Was out TEST driving this past winters work... :cool: Noticed that the brakes were fading... confirmed a WET caliper this morning and low level brake fluid.. :cry I guess its time to do the brake system... I believe it to be all factory :nonod: So, I'm debating putting the car on jack stands and doing all four wheels.... or just the front two...

I was lookig at the brake packages... seems like you can save a lot if you do the whole system (cals, rotors, & MS). Any recommendations?


[Modified by Red69, 7:49 PM 4/27/2003]

 

I highly recommend slainless steel-sleeved, o-ring sealed calipers. If you've got a beater, doing all four is the way to go. Just make sure that runout is to GM specs. However, should runout be a bit beyound optimal, you have a better chance of not having the brakes pull air into the fluid if you're using o-ring-sealed calipers. Also, now would be a good time to install stainless steel-sleeved brake lines. After a number of years, stock rubber lines can baloon-out under high braking pressure, causing slower than normal braking response.

 

I've heard O'ring seals are the way to go... As far as run-out ... do you mean the rotor thickness and truness??

Any recommendations for new calipers??? Should I have mine done... or should I just buy replaements and turn in mine as cores? :conehead

 

I'd keep the cores, myself. They're date-coded, and though they aren't something that gets looked at in NCRA judging from what I'm told, I'd keep 'em if they're original.

JB

 

Do em all and be done with it. I also recomend the o-rings. I just bought the o-ring concersion kits and rebuilt my calipers myself. way cheaper that way, privided that yur calipers are in rebuildable condition.

 

I've always had good luck with Vette Brakes & Products' calipers. Since I wasn't planning on showing my car as all-original, I traded in my originals. The cost is very reasonable.

As for runout, essentially, a dial indicator is attached magnetically to a stationary part of the car, the rotors are mounted (without the tires, of course), and the runout is checked by rotating the axel (and rotor) while checking the maximum runout on the indicator dial. Too much runout may result in air-inclusion into the brake fluid. I can't remember what the maximum runout is, but I'm sure someone will chime in with the number. It is measured in thousandths of an inch.

You should ALWAYS check each rotor's thickness before doing anything else, since any rotor that is thinner than the minimum required thickness should be scrapped.

 

i agree with the others about doing all four at the same time. the rears aren't any newer than the front, regardless of how little or how much braking they do. i also agree about the brake lines although you may choose to stick with standard rubber lines, either way, just not something 30+ years old your going to rely on to stop you in an emergency.
as for calipers, i currently have a set from muskeegon and they have been fine so far (~3 years). they advertise SS inserts and i have no reason to doubt them although they are the conventional lip seal instead of o-ring.
again, the run out can be a critical issue, however, unless the rotors are worn too thin i can't see any reason why the originals would have warped. i am doing my annual maintenance on my car this weekend (i do it annually because i drive kinda hard ;) ) and i still have the original discs all the way around, and no run-out.
the one thing you need to check which is VERY important is if the rotors have ever been drilled to remove the rivits, you must check run out anytime the rotor comes off the spindle. it can vary depending on which lug goes back over which hole. also, make sure the surface of the spindle and the inside hub of the rotor is clean, clean, clean of any rust or road grime. in many cases, this can create enough of an uneven mating surface that by the time it's amplified out to the edge of the rotor, it can throw the whole thing way out of tolerance.
i have never once put a dial indicator on my brakes and i can tell you they are very close to true. i don't claim the calibration of my eye to be as accurate as that of a dial indicator but once you learn how to 'eyeball' it correctly, it will be close enough that you won't have problems.
then again, they call me bubba! (and i'm o.k. with that) :D

 

Thanks guys... I need to pull them from the car and take a closer look. That will be the rest of my week.... :flag