corvette brakes
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 571
Likes: 5
From: usa
corvette brakes
why is it that brakes seem to be a problem on corvettes,
I am new to vette ownership, and it seems like any car that sits for any amoun t of time , needs the brakes rebuilt.
yet in my experience with camaros and other GM's that is can sit for years and rarely have any disc brakes issues?
my 73 just lite up the brake warning light, which never show up on the trest drive.....go figure!
I am new to vette ownership, and it seems like any car that sits for any amoun t of time , needs the brakes rebuilt.
yet in my experience with camaros and other GM's that is can sit for years and rarely have any disc brakes issues?
my 73 just lite up the brake warning light, which never show up on the trest drive.....go figure!
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
The problem is not the brake system. The problem is lack of maintenance of the braking system by previous owners and age. These cars have been out of production for thirty years.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
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not to mention ignorant owners or 'mechanics' who have no idea on how to maintain the system. Brakes on these cars seem to be a magnet for Bubba. 
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
Vette brakes are junk from the day you put new ones on until you have to replace them again, and again, and ,again.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,560
Likes: 439
From: Wellington, FL
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '25
I agree that Vette brakes are not the best when it comes to maintenance. If you let the car sit, the seals will start to go. If you do let a Vette sit for more than a month or so, it's recommended to step on the brake pedal periodically to move the piston seals.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
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How many '67 Camaros had four wheel disk brakes with four piston calipers?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Today, it is very hard to imagine any shark on the road with the stock OEM iron lined calipers, I would imagine every damn one of them is stainless lined these daze, mine were when I bought it in '95....it's a '72.....So get a set of O ring pistons, and ditch that silly switch/prop valve in the brake lines, and hook up the brakes straight to the master cyl.....
and put in dot5 fluid, to keep the crap from rusting, .....
then if you brakes still suck like a vacuum booster does, put on Hydroboot conversion...you brake pedal will be fine at that point.....
the stock booster with the 4 wheel disc brakes is worse than the typical GM car even yet....soft as sand, and really scarey feeling,
even though my car would stop alright, that ~4" of pedal travel down to the floor, almost, would drive me nutz....hated that feeling....
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,879
Likes: 38
From: Los Gatos CA
These brakes are a bad design, in my opinion. Brakes should be easy; these are a pain to bleed. I bet the #1 issue on this forum is a poor pedal. And I bet a lot of owners are driving with a squishy pedal. Again, brakes should be simple and easy to work on. These are a pain in the pee-yoyo.
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
You can leave a Camaro/Chevelle/Nova/Impala caliper sit for years and the still work, A vettes is trash after a winter, I know I have replaced 6 so far on mine and it doesn't matter where they come from they should be built to work but can't because they are a junk design in the first place.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 571
Likes: 5
From: usa
so then the gear head in me asks has anyone tried the convert other GM calipars to a vette ?
I believe in 1969 the rest of the GM line went to a single piston calipar, why would the vette keep the inferior 2 piston design
I believe in 1969 the rest of the GM line went to a single piston calipar, why would the vette keep the inferior 2 piston design
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,445
Likes: 971
From: Tennessee/Rhode Island
Holy Moly!!!
The vette brakes are awesome when well maintained. Try and find 4 piston calipers at each wheel and a fixed caliper no less, not the floating caliper design used on most cars today. Coupled with 12 inch vented discs at each wheel and you have a winner.
As many have stated the iron cylinder bores rusted and the OEM calipers would then begin to leak. I changed all four calipers to VBP SS ones in 1985 and NEVER have had a problem-this with a C3 that sits 99.99% of the time and no I do not go and step on the brake pedal every month! I have regular seals, NOT lip seals.
I still have the OEM rotors and if the rotors are not true than air will get into the system-probably the number one reason replaced brakes have problems. Change the brake fluid every 3-4 years and a properly functioning system will last a long time.
The only modifications to my stock brake system are Performance Friction brake pads and SS steel brake hoses and my brake pedal is rock hard-no pedal travel, mushiness, no hydroboost!
The vette brakes are awesome when well maintained. Try and find 4 piston calipers at each wheel and a fixed caliper no less, not the floating caliper design used on most cars today. Coupled with 12 inch vented discs at each wheel and you have a winner.
As many have stated the iron cylinder bores rusted and the OEM calipers would then begin to leak. I changed all four calipers to VBP SS ones in 1985 and NEVER have had a problem-this with a C3 that sits 99.99% of the time and no I do not go and step on the brake pedal every month! I have regular seals, NOT lip seals.
I still have the OEM rotors and if the rotors are not true than air will get into the system-probably the number one reason replaced brakes have problems. Change the brake fluid every 3-4 years and a properly functioning system will last a long time.
The only modifications to my stock brake system are Performance Friction brake pads and SS steel brake hoses and my brake pedal is rock hard-no pedal travel, mushiness, no hydroboost!
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
My neighbor and my uncle both spent big $ on their c3 s and just parked them.. 3 months later half the calibers started weeping. I take mine out every 4 weeks min. and the cheap advance auto replacements have held there own 3 years+ .Like it said good maintenance and exercising the beast will keep the nightmares away.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 533
Likes: 18
From: Boca Raton Florida
I'd give a little slack to a 50-year old brake design -- it was ground-breaking in 1965. If you have rusty, gunk-filled calipers, replacing them without getting the rust and gunk out of the rest of the system, weeping calipers might be the result. The design itself doesn't cause fluid loss.
I also think you'll find plenty of brake problems on the Buick, Olds and Pontiac sites. The typical brake system in those cars, with front disks, had a fraction of a Corvette's brake fluid in their systems, along with a fraction of the pad surface.
Wilwood sells a brake caliper upgrade for C3 Corvettes and claim they solve the problems you describe. Apparently they don't think the design is that horrible -- they make the 4-piston caliper out of aluminum with a stainless piston and it's a direct bolt-on replacement.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
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Instructor
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
From: Eugene OR
Wow! This is all super-surprising to me... I've had my car for four years now and never done any more than bleed the brakes when I've broken the system to do trailing arms and the like. It's sat on jack stands every winter I've had it so far.
This can't be because I have non-power brakes...
I'm sorry to hear about everybody's troubles!
This can't be because I have non-power brakes...
I'm sorry to hear about everybody's troubles!
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
I assume you are referring to Plain Jane Camaros. The RPO JL8 option on 69 Camaros gave the owner 4-wheel disk brakes using the same technology and design as the Corvette.
I'd give a little slack to a 50-year old brake design -- it was ground-breaking in 1965. If you have rusty, gunk-filled calipers, replacing them without getting the rust and gunk out of the rest of the system, weeping calipers might be the result. The design itself doesn't cause fluid loss.
I also think you'll find plenty of brake problems on the Buick, Olds and Pontiac sites. The typical brake system in those cars, with front disks, had a fraction of a Corvette's brake fluid in their systems, along with a fraction of the pad surface.
Wilwood sells a brake caliper upgrade for C3 Corvettes and claim they solve the problems you describe. Apparently they don't think the design is that horrible -- they make the 4-piston caliper out of aluminum with a stainless piston and it's a direct bolt-on replacement.
I'd give a little slack to a 50-year old brake design -- it was ground-breaking in 1965. If you have rusty, gunk-filled calipers, replacing them without getting the rust and gunk out of the rest of the system, weeping calipers might be the result. The design itself doesn't cause fluid loss.
I also think you'll find plenty of brake problems on the Buick, Olds and Pontiac sites. The typical brake system in those cars, with front disks, had a fraction of a Corvette's brake fluid in their systems, along with a fraction of the pad surface.
Wilwood sells a brake caliper upgrade for C3 Corvettes and claim they solve the problems you describe. Apparently they don't think the design is that horrible -- they make the 4-piston caliper out of aluminum with a stainless piston and it's a direct bolt-on replacement.
About the only similarity between the two is that they are a 4 piston fixed caliper design. No similarities between seals, pistons or calipers at all.
As for the Z28
Chevrolet’s 1969 Camaro Z28 is in a class by itself as a historically significant muscle-era pony car, especially in the form taken by this rare rotisserie restored example, the only one produced with Azure Turquoise paint, a White interior and the two most desirable options available that year. It is one of only 208 produced at the factory with rare JL8 4-wheel disc brakes
Documentation for this unique and entirely correct Z28 includes the original dealer invoices
Pro
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 721
Likes: 105
From: hernando fl
mine has been in storage for the last year or so,put it in its new home a few weeks ago,no brake problems at all,no sticks no leaks and a good firm pedal.
i'm not sure where all the brake woes are coming from, i have never had the problems some seem to have bleeding them either.
i'm not sure where all the brake woes are coming from, i have never had the problems some seem to have bleeding them either.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 99
Likes: 3
From: Salem Ohio
No problems here either. Although my 69 does not have the cheap Auto Zone/Advance Auto made in china crap for calipers either. You get what you pay for. I have had to replace rusted lines and swelled hoses though and the bleeding was easy. No power bleeder or anything
I have had to replace rusted lines and swelled hoses though and the bleeding was easy. No power bleeder or anything
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
Wow! This is all super-surprising to me... I've had my car for four years now and never done any more than bleed the brakes when I've broken the system to do trailing arms and the like. It's sat on jack stands every winter I've had it so far.
This can't be because I have non-power brakes...
I'm sorry to hear about everybody's troubles!
This can't be because I have non-power brakes...
I'm sorry to hear about everybody's troubles!
