OK Here's the deal. This morning I went to stop and the pedal went all the way to the floor & the dash light came on. I just had the brakes bled about 3 weeks ago and they worked A WHOLE LOT BETTER after that! Just over time, the pedal kept going further & further down. Took it back to my mechanic and he looked it over and found -0- leaks anywhere. Then he re-bled the brakes and found air in the passenger front caliper. On his recommendation, I am going to upgrade in pairs (front first and then when the $$ is right, the back pair). Any recommendations about getting a BETTER brake caliper without spending a $$$$$$. I know the importance of stopping (any dummy would) and I'm not saying I want to go cheap and I'm not going to race or autocross my Vette (it's a show car/boulevard cruiser). So, let the recommendation flow! If you want to email me directly, my email is sdubin@bellsouth.net

 

Hi vetteguy75,

Not sure what your budget is for new calipers, however I would recommend the D8-4 calipers from Wilwood. They will fit on the stock rotors and will perform very well.

I have them on my 77 and have no complaints.

If you have the budget you could look at upgrading to the D8-6 calipers for the front as they are even better! They were not available yet when I bought my new calipers.

Hope this is helpful.

 

Hello, Stuart. Do your calipers have lip seals or o-rings for the piston seals? It is poss., if you have lip seals, that rotor run out is causing air pumping into that caliper. Are your calipers stainless steel lined? Here is what I did to mine a couple of years ago. The o-rings greatly reduce this problem.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-calipers.html

Have a safe Christmas. mike...

 

The D-4 actually has more clamping force than the D-6, only advantage the 6 piston offers is more even pad wear. If that is worth the couple hundred dollars more is up to the buyer.

 

vetteguy75,

The rotor run-out and bearing run-out are critical on Corvettes from 1965-1982.

Most mechanics who work on Corvettes all the time generally do not READ service manuals and they will "think" that the Corvette brake system from 1965-1982 is like any other car....and it is NOT.... and "they" will rarely if EVER use a dial indicator and check these critical tolerances.

I prefer using the lip seal calipers versus the "O" rings design. Installing an aftermarket caliper is up to you. If you go in with new calipers...I would advise installing a new master cylinder and washing/flushing out the brake lines very well....ESPECIALLY if the fluid is dark like coffee and the bottom of the master cylinder has sludge in it. New hoses also and keep up on the fluid and make sure that it does not go neglected...especially if you use DOT3.

DUB

 

Mike,

It's the stock caliper (38 years old) The only thing that has been changed is the pads and I painted it red about 7 years ago. So, it being an OEM stock caliper (right from the factory) what is it? Lip Seal or SS lined?

 

there is nothing wrong with Corvette calipers when properly maintained...yours were not properly maintained

 

Thanks for your input! The master cylinder is an SSBC and is about 7 months old. When I had the master cylinder replaced, they also drained and put in new fluid. My mechanic (who has worked on my Vette for the past 12 years) works for the local Chevrolet dealership and works primarily on Corvettes (both new & classic).

 

Original calipers were not SS lined. The bores would rust and cause the seals to leak. I had to change mine back in '83. Really surprised yours are that old and not leaking. My link was for you to read through and get an idea of what goes on inside them. I would take one of them off and split it to see what is going on inside. My personal belief is that the original calipers are more than adequate for street driven cars. I have no problems with mine with the SS sleeves. Original had lip seals. mike...

 

Cheapest way is to turn your front rotors and most likely rebuild and turn your rear assemblies.
I've had good luck keeping the front as lip seals and the rears to oring seals if there is a bit of play.

Cheapest upgrade is the Willwood calipers, modern design, no dust seals, but lots out there with seemingly no problems from that.

There are others with dust seals, but they go up in price from there.

If its a show car/boulevard cruiser, I would go with the oring conversion and change back to the cheapy organic pads.

 

Cheapest, pick up a pair from autozone, pepboys, advanced Auto.

Inspects the new ones then use your old calipers for the core. $65.00 each with core.

Verify rotor run-out before the new calipers are installed.

 

Use O-Ring calipers and pressure bleed system. Easy money.

 

Stock Calipers in proper working order work just as well as D-8 Wilwood calipers.

Do an exchange with Vette Brake Products . I recommend going with powder coat unless car is being judged

They should have the upgraded seals and will be re-sleeved. I also recommend buying a correct reproduction master cylinder.

Factory brakes work very well when in proper working order.

Note that a bad master cylinder can cause brakes to go to the floor.

While you are there have the booster rebuilt if power brakes.

Brakes is an area where cutting corners is verboten.


Bill

 

Some good suggestions here about checking rotor runout although I suspect your issues are purely a function of the OEM Calipers allowing air into the system since they did not have Stainless Steel pistons in them. My recommendation is to check rotor runout, front and rear, and buy 4 SS sleeved Calipers from a reputable corvette parts house like VBP (I would NOT buy them from a mass retailer like auto zone, advanced auto parts etc-just my preference), o ring design, although I have regular lip sealed calipers on my 78 since 1985 on a car that is hardly driven much anymore with ZERO issues. Change the brake fluid often-every 3-4 years! I also would not go for cheap brake pads since you can get great brake pads for short money-I have been using Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Pads on the 78 for over 10 years now and on almost all my other cars as well and they are simply terrific and cost a little more than a standard pad-about $40-45 per axle.

Lastly, you clearly mentioned that the car is mostly a mildly driven street vehicle so the aftermarket calipers like the D8-4, D8-6, or wilwood are completely unnecessary for your car. Frankly, I read some comparisons between the stock system and the D8-4/6 calipers and was surprised that the effect on braking with these expensive alternatives FOR THE STREET was disappointing. They do have some advantages but to me on the street, they are just not worth the extra money, which is considerable. As far as the stock C3 brakes are concerned, they are simply still a great braking system even today. I have a number of modern cars that I have upgraded the brakes on (94 Mustang GT with Cobra brakes, 2008 Chrysler 300 limited with Hemi Front brakes-giant pad with dual piston floating calipers and 13.6 inch rotors, 2012 Lexus IS350 F Sport-front 4 piston fixed caliper and 13 inch rotor) and I can tell you that my 78's brakes with 4 piston fixed, NOT floating, calipers, 12 inch vented rotors, front and rear, SS braided brake hoses, and Performance Friction Pads are more than a match for these other cars. Outside of the high end cars and a very select group of standard sportscars/sedans (Chrysler SRT8's and Dodge Charger Daytona, 4 piston fixed calipers front and rear, like on the 65-82 C3's), the C3 brakes are pretty much in a league of their own. The only maintenance I do on my C3 brakes is change the brake fluid periodically. Love the brakes!

Hope that helps!

 

DO not have the rotors turned!!!!!! The run out needs to be adjusted by shimming.

 

i go along with keeping the factory set up. i use the o ring style and have no problem with them. the only draw back to the factory calipers is weight, and at some point for that reason i may go that way too.

 

THANKS! It does!

 

Awww....come on now. These calipers are not marketed as some super hot-rod performance product, they're simply a direct replacement for the iron part. Whatever you read was written by a nit-wit who didn't understand what they were testing. They're the same piston area as stock and do no more, or no less, than the stock parts and provide the same clamping force.

Sold with pads and hoses they're very attractively priced compared to the other alternatives. Sometimes the magazine guys should do a better job or informing folks.

 

I agree with your assessment and feel the same BUT unfortunately the magazines and even the product description from vendors imply superior clamping force and pedal feel:

From Summit Racing, as an example of just one vendor:

"When you need replacement calipers for your C2 or C3 Corvette, try on a set of Wilwood D8-4 brake calipers. Forged billet aluminum bodies, stainless steel pistons, and competition style high-temperature seals put an end to the rust, bore pitting, and seal failure. These calipers are direct bolt-on replacements for your factory original calipers mounting in the stock location over stock rotors using original-style brake pads. D8-4 calipers fit and install like stock--even the factory piston sizes were duplicated--but with Wilwood's in-house design and 3-D technology they offer lighter weight, unyielding strength and superior piston design to generate a positive pedal response with high clamping efficiency. The world of motion is yours--and your vette's-with the stopping power of Wilwood D8-4 front and rear brake calipers".

As for a reasonable price alternative to stock cast iron Stainless steel lined brakes with new lip seals or o ring seals, the wilwood D8-4/6 are definitely NOT-$365 a piece or $1,500 for 4 D8-4 calipers! Holy smokes!!

 

The front rotors and hub assembly are the same setup together as a gazillion other cars and to correct runout, it is proper to turn them as an assembly. The mistake people make is to take them apart.

Shimming will only correct the rear runout IF the bearing end play is negligible. Again ON CAR turning is best if available to you.

The cheapy organic pads are fine for a cruiser/show car. Better pads are just more aggressive for rotor wear too.
Both mine will lock up the wheels at 70mph with wide tires, plenty of clamping force.