Write-Up: F-Body Brake Mod

Yeah the main thing is the caliper mounting bolts. You can either drill/tap the existing bracket or get a 12mm to 14mm sleeve and put it in the knuckle. People say not to do that because it might loosen, but I used blue loctite and never had an issue. You can contact some places to get a custom set of lines made but ZZPs work just fine. It might be beneficial to bend the brake line and bracket down/counterclockwise a bit to get a little more clearance with the lines. Don't forget to tie them to the strut so you don't get rubbing issues (this part will be easier with the full weight of the car on the wheels and the wheels turned full lock).

I am going to tap them to 14mm for sure.
What about hardware?
We need M10X1.0 Banjo bolt for each one? Is that it?



edit:
Forked from club GP

Parts Required:
There seems to be some differences between companies as to what exactly you get with “loaded” and “unloaded” rebuilt calipers. It’s worth your while to have the calipers “in hand” before you try to determine which additional parts you’ll need.

Complete Right & Left Calipers for a 1998 – 2002 F-Body (Camaro or Firebird)
Most complete would be from a salvage yard. Get the complete calipers and brackets & banjo bolts
303mm Rotors for a 1998 – 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue – (JA9 Heavy Duty brake option) There is also a 278mm rotor for these years Intrigue, DON’T GET THESE!
DOT 3 Brake fluid I went through a quart pretty quick, better get two, especially if you’re doing anything to the rear brakes.
Brake Pads of your choice, if they didn’t come with the calipers
Spray Brake Cleaner – I used 2 cans, although I did the rears as well.
4 Crush Washers
GM Part Number 10139097 ($3.50 Qty 10 from www.gmpartsdirect.com )

The following 1998 – 2002 F-Body parts aren’t needed if you got them with the calipers.
1 Right Caliper
GM Part Number 18042492 ($94.48 each from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
1 Left Caliper
GM Part Number 18042491 ($79.40 each from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
2 Caliper Brackets
GM Part Number 18026163 ($57.48 each from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
2 Banjo Bolts
GM Part Number 22163795 ($2.23 each from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
The Grand Prix Banjo bolts are the wrong thread.
4 Caliper Pins
GM Part Number 12530697 ($3.35 each from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
Comes with New calipers.
4 Bracket Boots
GM Part Number 18026151 ($6.66 each from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
These are pricey for a little rubber boot; try a second source for them.
The “unloaded” rebuilt calipers I got from NAPA came with them.
2 Pair F-Body Brake Pad Retainers (shim)
GM Part Number 18026164 ($6.25 per pair from www.gmpartsdirect.com )
Comes with New Bracket.

Tools Required:
15mm Wench
10mm Wrench
15mm Socket & Ratchet
12mm Socket
Torque Wrench ft/lbs
14x2.0mm Tap - Optional (see preface) you’ll need this if your machinist doesn’t have one. Part Number 8305A22 $16.44 each from www.mcmaster.com
C-Clamp
Pressure Bleeder (pyfc.com has a pretty nice one) This tool is optional but it makes life a lot easier and turns this into a “one person” job.

Can these be had at the local parts store?
I just called advance and they said they dont have the banjo bolts. I have the copper washers. Just need 2 bolts.
http://www.brakeconnect.com/product/banjo-bolt-m10-x-1-0-long

Just run up to a junkyard and snag them. You could honestly grab the whole setup from one.

Try Napa

no napa no advance no autozone

its cheaper to just order with 1-2 day ship than drive out to junk yard and spend time on scavenger hunt. Should have all parts needed by Saturday. Now the questions is... what color calipers??? Black or Red?

TIME IS MONEY, SON!

charlieRobinson wrote:

Now the questions is... what color calipers??? Black or Red?

ANY color caliper makes the car faster.....

AA's sunburst yellow may be the fastest....

Do you happen to know the pitch of the 14mm Riv bracket bolt? I need to get these badboys tapped but I need to know the pitch to do so.

Thank you!

14x2mm IIRC. I've got the tap at home to confirm it, even sell it to you if you want.

matt270avian wrote:

14x2mm IIRC. I've got the tap at home to confirm it, even sell it to you if you want.

Thanks, Matt! Please let me know! Really dont want to take my brakes apart to find out.

Aaron, you have this all over the thread but do you have the dimension they need to be tapped to? 14mm with what pitch?

Note from Admin: DO NOT USE THE BUSHING SPACER SLEEVES AS SHOWN IN THE CLUBGP WRITE-UP. THESE HAVE SHOWN TO WEAR AND CAUSE LOOSENING OF THE CALIPER. SOLUTION - HAVE YOUR F-BODY BRACKETS DRILLED AND TAPPED TO ACCEPT THE OEM BUICK CALIPER BOLTS.

Just a side note, me and many others have been running spacers for awhile now with no issues. I used a bit of blue loctite as a precaution though.

AA wrote:

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).

AWWW YEAH! These needs to go to first post of the thread! Started at page 1 and finally found it on page 18 SCORE!

FBODS THIS WEEKEND, BABY

matt270avian wrote:

Just a side note, me and many others have been running spacers for awhile now with no issues. I used a bit of blue loctite as a precaution though.

Wbody kids, aka fbod pioneers, consider spacers to be a sin against GM. Tap 'em and do it right, son.

What color are you painting your calipers, charlie?

charlieRobinson wrote:

Wbody kids, aka fbod pioneers, consider spacers to be a sin against GM. Tap 'em and do it right, son.

Yeah I would rather have them tapped, but I just never got around to it......

Got them tapped today. First shop wanted $63 + tax + I provide tap. Nah. Second shop wanted $15-20 but couldnt guarantee theyd be done today. Nah. 3rd shop said bring em over and would do it for $25. Turned out to be the father of a kid I went to high school with. I gave him 20% tip.

Banjos should be here today and SS brake lines and 2.8" pulley should be here tomorrow. THEN ITS GAME TIME.

Karma, the calipers showed up with red powder coat. I was going to paint them black as to not draw attention but I dont know. I might just leave them red and see what happens.

I will get photos of everything before/during install.( I say I will but I might not so dont hold it against me if I dont)

It sure is nice having rebuilt calipers. They are clean and all the boots are new. When I did my brakes 2 years ago the boots were just crap so I cant imagine what they look like now, but we'll see soon.


Question tho. the brackets are painted completely, including the side that mates with the steering knuckle. I think I am going to sand the paint off so it has a better mating surface. Any thoughts on this? And what all am I supposed to grease up before bolting it all down?

You could sand the paint smooth if it's bumpy, but don't need to go all the way to the iron. As long as you torque the caliper bolts correctly, the paint shouldn't cause a problem. It's not a sealing surface (like an engine head).

I slapped mine on with a coat of paint between. If it's close enough to rub then you've got bigger issues than the paint.

DOT 4 fluid is OK, right?

Yep.

I have 16 inch Cadillac rims from the mid to late 90's I would like to keep. Does this mean I can't do the f body brake upgrade?

If the offset and design is similar to the OEM wheels, yes. It's such a tight fit with the stock wheels that any other 16s are a crapshoot. YMMV

charlieRobinson wrote:

DOT 4 fluid is OK, right?

I use DOT4 now, and prefer it.