Banjo bolt issue
 

Hey guys just as usual the smallest task seems to always present an issue.
1988 Corvette
C5 brakes up front.
Ive got a set of stainless hoses bought for a C4 from Zip corvettes.
Also bought a pair of factory AC Delco hoses for a c5.
My issue is the banjo bolt (which happens to be the same part number for C4s & C5s) seems to be too long.
I just went to autozone which was no help. They show the same part number for the banjo bolt and don’t know how to look anything up without a specific application. Any ideas? I really just need a banjo bolt that’s slightly shorter.

Can you grind it or double up on the copper seal on one side?

Some quality auto parts warehouses like NAPA shops might have a shorter one in their stock or be able to get one quickly for you. That or double up on the copper washers like mentioned above.

As a last resort you could put a nut on it and cut below the nut and thread the nut off and you should be good to go. If you do cut the bolt use a cutting wheel and make as clean a cut and file it when done to get rid of burrs and so on. Be careful working with banjo bolts as they can get crushed pretty easily in a vice. I wrap mine in tape and then in a vice grip and would then use a small cutting wheel and go to it.

I hope that you find a simple easy solution that works that doesn't break the bank! How hard is it to improve the front brakes on a C4? I have an 1988 Coupe and it came with the smaller 12" rotors with 17" rims, the other choice was to use a 13" rotors which are far more common. Is it hard to upgrade to C5 or C6 front brakes? I have slotted, drilled rotors and new calipers but I would love to swap out the front brakes for some better stopping power. What is involved in the swap?

Best Regards,
Chris

I too am having a different issue with Banjo Bolts and washers... I found that Dorman's site actually let's you search by dimension.

However, you removed your C4 brake hose and caliper, then installed a C4 hose and a C5 caliper that should use the same bolt. Something seems off. Are your hose connections too thin? How much shorter are you needing it to be?

I believe right now that the washers on my IROC with new Calipers and Braided hoses are letting air in when the pedal returns resulting is squishy brakes. Why do I think this? The Russell lines I bought came with new washers, but a different thickness and diameter than stock. Also they were aluminum instead of brass (which doesn't conform as well to seal). I went to Dorman's website and poked around until I found the part number for the washers I wanted by using sizes. Then took the number to Amazon and found a pack of 10 for $10. Free Shipping to boot.

Is doubling up on copper washers more likely to leak?

Yea I find it hard to believe that considering most chain auto parts stores have plenty of brake rotors and pads in stock but yet only carry 2 banjo bolts. Tired of the idiots that work at these stores but on the same note if someone was worth a sh!t they wouldn’t be working there. C5 upgrade is cake with the proper adapter brackets.

No brass washers in my town either. Had to order them as I said.

Doubling up on one side, yes. Just like double ringing your oil filter.

Think of it this way, instead of the two faces the brass is to conform to, now there will be 4. Hose to brass washer, Brass washer to brass washer, brass washer to brass washer for the 2nd one, then brass washer to caliper.

Well, maybe.. They're pretty soft but, like Kyle says, it is more area to leak.

I have re-used the old ones before with no issues. Frankly, they seem better than the new ones, because the new ones are stamped and they have some coining to them and don't seem to seal as well.

If the thickness with the new ones is the problem, perhaps you could try that?

Update + more issues.

today I installed a set of stainless hoses from mid America. Now the hoses are fine but even when tightened my Russell’s speedbleeders are squirting fluid out steadily.
is this a sign of a bad caliper or did I just get a bad speedbleeder?
Just ordered two new from calipers front SDPC.
Hopefully nothing else goes wrong.

The speed bleeder is just a check valve. If fluid is squirting out from the center port of it, it's check valve is not functioning. If it was a regular bleeder the may have been some bad machining that wouldn't let it seat and fluid was coming out, but the speed bleeders have a check valve (their whole purpose) and under any condition should not allow fluid out of the center. Now if it is coming out around the threads... that's another story.

Also be careful when installing the braided lines. They are not as compliant as rubber. When I installed them on my IROC, the end was bumping up against some of the caliper casting. I ended up having to grind a bit of casting away to get it to set down flat.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...86b0532cd5.jpg

Kyle, you're right that the speed bleeder is a check valve, but you're thinking backwards on its function. When the bleeder is not tight in the caliper, fluid SHOULD escape from the center hole in the bleeder when you press on the brake pedal. This allows bubbles to escape from the caliper thru the bleeder during the brake fluid bleeding operation. The spring loaded check valve should close and prevent air from being drawn back into the caliper when you remove your foot from the brake pedal. After a successful bleed sequence, the bleeder is tightened to seal the bleed port in the caliper. Be careful not to let the m/c run low on fluid during the bleeding procedure. Leave the speed bleeder in the caliper. It's a good idea to cover the speed bleeder with a plastic cap to keep dirt out of the check valve.

:cool:

LOL, yea... what I said in reverse. :iagree:

If it is coming out it is not seating as is the wrong one or the machining in the caliper is bad. If you put a regular bleeder screw in and it doesn't leak it is the speed bleeder.

Thanks for the input guys. I suspected the bleeders were bad but Scroggin Dickey had brand new c5 calipers for $117 each so I went ahead and ordered them just to be safe. Unfortunately the vendor that sold me the Russell speedbleeders won’t offer any sort of refund.

Who was the vendor? I don't want to do business with them

Ended up going through eBay and got a return label to process the return.
I might try another brand of speedbleeders instead of Russel this time.

I don't think it's a good idea to use them; the future possibility of corrosion, dirt, etc. can be a much bigger problem than finding another person to pump the brakes while you open the bleeder screw.