Write-Up: F-Body Brake Mod

I've heard of a couple guys having problems with the ZZP lines on W-bodies too. One guy on a local forum just had a set of his fail not too long ago. Perhaps they had similar issues on the W-body. Either way , Hopefully the extended length fixed the issue.

I have been wondering..that...is there any even bigger kit's what could fit the riv.
i'm not familiar whit the body styles and the diferences.
but here whe talk about F-body brake mod.
on net i found one kit what fits F-body...its whit 6 pistons and 13'' rootors.


http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/Pages/03/index.asp

could i be possible to fit it on riv sameway as whi the other f body brakes? or need a big modification? guess the suport holders need to be bigger.


and for G-body found one more kit whit 13'' rootors and corvette calibers
Link

the problem with upgrading past the fbody kit is fitment behind the stock wheels. i see you have what look to be 18's on your riv so you could probably fit some 13" rotors and calipers in there, but the fbody caliper fins barely clear a 16" rim.
anything that the fbody cars use as an upgrade could potentially be used for the riv. though after upgrading to these brakes i cant imagine stopping any harder, especially coupled with some ebc pads and good rotors.
i think you should try the fbody mod before spend all the extra $$ on some 6 piston calipers and 1" larger rotors.

I was wondering if the chemistry/materials of the EBC rotor/pads are meant specifically for each other, and how much of a difference it would make to use them together vs. mixing parts.

Aaron,
You wrote that you have ordered and received a pair of drilled and tapped caliper brackets.
Where did you order them from and how much??

Jack the R,
I have some experience with using rotors and pads from different manufacturers with bad results on motorcycles, so I stick to the same manufacturer for both when buying aftermarket performance brakes.
I don't have any other experience with performance brakes for auto's though, other than the current EBC's.

Rickw - how many miles do you have on your ebc brakes? Any problems?

Jack the R wrote:

Rickw - how many miles do you have on your ebc brakes? Any problems?

I have approx. 12,000 miles without problems yet.
I do want to drill and tap my brackets though, to avoid the problem Aaron had with his.

Woah, I totally didn't notice the "ordered drilled and tapped brackets" part. Why would one do this instead of having the job done locally? Less down time?

Matthew: HP Plus pads are inbound, as are the new rotors. I want to try the new system out for a bit, then I may sell you my HP S pads. They are wearing pretty evenly, should still have a lot of life in them.

Jack: most people I talk to mix pad and rotor brands. Everyone who races autocross or road course uses Hawk pads. I don't think it matters, as no rotor company stipulates you must use their pad, and Hawk doesn't even make rotors. I think most pad manufacturers don't make rotors. EBC and StopTech are the only ones I can think of who sell both.

The reason for ordering the brackets is twofold: I drive my car daily, so there is no downtime, ever. Every installation I do must happen within a few hours, a day max. Also, I will have my OEM bracket drilled and tapped, then sell to another Riv owner in need.

Rick: I ordered the brackets from Parker Tauzier of TDC Racing. He can be contacted at: TopDeadCenterRacing@cox.net

You may order through him ($80/pr), but I'll give you a better price on my old brackets if you can wait till I have them drilled & tapped.

I wonder if Parker would have brackets to mount the f body brakes we've already got over a 13" rotor? It would be good to know there's a cheap upgrade path.

Aaron,
PM sent regarding purchasing your brackets.
Rick

Just a note to anyone interested, the machine specs for converting F-Body caliper brackets to accept our native G-Body (and W-Body) caliper bolts are:

Tap size: M14x2

Dia: 14.000 mm

TPI: ~13

Pitch: 2.000

Drill size: 12 mm

These are the hole & thread specs a machine shop would need to drill & tap the F-Body brackets for direct bolt-on to Riviera (eliminates need for spacer bushings).

Jack the R wrote:

I was wondering if the chemistry/materials of the EBC rotor/pads are meant specifically for each other, and how much of a difference it would make to use them together vs. mixing parts.

Not necessarily - however if you look at the EBC web site you'll see their claims about brake rotor metallurgy and brake pad compounding. See http://www.ebcbrakes.com/corporate.shtml - there is a video and a link to a page talking about their cast grey iron/copper alloy rotors; the company name is European Friction Industries. For those of you who have worked on European cars in the somewhat distant past, EFI is the successor company to some British brake makers in Bristol, UK.

Albertj

I've recently purchased the required thread tap for converting F-Body brackets to accepting G-body caliper bolts. PM me if you are interested in having your brackets converted for a reasonable price.

Would it be cost effective to ship the calipers to you?

JR,
You don't need to ship the calipers. It's just the brackets that need drilling and tapping.

Dur

So how much are we talking about AA?

You ship your brackets + $50. I pay shipping to send them back.

Does anyone know of a 15x8 or 15x7.5 stock rim that will fit over the Fbody calipers? I don't care what it is off of if it fits the Riv. I have a chance to pick up some nearly new 26x10x15 MT ET Drags for $50 each.

a 15" wheel won't even clear the stock brakes from what I understand. It's an issue buying used DRs - most people have them on 15"s which sucks. Can you put your stock wheels on over the Fbody calipers?

I don't have my stock wheels anymore... but I know there are certain types of stocker 15's that will clear stock brake setups such as the earlier Grand Prix's.  From what I understand there is an aftermarket aluminum drag wheel that will work but they cost $400...

The guy selling them also has a set of MT ET Streets in a 26x10x16 but they aren't full slicks.

He also has a set of BFG GFoirce TA Drag Radials in a 275-50R16 but those are 26.8x10.5x16. I can do the 10.5 wide but 26.8 might be too tall...

stock 16" riv wheels have about 1/4" clearance from the fins on the fbody's.

It sound like the GForce Drag Radials don't expand as much as the bias ply ones so I should be fine running the 26.8x10.5x16's. They don't have too much left in them but should last about 3-4 track outings with 6-7 each outing which would last me a year and a half or so. Plus I think I can get them for $20 each. Now i need to find a lightweight stock 16x8 rim... I think the new mustang has the 15x8 aluminum five spoke rim and will fit the Riv.

has anyone figured out if the 97 knuckle eill fit on a 96? i really want to do this mod

Read this thread from the beginning.. All you need to know should be in here.
It has been done before, successfully.