Woow, that was close
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 571
Likes: 5
From: usa
Woow, that was close
just bleed the brakes, went for a ride to test them out. yeah 40 year old brakes aren't anti lock. at about 40 I jammed on brakes and she pulled right and went around. stopped in the grass facing the wrong way.
YIKES! no damage cept for the heart condition I now have.
YIKES! no damage cept for the heart condition I now have.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,970
Likes: 45
From: Cameron Park CA
Are you sure you don't have a leaking caliper. c3 brakes aren't anti-lock, but they should not pull or spin the car around. Other causes for pull could be sticking piston(s) in a caliper or a bad brake hose.
Pete
Pete
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,357
Likes: 1,592
From: Western NY
OR, one brake not working at all, causing the car to "pivot" around the one brake on that side that IS working...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,516
Likes: 505
From: Bussey, IA
Could also be a collapsed brake hose. It will act like (brake OK under normal conditions) and the when you hit them hard, it will cause the car to spin out. Been there, done that. Not good for heart if done multiple times. Glad all turned out OK.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 926
Likes: 2
From: Castle Rock CO
Sounds like 1 or 3 of the calipers are not working properly. The one that grabbed the most was on the side you spun towards. Could be a bad brake line but I steer more toward a caliper on the other side of the car. It might have locked the wheel down but had less resistance on the rotor then the others.
The Vettes have dual piston calipers and if anyone of pistons are frozen on a caliper they will feel OK at normal braking then when you hammer the brakes you will feel a pull because not all 8 kicked in. I would look at the pad wear and see if any of the pads are wearing on one side less than the others. This will be your bad brake cylinder. Measure all the pads front and rear. The one that is failing will be thicker than the other pads. Compare Rear to Rear and Front to Front. Generally the front pads will wear out quicker then the rears so you can use a left or right side measurement on each end of the car. I would also be looking at the Caliper Pins to see if any have rust on them if the caliper pins are not allowing the caliper to move freely it will cause uneven braking when hitting them hard.
Look for lopsided wear on the brake pads. Personally I would have gotten a rush spinning out also.
The Vettes have dual piston calipers and if anyone of pistons are frozen on a caliper they will feel OK at normal braking then when you hammer the brakes you will feel a pull because not all 8 kicked in. I would look at the pad wear and see if any of the pads are wearing on one side less than the others. This will be your bad brake cylinder. Measure all the pads front and rear. The one that is failing will be thicker than the other pads. Compare Rear to Rear and Front to Front. Generally the front pads will wear out quicker then the rears so you can use a left or right side measurement on each end of the car. I would also be looking at the Caliper Pins to see if any have rust on them if the caliper pins are not allowing the caliper to move freely it will cause uneven braking when hitting them hard.
Look for lopsided wear on the brake pads. Personally I would have gotten a rush spinning out also.
Last edited by MakoJoe; Oct 4, 2013 at 10:01 PM.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 571
Likes: 5
From: usa
good thing is , it happen just down the road from the house. so everything I pull out I go by there and it will remind me how fast stuff can happen.
Iam betting that the left front isn't grabbing right. because there is a little bit of fluid on the inside of the tire, but the caliper looks clean.
is there much to rebuilding them ?
Iam betting that the left front isn't grabbing right. because there is a little bit of fluid on the inside of the tire, but the caliper looks clean.
is there much to rebuilding them ?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,705
Likes: 983
From: Orlando FL
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,357
Likes: 1,592
From: Western NY
good thing is , it happen just down the road from the house. so everything I pull out I go by there and it will remind me how fast stuff can happen.
Iam betting that the left front isn't grabbing right. because there is a little bit of fluid on the inside of the tire, but the caliper looks clean.
is there much to rebuilding them ?
Iam betting that the left front isn't grabbing right. because there is a little bit of fluid on the inside of the tire, but the caliper looks clean.
is there much to rebuilding them ?
These calipers are know for rust in their bores. I don't think GM designed them with the intend that they'd still be used after 40 years. Anyway, that's why there are 2-3 companies that specialize in boring out the calipers and inserting stainless steel sleeves in them. After that, they'll never rust, are "field rebuildable", and a good investment.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
Depends.....
These calipers are know for rust in their bores. I don't think GM designed them with the intend that they'd still be used after 40 years. Anyway, that's why there are 2-3 companies that specialize in boring out the calipers and inserting stainless steel sleeves in them. After that, they'll never rust, are "field rebuildable", and a good investment.
These calipers are know for rust in their bores. I don't think GM designed them with the intend that they'd still be used after 40 years. Anyway, that's why there are 2-3 companies that specialize in boring out the calipers and inserting stainless steel sleeves in them. After that, they'll never rust, are "field rebuildable", and a good investment.
A great cure for this is the O-ring rebuild. I put a VBP O-ring rebuild kit in my calipers 3 years ago and despite the car having depressingly few miles every year the brakes are working great.
Rick B.