usually doesn't help for very long. Normal pads will run you about 15-20 bucks for both sides. An experienced brake person can install them in less than 30 minutes easily.


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350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, currant red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

I agree that you probably just need front brake pads. Get good ones though, something like copper mettalic. Usally the lifetime warranty ones from O'Reiily's or Autozone or wherever are pretty good, just stay away from the cheap cheap ones.

Also if after you replace the front pads if you don't have good pedal feel then you probably need to replace the master cylinder. None of this is very hard but you probably will need a little guidance with bleeding the master cylinder the first time you do this.

 

thanks for the replies, now im just wondering if i go to have it done at a brake place, how likely would it be that they find something else that needs to be done, like what if they say i need new rotors? i dont feel a pulsating sensation when i brake. its just the squealing that is bothering me. the extra braking force to stop the beast doesnt bother me. you said that it would cost about 20 bucks for both sides for pads, what would it cost to have them installed? i dont wanna have to pull the stuff apart myself and screw something up (again) =)