I have a '69 el camino w/ drum all around and I'm shopping for disc brake conversion kit. I read about Stainless Steel Corp all the time, their "cheap" kit w/ 2" drop spindles is almost $1200. I can get a similar kit from other vendors who use '70-'71 chevy brake parts and 2" drop spindles for around $800. What is the $400 difference all about? What do people recommend?

Sorry, I have typers cramp, too much about this topic in the last 2-3 weeks. Use the search or just look at the Wilwood thread about 5 or 6 posts down.

Thanks, Got it...

Yeah, some clown asked the same question.

Whatever, "herb"

At least your question generated a philosphical debate. I had to get my parts book out to follow along. I was kinda hoping for the definitive: "get the ______ kit you won't go wrong!" type answer.... Just call me lazy.

Eroc,

I don't know if this helps but I used a kit from Classic Performance Products for my Chevelle. I had done the "piece together junkyard part" thing on a Nova earlier and didn't want to deal with the hassle again.

I found the CPP kit very easy to install and has worked great. However, I didn't get drop spindles so I can't comment on that. But the prices are pretty good too.

http://www.classicperform.com/chevelle.htm#frontdisc

Good luck!

Eroc, I know what you mean. I was hoping for the same thing. :rolleyes: The one thing I learned was there's a bunch of right and not-so-right answers. I've decided to try, just once to locate a 68-72 A body donor complete spindle set to refurb and install. They're a direct bolt-on. I figure it's worth trying to save the $300 to 500. If that doesn't happen easily, I'm going with Denny's suggestion on an 11 inch rotor, 2 in. drop kit.

Wonder if it would be possible to start a new forum with reviews/rankings of different parts, kits, etc.? There sure are a lot of threads about this subject, but it seems like one of the most common questions is: "I'm fixin' to buy a brake kit from Acme Brakes, has anyone used it and is it any good?"

I have been thinking about ordering a kit from Ground Up, and a while ago I asked if anyone have used it. I'm sure someone here has, but I didn't get a single reply. Maybe they just didn't see the thread, or maybe they thought it was so beaten to death that it wasn't worth replying to. Whatever the reason was, it would have been very valuable info. I sifted through threads for an hour or two, but wasn't able to find anything about it.

As far as the pricing goes, read the fine text or call the vendor. Sometimes, the cheaper OEM style kits have rebuilt calipers and spindles instead of new ones. That could explain the difference in many cases.

HEY, GUYS. WE HAVE A DISC BRAKE CONVERSION KIT, USING NEW SPINDLES, CALIPER BRACKETS, NEW SPLASH SHIELDS, HOSES, BEARINGS, ROTORS, QUALITY PADS, WITH REMAN CALIPERS FOR $550.00. WE CAN PROVIDE A STOCK CAD PLATED POWER BRAKE CONVERSION, WITH NEW MASTER AND PROP VALVE, OR STEP UP TO THE DUAL DIAPHRAGM BOOSTER FOR MORE POWER, AND MORE VALVE COVER CLEARANCE. EVEN BETTER IS OUR HYDROBOOST SYSTEM. IT OFFERS MORE ENGINE CLEARANCE, MORE POWER (UP TO 2000PSI) WITH NO VACUUM NEEDED. THE HYDROBOOST HAS SO MUCH POWER, THAT THE EXPENSIVE "BIG BRAKE" SYSTEMS ARE NOT NECESSARY. THE HYDROBOOST CAN BRING DOWN THE FASTEST CAR DOWN EASILY WITH STOCK CALIPERS AND HIGH PERF PADS.. POWERBRAKEBOB

HEY, GUYS. WE HAVE A DISC BRAKE CONVERSION KIT, USING NEW SPINDLES, CALIPER BRACKETS, NEW SPLASH SHIELDS, HOSES, BEARINGS, ROTORS, QUALITY PADS, WITH REMAN CALIPERS FOR $550.00. WE CAN PROVIDE A STOCK CAD PLATED POWER BRAKE CONVERSION, WITH NEW MASTER AND PROP VALVE, OR STEP UP TO THE DUAL DIAPHRAGM BOOSTER FOR MORE POWER, AND MORE VALVE COVER CLEARANCE. EVEN BETTER IS OUR HYDROBOOST SYSTEM. IT OFFERS MORE ENGINE CLEARANCE, MORE POWER (UP TO 2000PSI) WITH NO VACUUM NEEDED. THE HYDROBOOST HAS SO MUCH POWER, THAT THE EXPENSIVE "BIG BRAKE" SYSTEMS ARE NOT NECESSARY. THE HYDROBOOST CAN BRING DOWN THE FASTEST CAR DOWN EASILY WITH STOCK CALIPERS AND HIGH PERF PADS.. POWERBRAKEBOB

Great Bob, lose the caps and explain to everyone how after adding the hydroboost and all that added clamping force to stock parts how they are going to stand up to the added heat now being generated.

Adding bigger brakes is not just about increased rotor swept area creating a larger "arm" for leverage. The larger rotors also offer the advantage of being able to better dissipate heat thus creating a more reliable system.

O.K. The caps are easier for me to read. As you know, the rally wheel was invented to clear the calipers, and to spin air around the rotors. They went to a 15" wheel. To go to a larger rotor will require an even larger wheel. The reason for all the fancy holes in wheels is only to spin air for disc brakes. Drum brakes had full hub caps. Air brake trucks still use drums. The reason? Drums and shoes on a truck are thick. The thicker they are, the more heat they can hold. Air disc brakes end up melting rotors going down a mountain. So you are right that more mass absorbs more heat. My point with the hydroboost is that people are trying to find bigger rotors, but end up with smaller calipers, to stop better. Clamping force is calculated by the square inches of piston area times the line pressure. We have been building high pressure system for the handicapped for years. These need only the weight of their hand on a hand control to stop a 4500lb van. No 18" wheels were used. the hydroboost's power is adequate to actuall stop a vehicle from high speed with LESS heat, because it sets the car down quickly. The road race guys find this out trying to stop in a corner at speed with their foot on the brake way ahead of the turn. Their pads evaporate! look at the dust only on the front wheels. With high pressure, you can drill a car into a corner, and back out on the throttle. The heat is actually lower. Also on rotors, they suck air into the center of the rotor, as they spin, like a centrifugal blower (or turbo) when the splash shields are in place, they restrict that air the rotor can draw in. You remember when they had 4 headlights, they would remove the inner headlight, and run a dryer hose into the backing plates? The new Corvettes have ducts to run air into the center of the rotors. All of this is only necessary in road racing where you are constantly coming down from 100 mph. Hard to do on the street. The point is you can keep the 15" wheels, yes, and stock discs, and run any camshaft your heart desires with a hydroboost, and have incredible stopping power

I agree on most points....except that running more boost and therefore more clamping force will NOT provide better braking on a road course, no way-no how. I would destroy 10" rotors very quickly at half throttle.

Most guys are not running larger rotors with smaller calipers....where did you get that from? The most effective kit on the market right now is a custom valved Hydratech booster with Alcon 6-piston/14" rotors. Granted this is overkill and most cars don't need this kind of braking...but notice the rotor surface area. It is not a smaller rotor with huge amounts of boost. It is the largest swept area we can cram into the space available and then build a booster to fit the application.

I respect the veiws from the "other" side of the fence, just have this "need" to correct them. :D

I meant most street guys that buy aftermarket ie; Baer, Wilwood, end up with 1.5" caliper pistons, which is what they both use. Alcons are VERY expensive, and few are running them on the street. All of those aftermarket systems require 17" wheels to fit. The Baer calipers are the same calipers and rotors that come on a stock 89-96 vette. They are made by PBR. For those guys who don't want to buy or use a 17" wheel, or are not road racing their car, the stock brakes with a Hydroboost offers incredible stopping power. We have a special contract with Bosch, the manufacturer of the Hydroboost to be able to supply new units, We do offer rebuilt units for a savings. I believe (you can verify) that our friends at Hydratech are using only reman units. They have been ordered (legally) by Bosch to cease and desist using Bosch's copyrighted name of "Hydroboost" in their website. Their Product does what it is supposed to do, but make sure that you are buying "new" or "rebuilt". Of course, your choice. Our company was established in 1950, as a rebuilder and designer of brake systems for many special vehicles, and have been featured in many magazines. Bosch,I think, took this into account.."The other side of the fence"

Bob, I would rather have one of Paul's custom built units for my individual application than a generic unit never meant to be bolted on a musclecar.

Not many on this site but about half of the guys I hang out with on "the other" site run Alcons on street cars, the other run PBR's.

Correction time again, Baer uses the PBR speced for the 97-04 C5 on thier track kit, the 12" street kit uses the 89-96 C4 PBR's.

Humor time, does Bob sound like a commercial for Hydroboost with every post?

How much for a Hydroboost? What are the specs or details on it? Where can I see more?