Installation: Brake Ducts, Hoses, Spindle Ducts
 

I just received an estimate of 7 hours labor for installation of brake ducts, hoses and spindle ducts on a C6 Z51. That was way more than I expected. Is that ballpark, or should I be looking elsewhere?

Ducts and hoses are simple and quick in the driveway on jackstands; couple hours, maybe? I've never done spindle ducts but I can't imagine they add 5 hours.

Where'd you go? The dealership?

Not many Corvette knowledgeable performance shops in the Seattle area. I got this quote from the performance shop that installed my parts last winter (LG Pros, Pfadt sways, Hardbar camber kit, DRM/Ron Davis radiator). I don't have the facilities or the aptitude for doing it myself. The LGM spindle ducts require disconnecting the front spindles.

It took me a long time to get the DRM brake ducts to where they would fit on the car without either rubbing the upper control arm, the tire or the wheel of my C5 on full-lock. On C5s you've also got to cut the stock ducts and bolt the DRMs to them, which takes some trial and error to get everything to fit well. I ended up using a screw in the front of the fascia to hold one end of the duct in, and shaving away the fiberglass so the duct would snug up closer to the frame. I put many hours into that; more than 7. But it may be easier on a C6 (and most shops won't care if their install ends up rubbing).

Spindle ducts were straightforward. Mine are LGs, and they required you seperate the hub from the upright. I already had everything off to do bushings, but if you don't I'd go for a spindle duct that didn't require this step (i.e. just a duct, not a shroud).

It is really alot of work, that is maybe a little high, but not too outrageous (I would say 3-4 hours because I have done it a couple of times). I have made tools like a lower ball joint separator that does not mess up the rubber boot like a "pickle fork"), etc. On the ducts I have seen, some spindle massaging is necessary, and you need to relocate the wheel speed sensor connector bracket. I cut off the OE connector bracket and pop riveted it to the duct.
You really should get our bearing fastener kit, that are slightly longer so that you have adequate thread engagement with the spindle duct. The kit also uses 12 point heads (instead of those @#!%^$& Torx head stockers) and Nordlocks.
http://hardbarusa.com/hardbar/produc...roducts_id=115

I have the LG Spindle Ducts. Consider tossing the brake hose that comes with the ducts and going to 3" SCAT tubing from the outset. SCAT tubing is much stronger than the stuff that came with my ducts and it fits real nice over the LG spindle ducts.

To get the 3" hose attached to the duct, simply wrap the end with your favorite Race Tape to build up a plug that fits firmly into the duct opening. Then apply a little more tape around the outside to secure it to the duct. My SCAT tubing is going on its fourth year without the need to replace it. I retaped the connection to the duct last year only because the connection was two years old; it really did not need to be done.

While you have the hubs off, consider replacing the studs with AFRs or some other well known brand.

took me about 2 hours to install my DRM ducts, Quantium Motorsports spindle ducts & hose in my garage. with the quantium units, there is no need to disconnect the steering knuckle so installing them is a snap. Hardest part of the job was getting the car off the ground.

I installed the same combination of parts on my 03 Z06. A first time install will take 6-8 hours of your time. There are other spindle duct attachment types that do not require separating the spindle from the upright. They do not keep the air directed as well as the LG units. It may seem expensive, but it is a lot of work to get them installed correctly so that they fit right and do not rub during any point of suspension movement.

:iagree: 30 minutes per side, 45 tops

This is one of those installs that either goes very easy and doesn't take much time. Or it takes a super long time. Isn't Jeff Flint up in that area. Or TJWONG here on the forum. Maybe those guys could do it also.

Randy

I took 4 friday nights/saturday early mornings to do mine - it was a lot of dirty, knuckle busting fun.

Can't imagine paying someone else to enjoy my car for me ;)

If you have to remove the hubs to install the kit and the person has never done it before perhaps it will take that long.

Our kits should NEVER take that long to install. No hub removal is necessary with any of our Corvette kits, and they all come with detailed instructions and even templates for cutting the inner fender well of the C6 to accommodate the Z06 inlets.

A complete bolt on installation as pictured below:

http://www.quantummotorsports.com/picts/c5c6comp1.jpg

Give us a call if you have any questions. Even if you are not using our kit brake cooling is what we do and we would be happy to help.

Thanks,

Jon

I have polyurethane boots on all my lower control arms because of those pickle-forks. I don't think they are very good boots, but at least they don't melt from brake heat.

If you sold a tool to easily seperate the lower ball joints, I'd buy it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=99849

I haven't tried this, but it looks a lot like the real GM tool...

I went with the Phoenix ducts. Probably 1 hour per side including tapping the 2 threads for the bolts. I had more issue trying to keep the hose in place.

Best of luck.

The tool GM specs for the stud removal (Kent Moore/SPX deal) works great on the front lower ball joint. Slide it on, snug it up and a few turns later the taper pops out.

Both Jeff and Tom are a good 150 miles to the south of the Seattle area where the OP lives.

Corvettes of Auburn is only a 30-40 minute drive away and that is a reputable shop. He can also contact members of the Corvette Marque Club of Seattle and get some good recommendations. www.corvettemarqueclub.com

I've done this recently and that's probably about how long it took - in the garage with multiple trips to buy/find the right tools :). Shop with proper tools and minimal expertise should be able to wrap this up in 4 hours or less.

My tool is easier.
I am going to make one more for Roy Benedetti, but it is not for sale. I can't make it for $18!

As others have stated... This is an easy job... I did the Quantum motor sports ducts for my C6-Z51 last summer.

Steps.

1. Car on jackstands, wheel off. 15 minutes
2. Brake Caliper bracket and rotor off 15 minutes (rotor was rusted to hub)
3. Use a cutter to cut off the Break pad wear sensor connector bracket holder, relocate connector to other location. (5 minutes)
4. Remove Z51 duct pieces. (2 minutes)
5. Cut out holes for #4 pieces to fit the Z06 ducts (this was the longest step for me as it was a bit of trial and error for the 1st one, the 2nd one went very quickly). . Also drill some small holes to mount the Z06 duct to the chassis. (About 25 minutes 1st time, about 10 the second)
6. Remove the bolts on the back of the hub (2 of 3) with a T55 torx (had to go and buy this at NAPA, I had a T50 and T60, of course) 5 minutes
7. Install hub bracket. 5 minutes (A goose wandered into my garage and scared the crap out of me at this point...)
8. Test fit ducting and cut to size. 10 minutes
9. Tie-wrapping the ducting to the Z06 ducts was a bit of a pain but pretty easy overall. Other end is a hose clamp, very easy. 25 minutes
10. Put it all back together. (see David Farmer's torque specs for the Corvette! Thanks David!) 20 minutes.

Repeat for other side. If you do not count the trip to Napa or the beer to settle my nerves after the goose visit, this whole job took me about 4 hours, but I was not in a hurry. If you have the tools and no geese it should go pretty quickly for you :)

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...01-2008005.jpg

I've got more beer for you in Seattle if you can make the trip! :cheers:

Seriously, though, can I get enough cooling with just the brake ducts (LG or DRM) and save the spindle ducts and hoses for another day?

IMO you'd probably be better served by the DRM SS brake pistons... But, yeah, some directed air is better than no air, and I'm sure there're lots and lots of cars running around without spindle ducts and hose...

:iagree:
Especially since the caliper is not getting any cooling air in either case. I don't have any, and this setup never overheats. It works as well on lap one in the morning as it does at he end of the day in August.
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...DSC_0028-3.jpg

Not planning to head out to Seattle anytime soon, sorry, otherwise I'd be happy to lend a hand :)

The Stock C6 Vette setup blows air pretty much onto the front tires. Its not very good, the C6 Z06 blows air into the wheel well so its maybe a bit better. I did this first thing to my C6 before I ever tracked it. Its brakes are OK the feel is not great, and they need a gradual constant pressure.

My C5 Z06 needed ducts very very badly (it blows air onto the wheels in the front and rear) and I never did do that to it like I should have. It would heat fracture front rotors in 3 to 5 days of driving DE's. Rotors on the Vette are cheap, but replacing them track side is a pain in the butt, and if I am instructing I just would not have the time. Some preventive stuff like the ducts really helps.

My weekend at RA saw a change of front pads, but the rotors are fine and have plenty of life in them, so the ducts do their job very well, if you plan to track the car regularly or run it at an advanced level then this is a must have upgrade. Next thing I do with my brakes will probably be a BBK, but for me, personally that is hard to justify on anything short of a real race car. I still hold some hope that a ZR1 kit will be sold in a few years and something approaching affordable :)

I don't have SS pistons, but I disagree. I believe ducting is one of the best brake mods that can be done (right after a change of fluid), and is probably the most cost-effective.

I bought some Ti backing plates from PFYC, and doubled them up on the inside of my caliper (as I didn't think there was any point in putting them on the outside, where there are no pistons or fluid). Last track day I was hard on the ABS in every single braking zone for as much as five laps in a row. After the last outing I didn't give it enough cool-down time and cracked a rotor in the pits. When I changed the rotor and pad the caliper pistons looked fine, and the piston seals were intact.

Oh, this was on stock C5 Z06 pads with 3.5" DRM brake ducts, LG spindles and Kumho XSs. Brake temperature paint indicates the outer edge of the rotor peaked around 1200F.

I've never had any sort of fluid fade, but then I run Castrol SRF :) I don't mean to suggest that the DRM pistons are a bad product, but I'm not sure the stock calipers are worth spending any money on unless you're in a class that requires their use.

Gary, do I have this right: Brake ducts only, NO spindle ducts or hoses?

Correct. I might soon have ducts on a different set of calipers though, similar to this:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...n/IMGP2127.jpg

As an experment I ran the C5 NAPA rotors with the same setup. It workd very well, I just prefer a 14 inch rotor that weighs 5 pounds less each. Note the heat shield on the tie rod end.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...n/DSG_0084.jpg

:lurk: Just learning about this so I'm lurking on this thread...

You're gonna be lurking for a while seeing you resurrected a 3 year old thread.

J-

it's a bookmark for me...

franman

I went with with the quantum cooling kit. very good for the money and includes ball joint shields

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/pict...ctureid=110242

Where do you relocate the sensor to?

There is a spot behind the hub where you can fasten the sensor clip. Once you have it in place it almost looks like a factory setup.

Bill

Thanks Bill I have read that but I do not see what I am supposed to attach it to you. The use of a zip tie does not impress me. Do you have a picture of how yours is attached?


***** Update, found where to mount it, Really easy, works great!

thread revival!
I have the DRM ducts with quantum spindle kit. The hoses that came with the kit are already trashed. Which hose do you guys recommend? I realize that some sort of rubbing is inevitable.
Thanks!

Since hardbar seems to be out of business.... Does anyone happen to know the dimensions of those fasteners?


​​​​​​It would be nice to save a trip to the store in the middle of the job.

Thanks!