whats the easiest and cheapest way to convert the rear drums over to disc brakes...I dont' care if they aren't high performance, I just want disc brakes...

 

Well, I got an entire LS1 rear for $250 including disc brakes. So, if you just get the brakes, youll probably be able to get them for ~180-200 bucks. Check ebay, or 4th gen sites.

 

do they just bolt right on??? i'm not real familular with brake swaps, is there any fabricating involved, or is it pretty much just a plug and play swap??

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/t...reardisc.shtml

 

Cheapest? Do your morals frown upon stealing?

The link z28z34man posted above is your best route for inexpensive and "good " working brakes. You can find a pre-'89 complete disc brake rearend for probably $200 or less but I would not recommend going to the crappy Iron Delco/Morraine calipers- they have too many problems with pads rattling and the pistons freezing up. They are just a bad setup period and I finally round filed mine even though they had the best aftermarket componants for a 10.5" system. Don't use these, trust me.

 

alright cool, I think i'll get some LS1 discs for the rear....are the parts expensive brand new, like if I were to go to carquest and get new rotors and calipers, are they way more expensive than if I were to go to a junkyard? Then I'll just get the rest of the parts from like a junkyard...

 

go to http://www.camaroz28.com search there that will probly will be the cheapest way to find the brakes.

 

You looking for new or used setups?


Ed

 

well the majority of the parts would be used, like from a junkyard, but I would like to get new rotors and calipers just to make sure they will last a while...does anybdoy know what the ls1 calipers and rotors go for?? Or do you guys think since the parts are from a newer car, its not neccessary to get brand new stuff??

 

It depends on how good the car was taken care of. If you're set on LS1s, buy from these guys. They've always done good by me:

http://www.tacreationsusa.com/suspensi.htm

$200 for a used set of LS1s. New calipers will run you about $60 at GMPD, new rotors aren't too bad either. If the calipers are in good shape, then just install new rotors and be done with it. Personally I don't like the LS1 rear brakes on 3rd gens. You may have an issue with brake shoe rubbing if you don't get the backing plate perfectly centered on the axle flange and you'll have to fab up a bracket for the e-brake cables to work.


Ed

 

well i'll prolly just leave the ebrake off, i don't use it anyways, that should make the swap easier....but you said something about rubbing, is there maybe an easier solution to convert to disc brakes or a better option?? I don't want to go through all this work and have it not work ya know...

 

Sure is...install the LT1/1LE style rear PBR brakes that were used from'89-97. NO internal brake to worry about and they will bolt right in, no problems. You can get "new" kits for around $550 or so with rebuilt calipers, new rotors and pads, and more.

Ed

PS: I'd really use the e-brake if you could...

 

If you're interested in Ed's last suggestion, check the following thread:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=246768

JamesC

 

How do you install the '89-97 PBR rear discs on a car with drum brakes without swapping rear ends?

 

Flange mod. Check the first link. AndyZ28 also sells a CD which details the conversion (along with the 1LE fronts). Apparently, this CD can be seen in the April '05 edition of Chevy High Performance.

JamesC

 

no way i'm payin 550 bucks for rear brakes...i went all last summer without rear brakes, so i'm just worried about getting some sort of brake back there, and i want it to be disc brakes...can't i just leave the flange on there from the drum brakes, and then just cut away all the metal that i don't need, and then just mount up the caliper bracket and what not, is that the right idea?....also is the ebrake a neccessity, i've had the car for a year now, and never used it, i always feared it would just lock up the brakes on me, and it would never unlock, so i just never used it...why do i need it??

 

Pretty much like this:

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/t...reardisc.shtml

Same process in theory, just with LT1/1LE brakes.


Ed

 

No you can't. You need disc backing plates and all the disc brake parts, including different e-brake cables (unless you don't mind spending the time modding the lines you have when the correct ones will bolt right in). The e-brake is a safety issue, I'm not saying you have to have it on there but most states require it for inspections and such. Plus, should you experience what I did late last year and have the METAL brake line bust on you, you'll need the e-brake to slow you down when all the brake fluid has drained out of the lines. This was on my Silverado but the same principle applies.

James did a nice swap on his car. In my '88 Iroc I just swapped to an '89 rear which had the bigger brakes I wanted.


Ed

 

I blew my rear gears over the summer a few days after I was at the track. Car was down for a few weeks while I was trying to find parts.

I bought an LS1 rearend out of a '98 TA for $225 and picked it up with my mom's minivan. Gave me a newer rearend (though no real design improvements, had less miles) and large 12" LS1 rear disc brakes. My ebrake isn't hooked up currently, and its kind of annoying because every once in a while you can hear the bracket rubbing the driveshaft because its not under any kind of tension. Someone is currnetly trying ot figure out exactly which brake cables to use for it.

Anyways, for $225 I got new LS1 brakes. Now, I did have to eventually replace a caliper, but that wasn't too bad on the wallet. All I had to do was buy a $3 brake line and re-make one of the caliper lines to fit into my stock T-block. No other mods besides that.

I got the added bonus of the "built-in spacers" as well. The axles are 1 5/8" longer on each side, so they kick your stock rims out a bit. Looked kinda cool in my opinion. What was nice about it though is when I switched to 4th gen wheels, I didn't need to buy a spacer.

Aside from the e-brake stuff, the only drawback with LS1 rear brakes is that you are forced to run 16" wheels for the rest of your car's life. My TA mesh wheels BARELY cleared the calipers.

 

so i just got into this discussion and i am looking into swapping...i have my 87 formula with drums and i just inherited another 86 trans am with discs. i was going to swap the whole rear? and put gears in the rear at the same time. is this smart.??? or if i found a fourth gen. would i be able to then swap entire rears? withouit to much work? what should i do?

 

You need to consider a few things on the swap: are the rears the same ratio? By swapping gears I'll assume you plan on changing them anyway. If so, determine which rear you are going to use and install the brakes of your choice on that rear. Personally, unless you rebuild the calipers with the recall kit, I wouldn't install them on a "new" rear. I'd upgrade to the '89-97 LT1/1LE PBR rear discs, they are dependable and work. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with the old iron calipers with a reputation for siezing up. IMO, it's not smart. Unless you install the gears yourself..

I'd buy a rear, disc or drum, with the gear ratio you are looking for an a posi, and then upgrade to the better PBR rear discs, then you'd be all set. Yes, a 4th gen rear will bolt right in.

Ed

 

Ed and whoever else this may concern. I just swapped LT1/1LE brakes on my 86 drum rear. the swap was straight forward except that i cannot run the stock vibration dampers because they hit the panhard rod mount. I also had to machine .080 off the main mounting bracket to get the caliper bracket to be centered on the brake rotor, is this normal? the brakes were off a 95 TA

 

cheapest solution for good rear brakes?


goto 4thgen boards...

find a 4thgen and buy the ENTIRE rear. it'll be between free to $300.


you then get:

• better gear ratios
• posi
• rear disc brakes
• keep your rear as a spare incase you break it at the track.

 

also... i prefer the PBR (late 3rdgen and LT1 style) rear brakes to the LS1 ones.


the LS1 ones require grinding if you want to run 15" drag tires.
the PBR ones dont.

 

No..you should have shimmed the backing plate a bit to center the carrier over the rotor. IIRC, AndyZ28 has the shims available or you could have bought some machinist shim stock and made your own.

I just remove the iron vibration dampers from any 4th gen calipers I use or rebuild. They aren't really needed and if you run LCA Relocation brackets, they will hit them.

Ed

 

shimming would have done nothing, if anything i would have needed to shim the rotor out. the caliper bracket was rubbing the inside of the brake rotor. so i took .080 off the backing plate where the caliper bracket mounts and i was good to go. that is why i kinda hijacked the post because i have never heard of anyone having to do this. for what it is worth i am running '89 28 spline axles and a Zexel diff in my original 86 rear. got any more clues?

 

Hmmm...got me. I'd have to see it up close to put any more comments on it, guess it was an odd situation.

Ed

 

I've only seen one other thread mentioning this hitch with LT1 rear disks. I've just completed the conversions of LT1 rear disks on to my 92 RS. I used the sock rear spacer (0.142") from 16" wheels inside the rotor to move it out enough to clear the caliper carrier.

 

I also run the spacer on my '88 Iroc rear discs, I thought the wheels were a bit "tight" when I went to the '89 rear so I put them on. I still can't figure the difference in axles though...

Bill, nice ride...are you going to the F body Event in Memphis this year?

Ed

 

Thanks
No, I wont be in Memphis this year. Hopefully I'll be finishing a TPI conversion around then.

 

Thats it then guys, i am not running the spacer between the rotor and axleshaft. i did not want to do that because i was worried about heat transfer and didnt want my rotor to warp. So i just milled the backing plate instead of putting the spacer between the axle and rotor. i do however plan to run the spacer between the rotor and the rim. maybe my heat concerns are just retarted, i just didnt feel good with a spacer between a brake rotor and the hub.

 

I'm not going to berate you choice, because considered that too, but the the spacer will be exposed the same amount of heat whether it is inside or outside the rotor and that the biggest heat sink that the rotor has for dissipating heat is the wheel itself not the axle shaft.

 

I thought about that more after i posted and Axoid you are correct, it really wont matter much either way i suppose. While i was still a college student (i graduated in Dec.) i worked part time as a mechanic for the university. we ordered aluminum rims for all our on campus transit busses and we were amazed at how much longer the brakes lasted with the additional heat transfer of the aluminum rims. i guess i should have thought of that, but I dont really think it matters much. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

 

LT1 rear brake swappers! What did u do about ur brake lines??? I have the stock hard line going from the master cylinder to the rear end, but i'm stuck from there.. I looked at the russel 93-97 braided brake lines but they are close to 100 bucks! Other options??

 

Which brake lines are you talking about...the flex lines? Use a 1LE rear set, they'll bolt right in.

If you need a set of them, PM me.

Ed

 

I use 1LE braded kit from Earls and for the hard lines on the axle I got a set from rightstuffdetailing.com.