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DRUM TO DISK BRAKE SWAP (93-97 F-Body)
What you will need:
</font>
Most of these parts can be purchased from Trans Am Creations. If you find that they are out of stock (as I did) then your best bet is ebay or one of these message boards, as buying these parts would be much more expensive (I paid $100 for the same kit you can get from Trand Am Creation).
There are several types of grease that can be applied when regreasing the calipers. Your local auto parts store will be able to tell you what sort of grease to use.
Install:
Begin by Jacking up the rear of the car and placing jack stands under the rear jacking points on both sides. Make sure you put blocks aroudn both front wheels. I also placed a small hydraulic jack under the differential so that I could raise and lower it as needed. Pull off the top of the drums.
Next get something for the differential fluid to drain into and remove the cover. Remember the fluid drains best when its warm.
Turn the differential so that the screw faces towards you. The easiest way to do this is to put the car in neutral and turn the driveshaft. Remove that sideways facing screw (seen in the last picture at the bottom of the differential. It will probably not go all the way out, but just enough to remove the center piece and the two C clips pictured here.
The center piece just pulls right out. The two c clips can be removed by pushing the axles in gently and you can catch them as they fall off. Place them both aside and do not loose them! Then remove the axles. Pull them out straight so as not to bend them. Be Careful!
Now would be a good time take the brake lines out of the back of the drums.
Unscrew the brass fitting and the brake line will pop out. Be careful not to strip it because you will have to screw it back in later. You may wish to cover the end of the line so no dirt gets in there.
Next get under the center of the car and find where the two ebrake cables meet into one. With a screwdriver pry out the cables from the clamps and pull them out. It took me a while to figure just how to get them out.
Next unbolt the drum as you should be able to get to the bolts now. Using the same bolts bolt the backing plates onto the axles with the caliper holes towards the back of the car. Be sure the caliper holes are also recessed inward or the caliper will not fit correctly.
Put the axleshafts back into the rear. Now you must measure the distance from the end of the axleshafts to the inside of the bracket. If the distance is greater than 2.75 you must remove the caliper bracket and install GM shim # 12471185 (note that this number is different than the part number in the diagram... it is a newer number). Place the axle shafts back in again and place all three pieces back into the diff.
(Be sure to take this measurement with the c clips in place in the differential or you will get an incorrect reading.)
Now make sure you have greased up the pistons on the calipers. Your local auto parts store will be able to tell you what sort of grease to use. With the brake pads on the calipers slide them into place around the rotors and bolt them on. You might need to depress the caliper and you can do so using a C clamp.
Screw the ends of the old brake lines in to the rubber lines included with the caliper. route the ebrake cables back through the same brackets the old ones came out of and install them where the lines meet. Clean up the lid to the differential and place some permatex around the edge. Make sure you have placed all three pieces back into the differential (c clips and spacer). Screw them in well.
Bolt the cover back on. It is ok to use the old seal if it is in good shape. Dont do it too tight or you will have leaks. I only tightened it as much as i could with one hand and a 3/8ths wrench. Refill the differential to the fill plug and snug it up.
Make sure you do a good job of bleeding the brakes. There will probably be a lot of air in the lines. You must go around every bleeder, not just the rear wheels. The Hanes manual has great instructions for beginners on brake bleeding.
Stick the rear wheels back on the car and youre ready to go!
Take tha car out for a test drive after you think you've gotten all the air out of the lines. Take it easy at first because the brakes may not be as strong as you might expect. If they are weak at first go back to bleeding the brakes. There is probably still air in the lines. Don't forget to test the E-Brake as well.
Once everything is set up correctly you should notice a decent gain in stopping power. I'd also say its worth the time and money just for the looks of the disk setup alone.
PROS:
</font>
CONS:
</font>
for more pictures see:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/218156/5
http://shbox.com/1/brake_pipes_rr.jpg
http://shbox.com/1/rr_disc.jpg
http://shbox.com/1/rear_caliper.jpg
Questions: -Larry / (Loochy88)/ Loochy88@hotmail.com
[ February 12, 2005, 12:33 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
What you will need:
</font>
- A set 93-97 Rear Calipers</font>
- Backing Plates</font>
- Rear 93-97 Rotors</font>
- E-Brake Cables For The Disk Brake Setup</font>
- GM shim # 12471185</font>
- A Basic Set of Tools</font>
- New Brake Pads</font>
- Brake Fluid</font>
- Gear Oil</font>
- Grease for the Calipers</font>
Most of these parts can be purchased from Trans Am Creations. If you find that they are out of stock (as I did) then your best bet is ebay or one of these message boards, as buying these parts would be much more expensive (I paid $100 for the same kit you can get from Trand Am Creation).
There are several types of grease that can be applied when regreasing the calipers. Your local auto parts store will be able to tell you what sort of grease to use.
Install:
Begin by Jacking up the rear of the car and placing jack stands under the rear jacking points on both sides. Make sure you put blocks aroudn both front wheels. I also placed a small hydraulic jack under the differential so that I could raise and lower it as needed. Pull off the top of the drums.
Next get something for the differential fluid to drain into and remove the cover. Remember the fluid drains best when its warm.
Turn the differential so that the screw faces towards you. The easiest way to do this is to put the car in neutral and turn the driveshaft. Remove that sideways facing screw (seen in the last picture at the bottom of the differential. It will probably not go all the way out, but just enough to remove the center piece and the two C clips pictured here.
The center piece just pulls right out. The two c clips can be removed by pushing the axles in gently and you can catch them as they fall off. Place them both aside and do not loose them! Then remove the axles. Pull them out straight so as not to bend them. Be Careful!
Now would be a good time take the brake lines out of the back of the drums.
Unscrew the brass fitting and the brake line will pop out. Be careful not to strip it because you will have to screw it back in later. You may wish to cover the end of the line so no dirt gets in there.
Next get under the center of the car and find where the two ebrake cables meet into one. With a screwdriver pry out the cables from the clamps and pull them out. It took me a while to figure just how to get them out.
Next unbolt the drum as you should be able to get to the bolts now. Using the same bolts bolt the backing plates onto the axles with the caliper holes towards the back of the car. Be sure the caliper holes are also recessed inward or the caliper will not fit correctly.
Put the axleshafts back into the rear. Now you must measure the distance from the end of the axleshafts to the inside of the bracket. If the distance is greater than 2.75 you must remove the caliper bracket and install GM shim # 12471185 (note that this number is different than the part number in the diagram... it is a newer number). Place the axle shafts back in again and place all three pieces back into the diff.
(Be sure to take this measurement with the c clips in place in the differential or you will get an incorrect reading.)
Now make sure you have greased up the pistons on the calipers. Your local auto parts store will be able to tell you what sort of grease to use. With the brake pads on the calipers slide them into place around the rotors and bolt them on. You might need to depress the caliper and you can do so using a C clamp.
Screw the ends of the old brake lines in to the rubber lines included with the caliper. route the ebrake cables back through the same brackets the old ones came out of and install them where the lines meet. Clean up the lid to the differential and place some permatex around the edge. Make sure you have placed all three pieces back into the differential (c clips and spacer). Screw them in well.
Bolt the cover back on. It is ok to use the old seal if it is in good shape. Dont do it too tight or you will have leaks. I only tightened it as much as i could with one hand and a 3/8ths wrench. Refill the differential to the fill plug and snug it up.
Make sure you do a good job of bleeding the brakes. There will probably be a lot of air in the lines. You must go around every bleeder, not just the rear wheels. The Hanes manual has great instructions for beginners on brake bleeding.
Stick the rear wheels back on the car and youre ready to go!
Take tha car out for a test drive after you think you've gotten all the air out of the lines. Take it easy at first because the brakes may not be as strong as you might expect. If they are weak at first go back to bleeding the brakes. There is probably still air in the lines. Don't forget to test the E-Brake as well.
Once everything is set up correctly you should notice a decent gain in stopping power. I'd also say its worth the time and money just for the looks of the disk setup alone.
PROS:
</font>
- Better stopping power</font>
- Improved appearance (drums look sort of ugly)</font>
- Inexpensive used parts (my total cost was $180)</font>
CONS:
</font>
- Difficult install for beginners</font>
- Buying the parts new can be expensive (if you di this swap, you will probably use used parts)</font>
- Brake dust accumulation on the rear wheels</font>
for more pictures see:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/218156/5
http://shbox.com/1/brake_pipes_rr.jpg
http://shbox.com/1/rr_disc.jpg
http://shbox.com/1/rear_caliper.jpg
Questions: -Larry / (Loochy88)/ Loochy88@hotmail.com
[ February 12, 2005, 12:33 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
