barufaldi

How common is it to have the front brake rotors still riveted onto the hubs? I am replacing the calipers on my '65 and the fronts are still riveted. I figured that the rivets would have been drilled out years ago. I have owned the car since 1995, and I have never had the knock off adapters off to see the rivets until now. Do people commonly reinstall the rivets? Or am I looking at possible original or OEM replaced disk/hub assemblies? The rear disks no longer have the rivets. This is to be expected if the parking brakes have ever been serviced.

Another question: How do I retorque the knock off adapter lug nuts on the front? I removed them with my impact wrench, but when I go to install them, how do I keep the hub from spinning while I properly torque the lug nuts?

Jim

66BlkBB

Are you sure you have rivets in the front rotors???? My 66 has one piece rotors/hub. They simply un-install with the removal of the cap, cotter pin and nut.

barufaldi

The rotor is separate from the hub. The rotor is attached to the hub as from the factory with rivets. I can remove both together, but I was curious as to why they were still riveted together. The standard procedure was to drill out the rivets to replace the rotor, and leave the hub attached to the car if the bearings were fine.

JohnZ

In most cases, rotor replacement isn't necessary; stock rotors will easily last over 100K miles if OEM organic pads are used. If the rotors aren't scored badly and have adequate thickness, leave them alone.

66BlkBB

My error. Never looked at mine that close. I thought they were a one piece unit.

JohnZ

Someone before you has changed them - all '65-'82 Corvettes have separate rotors and hubs, riveted together at the factory prior to final machining of the rotor friction surfaces.

Ron Miller

Livin' proof. I've got 150,xxx on one car, over 100,000 on the other (odometer is kaput), and still have the original rotors on all four wheels on both cars, and in good condition. I'd venture to guess that I'm probably in the majority of mid-year owners in this situation, rather than the minority.

BrettG

I also had to drill them out on the front's of my 65(in 2008), rears had been done sometime in the past.

barufaldi

I am going to repack the bearings and leave leave the rotors alone. I am still scratching my head on how I am going to install and torque my knock off adapters with the hubs free spinning. Anyone have any ideas? Do they make some kind of devise to hold the hub and keep it from spinning while I torque the lug nuts?

Ron Miller

Never tried it, but what about the wife's foot on the brake??

BrettG

Wedge a large screwdriver between the lugs and it will catch on the
caliper or some other fixed component.

JohnZ

Stick a screwdriver in a vent slot in the outside of the rotor and turn it until the screwdriver contacts the caliper.

quahog

Why not just put them back on with the impact. You'll just have to hold the rotor by hand and have at it ,should be good to go. Hope this helps Jeff