Hey guys, my 67 has stock style 11 inch discs up front and stock drums in the rear, I have 17 inch torq thurst wheels and you can see in, I would like to stop faster and look better, now that I have a 383 with a 2004r I will be on the freeway more often at higher rates of speeds etc. I was looking at the baer track system with 13 inch cross drilled slotted discs up front and 12 inch cross drilled slotted for the rear, this is a sweet setup and looks like it would plant my face into the window, but its about $1700-1800 bucks, how much more stopping power am I going to get out of this compared to maybe keeping my stock 11 inch discs up front and going with a stainless steel rear disc conversion kit that will cost me about $600. I can afford to get the rear kit right away but if I am going to be spending $1700-1800 bucks for the baer route its going to have to wait at least a few months until I get back on my feet with my new job. What should I do? The baers looks so cool too with my big rims, I am leaning in that direction, but geez that's a lot of money! :eek: Thanks

I was originally planning that, but I've been swayed to the 'dark side'...and I'm going to try doing a 'homemade' C5 vette brake conversion, using brackets designed by one of the board members. Check out this thread for details:

http://www.chevelles.com/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=006407

talk to 72SSAbody, I think he knows his stuff smile.gif

I was thinking about going with Baer brakes,but I think I'm going to just use a stock 4 wheel disk brake set up.That should get the car to stop a lot better than the non power 4 wheel drum set up that was on the car and it won't cost as much as a 4 wheel disk brake Baer set up. Like 72SSABODY told me that with the stock set up you can just go to the local auto parts store and get the parts you need and not have to wait a few weeks.

FWIW,most of the Baer brake kits use PBR calipers.
PBR components are used in many domestic cars and parts can be bought down at the local parts store.

Tom,
I imagine you are wanting to go with stock spindles up front right?

If so, you can do the C4 13" swap very easily and pocket the money you saved to buy other parts for your mistress (the chevelle ;) ).

Here is David Pozzi's website (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/12_corvette_brakes_on_fgen.htm) that shows how it is done!

Here (http://www.chevelles.com/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=006411) is John Enga's post on the swap he is doing right now.

And last, username "novaderrick" has completed the swap on his Nova. His website has pictures (http://community.webshots.com/user/novaderrik) to show you the results.

If you don't have the resources to make the brackets yourself, David Pozzi's website has an e-mail address for a guy that lazer cuts some for $80 a pair. Not a bad deal I must say.

Now, for the rears. Someone said on this site, "You can't out engineer the General!" Very true in my eyes.

Thus, if you want C4 style rear discs as well here are the GM part numbers for the rear:

RH side caliper bracket - 18019858
LH side caliper bracket - 18019857
RH side caliper - 18021199
LH side caliper - 18021198

Last time I check on www.gmpartsdirect.com (http://www.gmpartsdirect.com) the caliper bracket was $25 a side and the calipers were around $115 each (I don't know if that includes the integrated e-brake mechanism or not).

Here is a good site (scroll down) (http://www.geocities.com/torkerscamaro/torker.html) that shows the setup and having it installed. Be aware that in order to fit this setup on a Chevelle you'll need to put the factory RH side brake setup on the LH side to clear the shock stud and the same for the other side. Be sure the bleeder screw is pointed up! And your axle flanges may have to be turned down to accept the rear disc hat.

You'll then have to get an adjustable proportioning valve and run a 1" or 15/16" bore MC to make the small PBR pistons grab on tight and work in conjunction with the front PBR calipers.

After its all said and done you should have a nice setup that looks like this (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/RearDiscsWithWheel.JPG)!

Joe

Joe, thanks for the info, I'm doing research on this now and its looking like a great option! Maybe you can help me out with a few questions? Do you know if this rear disc setup is going to change the offset of the rear (or front front for that matter)wheels? I have very little clearance as it is on the outside lip of the rear wheels, the lip is already trimmed pretty good and i cant afford for the wheels to go out towards the lip anymore. secondly on the exception of those brackets and the lines the 13 inch setup looks like it bolts right up, if i went this route i would buy the brackets done, well worth the 50-80 bucks compared to the time it would probably save. Third off on the rear discs, what do I need to make the parking brake work?

thanks very much

Best buy for the money,Wilwood disc brakes,front and rear set up with 12 1/2" discs driiled and slotted and 4 piston calipers for about $1,200,cant beat that.

Thanks

Tom,
You've got mail.

Joe

found a good brake test in the march 1997 issue of hot rod to give an idea of the different brake set ups. 66 chevelle with 11 inch power disc drums rears tested 60 mph to 0 in 165 ft.
a 65 chevelle with the baer 13 inch front and 12
inch rear did 60 mph to 0 in 122 ft. they tested four chevelles if you can get a back issue i reccomend it. hope this helps.

Originally posted by 1866malibu:
[QB] found a good brake test in the march 1997 issue of hot rod to give an idea of the different brake set ups. 66 chevelle with 11 inch power disc drums rears tested 60 mph to 0 in 165 ft.
a 65 chevelle with the baer 13 inch front and 12
inch rear did 60 mph to 0 in 122 ft. they tested four chevelles if you can get a back issue i reccomend it. hope this helps.
I just read where they got the 65 down to 109ft. That is a serious stopper.

anyone know exsactly (or close to it) how much the rear discs are going to push the wheels out? i have such little clearance i may have a big problem, and yes the lip is already trimmed

Thanks a lot

The addition of the rear disk will push the wheel out about 1/8".

Torker and I hashed out the total swap on his car a year ago (see the link in Joe's post) and have since done my car. Holy frijoles, what a difference. These cars stop, right now, with great pedal feel and control. Mine is no lightweight at 3550 lbs without driver and there is plenty of stopping power.

Except for the initial price there are virtually zero drawbacks to the PBR design. They hold up great for both everyday usage and for Track Days. Parts are available from every GM and Ford dealer plus there must be a billion different pad compounds available. For those wishing to do their own home-brewed 13"/12" swap it can be done with all new parts (rebuilt rear calipers) including master cylinder (no hydraboost unit) for under $1000.

The SSBC rear disk brake setup, if memory serves, is a 10.5" rotor with a T-bird caliper. The E-brake setup leaves a lot to be desired. The GM 93 Z28 caliper is a much better overall design.

The cheapest place we found rear '93 Z28 calipers was from Rock Auto. The rotors were found locally for $25 each. Shipping become a factor on heavy rotors. The GMPartsdirect pricing on new front calipers and rotors was excellent, plus they are OEM parts.