Hey ya'll. We all (ok most?) know that you can use '92 Cav front rotors on the REAR of an '88.

Ever since I'd done this, I had a slight bit of noise in the back end - never really though much of it (thinking I'd just bumped a heat shield).

Well, this is what it was!


You can see the area on the shield itself where it was hitting.

On the rotors themselves it was hitting here:



Note the shiny ring in the middle!

Anyhow, a quick run into my shop and tossed the rotors on the lathe (everyone has one... right?) and did this:



I wasn't really paying attention, but I think I knocked about .020" off the middle of the backside where it was contacting.

So far - no more noise!

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88 White Formula Auto - stock
87/88 Med Met Red V6 5spd "FormulaGT" Turbo
86 Black GT 4spd - stock

My page:
http://www.fierohut.com

Other than that, what other mods do you have to do to fit Cav disks? There's been many times I've passed a decent set of disks in the yard, had I known, I would have picked up a set or two.

quote Originally posted by AquaHusky: There's been many times I've passed a decent set of disks in the yard

That's the nice part..
A) No mods required.
B) They're sooooo cheap they're not worth getting used!

Note that although 'real' 88 rotors can fit any corner, the cav ones will only fit the rear.
Too many interference issues to use on the front.

quote Originally posted by watts: Note that although 'real' 88 rotors can fit any corner, the cav ones will only fit the rear. Too many interference issues to use on the front.

hmm.. I wonder why that is? You would think that if it fit the rear, it should surely fit the front. Are they the same thickness?

Watts, are those fracture cracks on the inside of that rear rotor? I had heard that the cavalier rotor is slightly smaller in outside diameter than the 88 rotors, do you know if this is correct? I think the reason you can not use the cav. rotor on the front of the 88 is because the inside diameter will fit on the rear but is a little too small for the front bearings.

quote Originally posted by AquaHusky: hmm.. I wonder why that is? You would think that if it fit the rear, it should surely fit the front. Are they the same thickness?

The 88 front wheel bearings have a larger hub than the rear. So Fiero rotors designed for the front, have more than enough clearance to fit the rear.
The Cavalier rotors were not designed for the front Fiero hubs. They have enough clearance to fit over the rear bearing hubs, but not the front.

You can turn the front hubs down and use the Cavalier rotors all the way around, but I'd prefer to not maching down my 88 wheel hubs. They're hard enough to come by without risking damaging something.

Good write up. I have the Cav rotors on the back of my 88 too. The drivers side is the one the has the slight squeal every now and then. Maybe with the next new set I buy I may have them turned down just a bit.

Excellent info, + for you.
88Ironduke

quote Originally posted by rodmcneill: Watts, are those fracture cracks on the inside of that rear rotor?

I'm pretty sure they're just rust etches - I had the car parked over the very (!) wet winter here, and that's where the pad sat.

But of course, now you've got me paranoid, so I'll have to look closer when I go back in there to fix a small leak on that caliper.