Rear rotor conv.

[Archer]

Ok, im prolly not in the right section for this but it does have to do with brakes.

i have rear drums, now i have seen and heard of people replace the axles in the rear and slap on rotors. i have also heard of people buying the bolts that are needed and put them on the old axles themselves. bought a brake kit and adapted it to the brake lines. i know they have ABS kits.. but is it possible to replace these alxes with the ones with the bolts on them already? new or from a junk yard. like taken from a 97+ camaro? would the gears have to be changed? i know there are some Mech. Jocks in here. and i know it can be done.. but on the charts how hard is it from scale 1-10? im pretty good with tools, and have full access garage on base for those of ya'll military you know what im talking about. full garage, tools, and a pro. mech there by your side helping ya.

can someone give me some info here?

Thanks

C. Archer
Ft. Campbell KY
Air Assault

[hockeyman]

ok, well, to start with, the only time you need to mess with the alxes is when you are installing backing plates for disk brakes. Axles are compatible, doesn't matter if it's 93-97 or 98+. They are a slight bit different when measuring the center hub, but they are compatible. I have 98+ rotors on my 95 T/A rear. As long as the axles are 28 spline, they will fit any application you have with your 93-02 f-bod.

You can use the same bolts you have for the drum brakes to install new backing plates for disk brakes.

You'll need:
Backing plates, calipers w/ mounting bracket's, rotors, flexible (rubber) brake lines, and brake pads, that's about it to convert your car into 4 wheel disk's. I installed 98+ rotors on my 95 rear, but had to slightly grind the inside of the rotor's hub to make it fit.

-Marc

[ September 22, 2003: Message edited by: hockeyman ]</p>

[Archer]

backing plates for disk brakes???

What are they and what are they for?

Thanks for the info! i can just pull a rear from a camaro of similar year and model and just install this?

thanks
C. Archer
Air Assault

[hockeyman]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Archer:
backing plates for disk brakes???

What are they and what are they for?

Thanks for the info! i can just pull a rear from a camaro of similar year and model and just install this?<hr></blockquote>

If you are going from drum to disk, then you'll need backing plates for disk brakes. They are very different than the drum plates, and you will need to pull the axles to get them off and install the disk plates.
Yes, the axles are compatible. The 98+ axles have a slightly smaller center hub than the 93-97's, but they will fit.

Example:
I bought a posi disk rear from a 95 T/A, installed it, and bought rotors that were from a 98+ rear, I had to take a dremel moto tool and grind the center hole of the rotor a bit to open it up and make it fit my application.
If you have 98+ axles already, then you won't need to grind anything down. They are compatible no matter what you are installing from the 4th gen.

-Marc

[hockeyman]

Whoops! forgot to mention that you'll need new emergency brake cables for disk brakes. They 'again are different than the drum brake cables, but are basically easy to install. I suggest buying new ones. Older ones could have stretched over the years, and cause some problems down the line.

After I installed my posi trac rear, I flushed the whole brake fluid system with new dot-5 fluid (front and back). This is an option, but I like to do a thorough job. *Easy to do when you're already under there.

-Marc

[V6Bob]

"I flushed the whole brake fluid system with new dot-5 fluid"

Do you mean DOT 5 (silicone) brake fluid or DOT 5.1 (conventional) brake fluid?

The silicone stuff can be useful in a show car (doesn't eat paint), but it needs to be installed very carefully (doesn't mix with conventional fluid at all) and it's not good for a performance car.

[firstlove94]

Hey guys, what about the master cylinder? I have heard that it needs to be adjusted for rear discs, is that true. I have most of the parts I need for this swap also but have been wondering about that part of the brake system.

[hockeyman]

V6Bob, I used the conventional fluid.

Firstlove94, I never replaced my M.C., I kept the same stock unit and it never needed any adjustment. Although, I did buy one for all wheel disks from a 2000 SS Camaro, I never installed it because my brakes worked fine...and still do. So now it sits with all of the other replacement parts in my garage.

-Marc

[firstlove94]

Cool! Thanks Hockeyman,thats a great help.

[CARdiac]

Is there a step by step instruction site?

[hockeyman]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by CARdiac:
Is there a step by step instruction site?<hr></blockquote>

I think I covered everything for the drum to disk swap here: http://www.camarov6.com/cgi-bin/ulti...c&f=2&t=002069

Also, scroll down to read FirebirdGT's post on measuring and shimming. It's very important!

-Marc

[ September 24, 2003: Message edited by: hockeyman ]</p>