Aby ideas where I can get the caliper brakets. I know where I can get the calipers, rotors and custom adapters made, but I cannot find any salvage yards that have any and car-part.com lists none.
Try Art's Corvette Parts in Florida, they have a web page. I think the brackets are like $45.00 ea. You can also get your banjo bolts for the brake hose to caliper mounting there as the Corvette bolts are different than the Fiero banjo bolts.
Dragon1/Brian
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07:49 PM
nightonfire Member
Posts: 1015 From: San Diego, Ca. Registered: Feb 2004
I looked a Art's Corvette website and they had the front caliper brackets, but I could,nt seem to find anything for the rears. I plan on using the 96 calipers because I want to keep the E-brake. I found a caliper plate, but that looked like it went around the rear hub to attach the caliper bracket too.
No, The rear brackets look like the front brackets except the mounting pattern is different...
As for the adaptor brackets I wouldn't make them out of aluminum. This isn't a race car which you are checking out all the time this is a street car which doesn't get looked at too often...I would make the brackets out of steel... Just keep searching Corvette parts houses, you'll find them...try Mid America or Ecklers
Dragon1/Brian Machinist for 30 years...I work with both materials and they are not the same strength wise.......
I just used stock rotors...no slots...no holes...again, it's a street car. You aren't braking like a race car where you need to dissapate the heat quickly and as far as weight savings it's gonna take more holes and slots than that to lose any significant weight.
I see your point again, but the reason I asked was most of the once I see to buy online are either drilled/slotted or one of the other. Theses rotors are about the same money as stock. The argument is that drilling weakens the rotor and slotting wears the pad out faster, if done right I really cannot see there point. I was just asking a general question to see which one would be more perferable over the other.
Myself I can see how drilling the holes, if not done right, can weaken the rotor and cause stress fractures. The benefit is weight savings and to release gases. Slotting they say will help keep the pads from glazing by cleaning the pads off, I personally do not know if this helps.
I think most of the time it is used on street cars for looks and I am considering them for this reason.
As far as the aluminum goes, I was just wondering since aluminum is 1/3 the cost of steel and is more easily machined, if it is strong enough and would hold up why not use it.
I got my front and rear rotors on ebay for $33.99 pr. for front and $33.99 pr. for the rear....keep watching. Don't rush to buy anything cause you want it now, give it time, you'll find what you want...
Dragon1/Brian
Took me six months to gather up all my Corvette brake stuff.
I understand that is what I am doing now, just gathring information and what is the best items and where to buy them.
I was just thinking of the drilled and or slotted rotors, but if the drilled ones are prone to craking and the slotted ones cause your pads to wear out faster I will get the pain ones. If there is some benefit to either drilling or slotting the rotors and if they are not that much more I might buy them.
The same goes for the aluminum and steel, since the aluminum is cheaper I am kind of leaning in that direction, but if it will not hold up I will get the steel to make the adapter brackets because cost never out weights safety in my book.
Again thank you very much for your input, it seems that you are one of the few that knows any thing about this convertion, at least the only one that replies.
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11:24 PM
Apr 19th, 2005
DRWBRTq19 Member
Posts: 382 From: Jefferson City MO Registered: Jun 2004
Ok guys this info is awsome. I want to deffinatly upgrade my brakes before I upgrade my motor (wanna make sure I stop). I just have 2 Q's.
1) Will a 15" wheel fit over the corvette upgrade? I wasn't really thinking about going w/ 16's but then that was before I found anything on brake upgrades.
2) are there any other brake upgrades out there for the Fiero?
No you cannot use 15" or 16" wheels, I think the minimum is 17".
There are a few brake upgrades out there, some of them are kits and they give you everything you need. One is at West Coast Fiero the other is from RCC. There are others, but these two are the best for the money.
The others are based on parts you gather from other cars and then make adapters so you can install them yourself. The benefit is that you save a lot of money by doing the work yourself. The first is the Grand Am and the other is the Corvette. There are links to websites on this forum just do a search.
I stand corrected, I thought you couldn't use 16" wheels and you needed to use 17", but that is for the 13" rotors that you need to use a minimum of 17" wheels.
are you absolutely dead set on using corvette calipers? I think they are 2 piston; both on the same side design? (unless there is an option I am not aware of)
If not, there is another option you could consider; Wilwood calipers; the forged billet superlites are darn cheap (for what they are), they DO have O ring piston seals for street use and they are opposed 4 piston design which means they are 'self centering' and you 'rigid' mount them; no sliders, no extra brackets just a single (yes, custom) mounting bracket.
That is what I am doing; I did search thru the corvette etc upgrade issue over a yr ago and had the same experience; the brackets are the issue, not the calipers so much. Plus for the money you get incredible calipers. Anyway it is a thought. gp
Yes I did look in to the Wilwood calipers,but couldn't find out any bracket design to mount them. Do you have a scale drawing to mount the Wilwood calipers to a 85 GT or know where I can find one.
no I don't because I am doing something a bit more bizarre than that....... don't ask but I am sure any 1/2 decent machine shop could make up brackets quite easily; if you mock up the entire wheel ass'y with the wheel, spindle, hub, rotor and bearings all bolted together and have the caliper simply sitting loose in there on the rotor; they could position the caliper on the rotor, measure a bit and figure out a simple piece of (bent) steel to put it in that position and you're set.
Caution - This whole thing is going to be approaching 100 lbs so watch your back lifting it!!
Remember that the self centering feature of opposed-piston calipers takes out a lot of the complication. (Besides being great stoppers!) at least it is an option.
gp
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07:19 PM
PFF
System Bot
ccfiero350 Member
Posts: 826 From: Houston, Texas Registered: Feb 2003
Wilwood does have a big brake kit for the Cavalier http://www.wilwood.org/ds475.pdf that has the correct hat (no rings, no re-drilling) that would be the base for a very interesting brake upgrade. Hint : it fits like a regular 88 rotor but is 12.19 in diameter. By the way you can buy ala cart.
If you get the calipers for the 13" front brakes by mistake they are indeed two piston, You don't want these...you want the single piston used along with the 12" brakes. Two piston calipers have too much stopping torque and tend to snap the axle off of the spindle...read that on the WCF website...
Dragon1/Brian
rear brake
front brake
easy 3/8" inch clearance 16" Toyota Celica rims....
[This message has been edited by Dragon1 (edited 04-19-2005).]
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08:19 PM
nightonfire Member
Posts: 1015 From: San Diego, Ca. Registered: Feb 2004
OK I am a bit confused, I wan to to have an emergency-brake so do I not want the 88's please clarify. And also what is the need of a caliper plate. is it necessary, or for looks?? pls help THanks
Do you mean caliper adaptor??? It holds the caliper mounting bracket to the Fiero spindles (front and/or back spindle) I haven't hooked up the ebrake yet(car is an auto) I'm still in think mode on that issue... But I will get it hooked up...eventually...My main cable is stuck solid so it needs to be replaced, that is what's mostly holding me back...
Dragon1/Brian
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08:49 PM
ccfiero350 Member
Posts: 826 From: Houston, Texas Registered: Feb 2003
Breaking spindles? There is a lot of unspoken details left out of that coment I would like to know.
The best way to learn about wilwood is go to their web site and read about it. They have several hats that fit our hub and many calipers to chose from. Of course they have many sizes and styles of rotors to boot. As price goes they are more expensive then OEM but we are talking about two piece rotors and 4-puck binders. The Cavalier kit goes for a little over $800 at summit.
From a technical stand point, I lean heavly on the fixed calipers rather then the floaters. Simpler, more precise, and the only moving parts are the parts that push on the pads. Look around at purpose built racers, how many use floaters unless it's mandated ?
