Light weight front brake upgrade

[gusszgs]

Is there a kit or caliper/pad combo available for our cars that won't break the bank. Looking for a lightweight front caliper/pad combo and possible rotors. I see the SSBC, but then read that the bloody things need to be modded to fit on Summit's site. I'm looking for plug n play LIGHTWEIGHT calipers and possibly rotors for stock 87 Regal application. TIA

 

[turbows6]

There's a company that makes hub by machining a stock brake rotor down and you can use a 98-02 F-Body brake hat and aluminum dual-piston caliper. You can get cross drilled and slotted rotors with brake pads dirt-cheap on ebay and buy the calipers out of a u-pull-it yard for ~50-60 bucks a pair. At any rate, you'd only have around 400 bucks total invested to have 12" front brakes with an aluminum dual piston caliper. Also, I'm pretty sure that the caliper from a 99-04 mustang will interchange directly with a 98-02 f-body caliper, and there's no shortage of those in the scrap yards.

Here's a link to the hub and caliper bracket you can buy to use f-body brakes. It's $235.

http://www.flynbye.com/catalog/i281.html

 

[turbo nasty]

Willwood

 

[turbo nasty]

Willwood

 

[dynoman]

Is there a kit or caliper/pad combo available for our cars that won't break the bank.

And what is that $$$$ amount ?? I try to not go the most inexpensive route when it comes to braking , that's why I went with Wilwood 6 piston fronts that fit in my 15" wheels .

 

[gusszgs]

And what is that $$$$ amount ?? I try to not go the most inexpensive route when it comes to braking , that's why I went with Wilwood 6 piston fronts that fit in my 15" wheels .

Is that plug n play? My fronts work great as is.........looking for mild upgrade and weight savings. If I can't do this for 3-4 hundred bucks I'll just keep the stockers.

 

[turbo nasty]

You have to cut the ears off the spindle and tap a hole or two. Biggest thing is if you go with the wilwood 12.19 rotor you have bigger rotor and 4 piston is lighter than the stock crap. Not sure on 6 piston. I have teh 4 piston and love them!! No more brake fade when playing back to back on the street or stopping from warp speed! And thats coming from ss lines...better pads and factory dimpled rotors

 

[TRICKSIXPA]

I've installed a SSBC kit on a GN and did not have to modify one thing! I used a set of centric rotors and there was no problem with fit and install.


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[gusszgs]

I've installed a SSBC kit on a GN and did not have to modify one thing! I used a set of centric slotted rotors and there was no problem with fit and install.


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Hum thanks, I wonder what these guys are talking about. Read it in the review section on Summit. They had to screw with the pad to fit the caliper.
https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/ssb-a181/overview/year/1987/make/buick/model/regal

 

[TRICKSIXPA]

The ssbc kit comes with pads they slide right on just have to be straight. The stock calipers are cut back a little more so they go in easier. I did the ssbc kit a few years back on a low mile car and stopping after the swap was really good!


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[TRICKSIXPA]

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[turbo nasty]

Another plus with Wilwood is the track width stays the same

 

[jmendlik]

Aerospace Components.Cal Hartline sells the complete kit for the front and rears. minimal mods needed.


http://hartlineperformance.com/streetbrakes.html

 

[gusszgs]

Thanks for all the replies, the SSBC pad and caliper kit fits into my budget as I'm just looking to reduce some weight mainly and add some stopping power. I was just a little concerned when I read guys having to mod the wear clip for them to work/fit. Seemed a little ridiculous IMO

 

[turbows6]

I'd still contend that the 98-02 Trans Am/ Camaro front brakes would be dramatically cheaper than any aftermarket brake kit with a 12" vented rotor.

You can buy the cross drilled rotors with Ceramic pads for $57.59 shipped. (These are pretty decent rotors, I've used the same brand on a few 79-04 mustangs with no issues)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/A0263-2-Front-Cross-Drilled-Brake-Rotors-and-4-Pads-Chevy-/261332411829?fits=Year:2002|Model:Camaro&hash=item3cd8a025b5:g:yZ8AAOSwT6pVznxH&vxp=mtr

You'd have $235 in the hubs and caliper brackets, (and reuse your existing wheel bearings if you wanted)
http://www.flynbye.com/catalog/i281.html

A pair of remanufactured caliper and housing assemblies with new hardware would cost $188.42 shipped.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disc-Brake-Caliper-Premium-Semi-Loaded-Caliper-Housing-and-Bracket-Front-Right-/401058484220?fits=Year:2002|Model:Camaro&hash=item5d60f2cffc:g:CRkAAOSw5dNWoMxl&vxp=mtr

Thats a total of $481.01 for everything new without needing to step a foot into a junkyard. (Could probably be done even cheaper if you got the caliper assembly from pick-n-pull)

Another benefit is the fact you can buy wheel bearings, rotors, and pads at Autozone etc.


Here's a picture of the same brand rotors on my '92 notchback. I'm a dumpster diver, so the calipers and pads are junkyard stuff that I cleaned up. FWIW the caliper on this is virtually identical to the 98-02 f-body. (I think they will even interchange) The point is that the rotor and caliper are essentially Identical to the parts you could swap onto a G-Body for under 500 bucks.

EDIT: I'd also mention that if you wait until a holiday most pick-n-pull yards have half-price days and you could probably get EVERYTHING out the door, Calipers, Brackets, Pads, Rotors for under $100. All 98-02 cars had the same brakes whether it was a v6 or a Ram-Air trans am. There are plenty of v6 cars in the junkyards, so none of the parts here would be stuff that's really hard to find. In that case you'd probably only have around $325 bucks in the whole setup.

 

[Undercover87T]

One thing that wasn't mentioned in the original post is what size wheels are being used. The LS1 conversion would be the cheapest, however I don't believe LS1 calipers will clear a 15in wheel since they barely clear a 16in GTA after some tweaks. I'm using the Aerospace front Pro Street kit but they so bump the track width by about 1/2in total and have gone up in price to around $1000 for the front.

 

[gusszgs]

Ya, I'm just running the factory aluminum "T" rims. What dia. are the factory rotors anyway? Mine are still in very good shape. Does SSBC make a factory "lightweight" Stock size rotor as well?

 

[BOOST N]

98 to 05 2wd blazer spindle to caliper conversion. I am running Stock T wheels.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

98 to 05 2wd blazer spindle to caliper conversion. I am running Stock T wheels.
View attachment 295774

Is this lighter than stock?

 

[Undercover87T]

Blazer calipers will clear 15in wheels, LS1 calipers won't. Stock rotors are 10in.