Front brakes

[Jerryl]

Sitting outside watching the grill . . . . Thought I'd write . .

The car is not driven hard at all. The brakes started pulsing a few years ago , and finally got around to it. Still not sure how this happened, but have an synopsis: line lock not fully releasing.

Anyone have first hand experience with this?

Picture: There is some grease on the disk and everything has been replaced.

 

[charlief1]

Hard stopping on to small front brakes will do that every time Jerryl. The fact that the after market rotors are as thin (newer designs) as they are is done to make them as cheap as possible, not to mention that they're not stored flat like they should be helps to pre-warp them.

 

[Jerryl]

So, should i keep the oem's and resurface them?

 

[charlief1]

So, should i keep the oem's and resurface them?

Try that first but make sure to get the thickness measured. I believe Parts Plus is the only 1 selling US made rotors now and the casting is heavier than the rest.

 

[Jerryl]

Lmao. Thanks Charlie. Got the "made in China" units installed on the car. I will fish the oem's out of the garbage.

 

[Eticket]

Jerryl, I replaced mine with some cheap aftermarkets that are drilled with some nice carbon ceramic pads. I think they were "powerstops" I got as a kit for cheap on ebay. I actually think they rotors were TRW's but under someone else's name. The whole setup may not be as nice as the full blazer upgrade, but then again, I never really had issues with any of my cars stopping. I'd say upgrade to drilled/slotted of some sort and you'll be happier. PS>. I did the same thing to my gmc sierra truck, drilled and slotted rotors from rockauto with nicer pads - huge difference and stops amazingly better than stock.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Drilled and slotted rotors don't help stop any better. Plus, if you don't have the 5000 dollar high end drilled rotors like the corvettes do, then you're wasting your money. The holes are stress risers and nothing more.

 

[turbo nasty]

I recently put dimpled rotors on my Gn and have yet to fade them ....have smelled and know they were hot where the stockers would have faded. While you may not gain braking torque and clampimg force. The rotors ability to out gas in conjunction with better pad material is as definite gain. I don't like drilled as the almost always crack even when holes are dimpled.

 

[turbo nasty]

http://brakeperformance.com/

They have lifetime warranty against cracking and warping. I run the dimpled style. Only con...which I don't mind is when your really get on the brakes you can feel the dimples some.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

You lose surface area when they're drilled/slotted. I had them on my car and the car stopped worse than when it did before I put them on. We also covered them in brake class and they were deemed a novelty item.

 

[turbo nasty]

Yeah I agree that's why I like the dimpled pattern

 

[usetaboost]

A larger pad and rotor is what these cars need. It sucks that you can't go any larger than the s10 setup and its hardly an upgrade unless you convert to Yvette brakes.

I put impala rotors which are an inch taller than the stock grand Prix has. Night and day. Nothing else changed. Still gotta see if the impala brackets fit the s10 spindles.

 

[charlief1]

A larger pad and rotor is what these cars need. It sucks that you can't go any larger than the s10 setup and its hardly an upgrade unless you convert to Yvette brakes.

I put impala rotors which are an inch taller than the stock grand Prix has. Night and day. Nothing else changed. Still gotta see if the impala brackets fit the s10 spindles.

The biggest issue is the caliper on the stock blazer knuckle. The early 4th gen F body cars have a true 11" rotor but the calipers and pads from the blazer won't fit over them. If you can find just a caliper that will fit the blazer bracket and will allow for a 1.25" thick rotor then you get an even better front brake. I'm looking at adapting a B body caliper to the blazer knuckle so you can go to either an 11 or 12" rotor fairly cheaply. Swap meet this weekend so I might find some of the parts I'm looking for.

 

[Jerryl]

The biggest issue is the caliper on the stock blazer knuckle. The early 4th gen F body cars have a true 11" rotor but the calipers and pads from the blazer won't fit over them. If you can find just a caliper that will fit the blazer bracket and will allow for a 1.25" thick rotor then you get an even better front brake. I'm looking at adapting a B body caliper to the blazer knuckle so you can go to either an 11 or 12" rotor fairly cheaply. Swap meet this weekend so I might find some of the parts I'm looking for.

Way too complicated for me. Lol

 

[charlief1]

Way too complicated for me. Lol

A steel plate that bolts to the knuckle and the caliper mounts to that is to complicated? You're an engineer Jerryl so start crunching numbers.

 

[Jerryl]

A steel plate that bolts to the knuckle and the caliper mounts to that is to complicated? You're an engineer Jerryl so start crunching numbers.

Haha. Cheers.

 

[usetaboost]

My idea, which I have no idea if it will even work yet, is to see bolt the impala bracket on the s10 spindle and use impala rotors with corvette calipers. First step will be to see if the bracket bolts up. Other option would be to use the newer impala dual piston caliper. I dunno. Gotta get some time to experiment in the junkyard. As of now the weather isn't cooperating on the weekends for me.

 

[charlief1]

Well I got lucky this weekend and picked up 2 F body 12" rotors to play with for $10. Total costs so far is less than $200 for the knuckles, rotors, new bearings, and the metal to make the adapter bracket. I'll either make the 12" rotors work with the stock G body caliper or the larger A/B car caliper. Just need the larger caliper for test fitting but the adapter template is made and will be cut out shortly in 1/2" steel plate. The stock caliper won't clamp better but the thicker/larger rotor will allow for better braking, and if the larger caliper works then much better braking will be available for much less than one of the big boy kits. It should even fit in a GTA wheel so you don't need a 17" or larger wheel. Testing and fitting in the next few weeks.