Write-Up: F-Body Brake Mod

It must be rubbing against something? Very common problem with braided lines. I had to be very careful when I put the braided lines in my old truck that they weren't near anything.

I took the damaged line off tonight, replaced with a new one from ZZP. I really wanted to blame this on my mechanic, but I can't. There's no evidence that anything cut or damaged the line from the outside. Near the top, about an inch below where the braided line connects to the stock steel line, it seems the line burst from the inside out. The clear plastic tubing is bubbled in a very small point where the failure occurred. There is nothing even close that could have rubbed against the line.

I have pictures to post, but my first thought is, since this is close to where the line is anchored to the chassis, it could be that the braids failed near a pivot point, that is where the line experiences the most flex when turning the wheel. Over time, bending the line back and forth made it weaker until it broke.

Something's different about the new lines ZZP sent me. I need to measure and compare. More to come...

New line is installed. Everything works fine. I notice that the new lines ZZP sent are 2" longer (20") than the old ones. This results in less of a bend near the connection to the chassis. I think this is a definite improvement over the 18" which seems to have failed because of the tight bend.

Now I need to replace the other side before it goes... Yay. But at least I'm not paying for it.

Here is the old line:



From the side:



From rear:



Line off the car:



Detail of bursted area:

1. Has anyone had any success in finding alternative brake package for rear of Riv's.

2. Also, I'm going to ask the local salvage yard to try and find me a pair of F - Body calipers and brackets that I can rebuild and install. My front's need replacing or rebuild soon, so it's a good time to upgrade.
Is there any year / model that I should specifically ask for. I know I have asked this question before and was told 1998 - 2002 Camaro, Firebird with LS1 package.
Is that the only choice. In case they ask about other possible fitment.

98+ had larger calipers....

94-97 had a hair smaller brakes, but they would prolly be rigged up to fit.


also, if you guys can fit the LS1 fbody brakes then you should be able to buy the Vette kit made for fbodys, then you can install the vette brakes.

just a thought

correct, the vette upgrade kit the f-body guys use should fit (assuming it uses the same bracket to bolt the caliper to), but it is a lot of $$$$ and would not fit under stock riv wheels.

would be cool to say i have corvette 15" brembo brakes
at a cost of over $4000 i say its a little bit overkill.

1. I'm going to ask the local salvage yard to try and find me a pair of F - Body calipers and brackets that I can rebuild and install. My front's need replacing or rebuild soon, so it's a good time to upgrade.
Is there any year / model that I should specifically ask for. I know I have asked this question before and was told 1998 - 2002 Camaro, Firebird with LS1 package.
Is that the only choice. In case they ask about other possible fitment.?


2. Has anyone had any success in finding alternative brake package for rear of Riv's ? IF so, what model & years will fit?.

Thanks.

1. Yes, as far as I know, the LS1-equipped cars (F-Body) are the most common source for the F-Body calipers. It's possible GM used the same caliper for some of their trucks, but should be easier to find if you search for F-body. I found mine for about $100 at a Cleveland salvage yard (see earlier in this thread).

2. I have not found any rear brake fitments that would bolt on and allow larger calipers, pads, or discs.

Note that our front discs take more than 80% of the abuse in stopping the car. I got about 90k miles out of my last pair of rear rotors. 50k or so out of the rear pads. Our cars stop really well stock, but if abused, the fronts will wear out quickly. The idea behind the F-body mod is so you can abuse the brakes more without as much wear to the front rotors. They should last longer, and they seem to stop a bit better, too.

Most junkyards won't sell brake components due to liability but to answer your questions...

1. 98-02 F-body with LSI is the only one that we know about other than the Corvette brakes that might require a "kit" to install. Check some of the GTP websites for demods (there is a lot more than you would think).

2. Not yet on the rears... but you could always do some measuring and research and let us know or make a custom bracket to use the fbody calipers on back with the 12" rotors. That might be a little overkill unless you actually race on a track. On a stock setup you can get the cross driller and vented rotors for the back along with Hawk pads just not a larger caliper. Keep in mind the rear brakes only contribute about 30% to the braking force.

SS lines will help firm everything up.

When I take the rears off again I'll make a template.
I just had them off last week to replace both with Reman units, one piston was sticking. Should have thought of then, oh well, I'll get to it when I replace hoses with stainless braided.
Thanks

You're not planning on out doing me are you Rick?

It will take me quite a while, You've got nothing to worry about...... FOR NOW.

Got Front LS1 Calipers, brackets, hardware and hoses on ebay for $67.00
shipped. Now all I have to do other than rebuild and paint these is figure out upgrade for rear. Once i do y'all be the first to know. I'll be working on fabricating this winter for sure. I'm determined to experiment with rears.

Wow, that's a sweet deal, but a few flags fly up: Are those ready to bolt on the G-Body? What kind and how long are the hoses you got?

The hoses he's shipping I'm assuming are stock LS1.
I'm ordering the KIT of four SS from ZZP for the Bonneville as you suggested for the extra length. Also, ordering McMaster bushings. I'll get new spring clips and pads locally.
One other question I have is do I need some banjo bolts for the brake lines in addition to the SS Kit or am I confused from reading three different write-ups on separate sites ? I just got an email from this guy and he also has the complete rear set up ,Calipers brackets backing plates and e-brake cables that he'll add to the deal for $100.00 shipped. Do you think this would be a worthwhile investment in figuring out a rear brake mod ?

If you get the stock lines, you should get the banjo bolts as well. These will work with the SS lines. Make sure the lines you get from ZZP are 20" long, not 18".

AA,
Will the W Body Store know what I'm asking for when i order SS lines and Banjo Bolts?
If i tell it's for a Riviera will they go sideways on me ? Is there someone in particular you may have dealt with in the past that has a clue.
I just re-read above. So your saying I should get the banjo bolts with the used parts i ordered, correct?

Rickw wrote:

AA,
Will the W Body Store know what I'm asking for when i order SS lines and Banjo Bolts?
If i tell it's for a Riviera will they go sideways on me ? Is there someone in particular you may have dealt with in the past that has a clue.
I just re-read above. So your saying I should get the banjo bolts with the used parts i ordered, correct?

They should know what you are talking about when you go to order the parts.

key thing is to get the x-long lines (20") made for bonneville I believe. W-body lines are too short.

Yes, if you get the lines connected, the banjos should be included.

Just got got an email: You have won another pair of front F Body calipers and brackets. I forgot i bid on a couple of the least expensive sets.
I'll disassemble, bead blast, rebuild, paint (color of your choosing) and put up for sale when I'm done for anyone that might be interested.

Last week I posted here that I had some minor judder at certain speeds, but it seemed to go away under harder braking. A couple days ago when I fixed my brake line, I noticed one of the slide pins was loose and the caliper was movable slightly. After tightening, this seems to have eliminated the problem.

i wonder why bolts and hoses tend to come loose on these units. I've read where a couple of people have experienced these issues....or maybe it was just you.....JK

I think it was just me so far. My caliper bolts all came loose a while back, but so far no repeat. It has only been one slide pin so far. Haven't had any hoses loosen up yet. I think I may have been too gentle in torquing the bolts on my newly painted calipers at first.

Received Front F-Body Calipers today. They look almost brand new, clean, all hardware included and pads that have about 3/4 life remaining.
Very impressed, quick shipping and like new product for cheap.
Also, just noticed these are PBR made in Australia units. These things have to be as new as they look, they still have PBR Brake Pads installed.

Rickw wrote:

Just got got an email: You have won another pair of front F Body calipers and brackets. I forgot i bid on a couple of the least expensive sets.
I'll disassemble, bead blast, rebuild, paint (color of your choosing) and put up for sale when I'm done for anyone that might be interested.

how much? they will my firebird....

I have only received the first set and started prepping them for my car. These are in like new condition and don't need rebuilding in my opinion. When I receive the second pair I'll evaluate the condition and let you know whether they need rebuilding, that I can do here properly and cheaper than exchanging for Reman units.
That will obviously affect cost, but not too much. I'm not trying to make money I just want to be sure they are safe for whoever uses them.
I'll let you know when I receive them and what condition their in. O.K.
I'll PM you with details.
Rick
P.S. If anyone else is interested, I'll source more pairs and rebuild, paint, etc for you. Let me know. PM me.