First off, let me say I have done several searches for this infomation, and I have come up with few if any real answers. I will admit it is more than likely my searching ability that lacks than it would be the information is not here.

So, for anyone who would like to give me input, please do. If any of these are repeats, I apologize.

Let me start by saying I have a 2001 C5. My rotors are not fit for recycling. So I want to put new rotors on, and I would like to upgrade to the factory Z06 Calipers (I like the red). I am NOT a racer! I plan to take my car to TMS for a couple of laps for charity, however, I do not need high performance braking. I just like the looks of the red calipers and the cross drilled rotors.

Here is what I have found. Eb*y has 4 Rotors Slotted and Drilled, 4 Z06 Calipers and all the ceramic pads (all geniune GM parts NEW) For $632 (shipped). They seem to be an Excellent seller because they have over 4500 feedback with only 2 negatives.

First Q: Can I use the 2001 Z06 Calipers on my 2001 C5 with stock rims?

Second Q: Is $632 for all the above parts a good price? I have searched all the dealers on here and it looks like it is. I just want to make sure I am not missing something. A special, extra discounts etc. I would rather deal with a business that supports the site. Local dealers want $1300 plus tax.

Third Q: Should I go ahead and put stainless steel lines on while I'm having this done? Will they make a difference?

Fourth Q: Should I just dump the brake fluid and have the system flushed, or just replace any lost fluid? If I flush the system, what would be the best brand of fluid to go with and how much would I need?

Fifth and Final Q: How long should this project take? I have been quoted $500 for labor as a 6-7 hour job. But I am confident that is WAY too high! What is a more realistic time frame?

Thanks guys. I appreciate this greatly!

 

First Q: Can I use the 2001 Z06 Calipers on my 2001 C5 with stock rims?

YES - there is no difference between the stock caliper and the Z06 caliper except the paint color

Second Q: Is $632 for all the above parts a good price? I have searched all the dealers on here and it looks like it is. I just want to make sure I am not missing something. A special, extra discounts etc. I would rather deal with a business that supports the site. Local dealers want $1300 plus tax.

NO - Much cheaper to just paint your calipers with a high temperature paint

Third Q: Should I go ahead and put stainless steel lines on while I'm having this done? Will they make a difference?

Stainless lines improve (slightly) the feel of the brake pedal. They make no difference to braking performance

Fourth Q: Should I just dump the brake fluid and have the system flushed, or just replace any lost fluid? If I flush the system, what would be the best brand of fluid to go with and how much would I need?

If the brake fluid has never been changed before, then flushing the brake system with fresh fluid is probably a good idea as your current fluid is about 5 years old now. Use a fluid that meets DOT3 requirements from any reputable brake fluid maker and you'll be fine. Hard to say how much you'll need. One thing to be careful of, do not let the reservoir level drop far enough to let air into the system. If air gets into the ABS pump system it is a PITA to bleed out.

Fifth and Final Q: How long should this project take? I have been quoted $500 for labor as a 6-7 hour job. But I am confident that is WAY too high! What is a more realistic time frame?

Thiis is a project you can do yourself. New rotors - pads - flushing fluid, a good mechanic should be able to do this in 3 hours, if you're doing it yourself for the first time then 5 to 6 hours is probably more reasonable.

 

good info if you can do the labor your self its a bouns or pay a little to a buddy to help you do it.

 

if you're that far into the brakes, add the ss lines. i have them on my 72 and 89 and have a set for the 03. i have had a couple of rubber lines swell under pressure or collapse, holding fluid against the pucks. no problems with the ss

 

well for the most. A good mechanic should be able to do all that stuff in 2 hours. I can easily change my rotors, brake pads, and flush my brake fluid in under 2 hours, but I do it alot for the track.

I would give yourself the 5 hours though if you never have done it especially since the caliper bolts are a PITA to get out the first time (btw make sure you use loctite on the Caliper bolts you dont want them to back out).

Valovine makes SynPower High Performance Synthetic Brake Fluid Dot3/Dot4 I used this for some time before going to a higher boiling point for the track. Good stuff for a street car.

there is no difference between the stock calipers and the Z06 calipers except for the color red. If you are doing the work then I would paint my own calipers with caliper paint, but if you are having a shop do it then getting new calipers is probably easier.

AS a FYI I dont believe you will be happy with D/S rotors and ceramic pads. For racing D/S are completely out because they crack, but for stret use only you would be ok. The ceramic pads on the other hand do not stop you as quick. I have plenty of people tell me the ceramics just dont work as well. The Z06 OEM pad is a very good all around pad. Not too much brake dust and very good at stopping.

 

OK. Great to hear. Belive it or not, I called a local dealership and they quoted $180 for labor. That's a surprise. I would not mind using a friend, however none of us have a jack that will fit under the car. My biggest concern was doing damage to the underbody of the car.

I have been told painting mine would be cheaper, the problem is I can't get the car up and then leave it there until I can get them off, painted and reinstalled. I got a quote for powder coating of $400 which is nutz! Not going to do that. And I don't know if I trust my ability in painting to risk it. I want them to look good!

Let me ask one more question. How much would my calipers be worth if I were to sell them? They work fine, no problems I know of. I just want red. I don't mind spending a little money to get it done right.

Ok, the answer to this questions will push me in the right direction. Thanks for all the help, you guys ROCK!

 

OK. Great to hear. Belive it or not, I called a local dealership and they quoted $180 for labor. That's a surprise. I would not mind using a friend, however none of us have a jack that will fit under the car. My biggest concern was doing damage to the underbody of the car.

The easy way to get the car high enough to jack is to drive it up on some kind of ramps. You can buy Rhino ramps for under $50.00 at most auto parts stores. Even cheaper, if you have some lumber lying around, make a "ramp" that you can drive the car onto to lift it that 2 or 3 inces you need to get the jack under there. The ramp doesn't have to be fancy, some 2 by 4 inch wood, with a couple of pieces nailed together (wider being better) is all it takes .... lower piece say 3 feet long, upper piece is 2 feet long .... nailed together like this (side view)

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I have been told painting mine would be cheaper, the problem is I can't get the car up and then leave it there until I can get them off, painted and reinstalled. I got a quote for powder coating of $400 which is nutz! Not going to do that. And I don't know if I trust my ability in painting to risk it. I want them to look good!

That's up to you, but you can easily do this over a weekend .... jack the car Friday night/Saturday morning and remove and paint calipers (even if you're REALLY slow ... 4 hours), then install calipers Sunday morning (plenty of time for paint to dry). Again, assuming you're SLOW ... 4 hours ... you'll be back on the road by lunchtime Sunday. Painting is easy, numerous threads on people who have done it. Just have some wire available to hang them, and a place to hang/spray them (best done outdoors for ventilation of paint fumes ... MOST PAINT FUMES ARE FLAMMABLE ... do not spray paint indoors where an igntion source (water heater, furnace) may light the fumes.

Let me ask one more question. How much would my calipers be worth if I were to sell them? They work fine, no problems I know of. I just want red. I don't mind spending a little money to get it done right.

Based on a quick search of that auction site ... virtually nothing. All the calipers being sold are red ... well, of course, after you replace your black calipers with red ones, paint the black ones red and sell them as Z06 calipers ... which is what I think 90 percent of the "Z06 calipers" being sold are ... repainted black ones. Don't waste the money buying "Z06 calipers" .... paint yours red. VERY easy to do.

Ok, the answer to this questions will push me in the right direction. Thanks for all the help, you guys ROCK!

 

Not that ECSRacing needs my validation, but

Well, for the most part

"I can easily change my rotors, brake pads, and flush my brake fluid in under 2 hours, but I do it alot for the track."

I figured 3 hours because I tend to "futz around" once I've got the car lifted and the wheels off ... I check torque on some suspension bolts, take an old toothbrush (I try to remember to not put it back in the bathroom ... ) and clean the brake dust out of the Corvette lettering on the front calipers, and then inevitably I gotta take the time to yak with the neighbor who wanders over and wants to tell me how he used to do his own brake work on his 1986 Taurus "until they went to this new-fangled electronic stuff" .....

"(btw make sure you use loctite on the Caliper bolts you dont want them to back out)."

Totally

"As an FYI I dont believe you will be happy with D/S rotors and ceramic pads. For racing D/S are completely out because they crack, but for stret use only you would be ok. The ceramic pads on the other hand do not stop you as quick. I have plenty of people tell me the ceramics just dont work as well. The Z06 OEM pad is a very good all around pad. Not too much brake dust and very good at stopping."

Totally

 

It never hurts though


and I totally understand the futzing around thing. It should take me 2 hours to do a HID install now and somehow I am still working on them 4 hours later.

 

you dont even hae to remove the calipers to paint them. Dupli-color caliper paint you can put on by just removing the tires. The only thing left is to sand off the corvette letters with an emery board.

Believe me it is really easy.

Your stock calipers are not worth much, but you might find someone that wants to powder coat a set without losing their brake calipers for a few days.

 

OK, here's my thoughts on what your options are ....

Worst case ... you can get the parts (as you said "Here is what I have found. Eb*y has 4 Rotors Slotted and Drilled, 4 Z06 Calipers and all the ceramic pads (all geniune GM parts NEW) For $632 (shipped). " and labor "Belive it or not, I called a local dealership and they quoted $180 for labor" For a total of about $812.00

Or you can do it my way (Always loved Sinatra ... ) ...

Parts:

New rotors (Napa Auto Parts) $100.00 (approx)
New pads (GM OEM parts) $100.00 (approx from on-line vendor such as GMpartsdirect or GMpartshouse). Front pads GM part #12530681 rear pads part # 12530687.
Can of high temp paint $20.00 (approx)

Labor:

Large package of your favorite beverage (18 pack of Miller Genuine Draft ??) $10.00 (approx)

$230.00 versus $812.00 ????? Which way should you go ????

 

I'm about to offer a powdercoat exchange program if you are interested. Still working up details but will probably be $200 and will also offer a rebuild on the calipers for the parts costs, no labor charge as they will be apart for the powdercoating. I'm doing mine right now and should finish them tomorrow or the next day.

 

...and I'm in Houston so you would have fast service.

 

 

First, are you really hung on red, or just something other than dirty? I've lived with red calipers before on a street car, and in short order you'll have dirty calipers, and they're almost impossible to clean.

For my Vette I went with gloss black. This gets just a dirty as the red, but the dirt just doesn't show; black is black.

On painting techniques, I'd just leave the calipers connected and paint them with a brush. A bit messier on the hands, but you:
Second, I'd pass on the SS brake lines. You won't feel the diffference on the street, and people have had ABS problems with some SS brake line kits.

Finally, with flushing your entire brake system with Valvoline Synpower. I use it in all my vehicles, and it works pretty well, and is easily obtainable.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

 

Hi there,

If you're looking for GM parts, give me a shot. I have the parts for the best prices shipped!

Thanks,
Gene

 

I'm looking to buy some D/S rotors off of Ebay as well.... so you guru's are saying that it's worth the money for some D/S rotors.... and my C5 is my daily driver.

 

D/S rotors are for show !!!! They actually have less contact area and are less effective than a stock rotor.

If you are a spirted driver and want a just a slotted rotor to clean your pads (scrape off glaze), get them, but skip the the drilled ones.

 

Get a couple of 2 x 6's and drive up on them, that will allow you to get a jack under your car.

Elite Engineering sells lifting pucks for $40 for your vette.

 

so D/S rotors are worthless ??? I thought they worked better than stock !?!?!?