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The Big Bad Brake Thread

TLSheff said:
I was under the impression you HAD to. I didn't think the factory rubber lines were long enough for front F-Body brake calipers...
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They are...just ben the mounting tab out a little, but the SS Lines that aren't extended are the same size so you would have the same issue then too.
 


Drunkie said:
Brakeline part numbers come back for a 97-03 Grand prix so I would think so.

I can't view the SummitRacing website for some reason, but if the applications for the banjo bolt comfirm for 99-02 Camaro then you are fine.

Make sure you have the caliper bracket bolts to attach them to the hub
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I got the calipers and bushings in today and the banjo bolt fits fine.. BUT I don't see where you would put the bushings as of yet.. Then again I haven't started to take the old calipers off yet either..

I do see where the bracket has threads to attach to the hub.. I thought that the bushings go inbetween or something like that and use the bracket bolts off of the GTP..

Drunkie are you saying I need to get the Camaro's bracket bolts to attach to the hub? That doesn't make sense to me.. What bracket bolts do I need to have the GTP's or Camaro's and where do the bushings come into play? I got those so I wouldn't need to do any drilling into the brackets, or so I thought?

Kinda confused here.. hoping it makes more sense when I start to take everything apart.. BUT fearing by that time its going to be to late :(

Any advice?
 
you still want the f body caliper brackets and the bolts for it, the F body bolts are a bit thinner, thats why you need the bushing in the steering knuckle. dave just flubbed his words there about the hub.

the copper washers for the banjo bolt, one goes on each side of the new SS line, put a washer on the bolt, then the bolt through the line, then the other washer, then snug it up good to the caliper. you'll see when you take the old stuff apart.
 


Quick question:

I snagged some calipers and brackets from a police impala (about 2002 I think, with 12" rotors). Are these the same as the F body calipers? Do I have the banjo bolt and brake line issues, or are these a straight bolt on (they looked like a straight bolt on when I pulled them from the other car). Anything else I should know before undertaking the swap?

The rotors in the link on that how-to look nice, but the item number no longer pulls up on eBay. The performance drilled/slotted package from RockAuto also look nice. Anyone have any other recommendations for some good but cheap rotors?
 
Most tend to spring for the R1 Concepts rotors. I run the E-line myself and love them. They have a Ebay store and sometimes you can get a better deal there than straight off their website.

I don't think the Police Package included bigger brakes for the impalas, could be wrong. You'd have to unbolt them and measure the rotor. If it has a dual piston caliper it would be a upgrade for sure, but if its a single like the factory, stick with F-body brakes or better.
 
40th GP said:
Quick question:

I snagged some calipers and brackets from a police impala (about 2002 I think, with 12" rotors). Are these the same as the F body calipers? Do I have the banjo bolt and brake line issues, or are these a straight bolt on (they looked like a straight bolt on when I pulled them from the other car). Anything else I should know before undertaking the swap?

The rotors in the link on that how-to look nice, but the item number no longer pulls up on eBay. The performance drilled/slotted package from RockAuto also look nice. Anyone have any other recommendations for some good but cheap rotors?
Click to expand...

These have the single piston caliper just like the stock one's. All you need is the bracket if you want to utilize the larger rotor. It's a decent swap if your's is just a daily driver.

I would recommend centric rotors over R1 concepts any day of the week. My brother just got some centric blanks and they make my R1 blanks look like crap. I also recommend you either stick with blank rotors or slotted. No drilled.
 
I cannot seem to find the calipers right now (I did recently move and they may still be buried in a different box though), so perhaps I only got the brackets. I could have sworn I got the calipers too, but I guess not. Sounds like it doesn't matter then. Are they the same part number as the stockers? I don't recall for sure, but looking at the pads I only see one dust mark, so I would bet they are the single piston as you say. I do know for sure that it was 12" rotors up front (I did not check the back as I have no intention of upgrading the rear).
 
You just need the caliper bracket and Impala rotors, the caliper will be the same. I put '97 Aurora brackets and rotors on my girlfriends '00 GP GT, the rotors were bigger, if you check a couple pages back I posted pics. If you want the dual piston Impala/Lucerne V6/Monte Carlo, go for '06 and up, you need the bracket, calipers, and rotors. If your Pontiac is '97 or older you may also need to replace or bend the brake dust covers to make them fit. A couple weeks ago I put '07 Impala calipers brackets and rotors on my brothers '07 GP, fit like perfect. I can't believe the '07 GP still uses the same old single piston caliper with just a bigger rotor. I also have '07 Impala calipers brackets and rotors on my '97 Aurora. If you want an even bigger bolt on you can go with '06 and up V8 Lucerne brackets calipers and rotors, they are huge, but require 17" or bigger wheels. The good thing about this upgrade is these '06 and up brakes are everywhere in salvage yards and ebay, I got my last front set for $40.
 


Just a quick question for those who have done the f-body upgrade. I have just done this on my 01 Grand Prix. Everyone mentions some type of spacer when using the f-body caliper bolts. I was able to use the f body bolts with what seems to be no issues. Is there something I'm missing?
 
i bet they are very loose in the steering knuckle.

take a few minutes and read this thread. it shows the spacers and where and why you need them. being the F body bolts are thinner, you need that bushing to center the bolt in the hole.

Midwest 3800 • How to install F-body brakes [ Guest ]

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26.jpg
 
Thank you for clearing that up. I was thinking it was a washer type thing for the bolts as if they were too long or something. I will be sure to order the bushings in the morning.
 
Drunkie said:
Bigger is always better, The GXP upgrade
GXP upgrade is just like the F-body upgrade, it’s a direct bolt in though. There is no need to use spacers or tap the bracket. GXP calipers do use the F-body banjo bolts though. Nothing much more to say here as this all just bolts right in. I would recommend the OEM 12.7” rotors; they are $60 a piece and are molded with the drilled effect. This can be picked up at ZZP or pieced together (hunt eBay or RockAuto).

This setup also requires 17” wheels with a correct offset (despite what ZZP says)
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Just contemplating doing either the F-Body or GXP upgrade and wanted to clear something up. I am going to assume that if I am using the stock 17" wheels on my '06 GT (sort of pictured in sig below), I won't have to worry about the wheel offset being an issue should I decide to go the GXP upgrade route. Am I assuming correctly or being an @ss? Hopefully I am just being an @ss for asking a probably very stupid question.

While I am on the path of stupidity, I went on RockAuto to price out some 05+ GXP calipers and was overwhelmed at the results when I did the search since there were a ton of results for Calipers. If anyone can PM me and provide me some guidance (part #'s of everything I would need perhaps), I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for the help
 
I could be wrong but I do believe the GXPs will clear on 17s. It'd be close but they should clear.

The CTS-V upgrade is the one that needs 18+ and special offsets.

Not sure on #s tho, I will take a look and see what I can find.
 


TLSheff said:
I could be wrong but I do believe the GXPs will clear on 17s. It'd be close but they should clear.

The CTS-V upgrade is the one that needs 18+ and special offsets.

Not sure on #s tho, I will take a look and see what I can find.
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The GXP brakes will fit under 17" rims.

The CTS-V do for sure need an 18+ rim. Not all 18s fit them though. Just because one set of wheels that are 18x9 +35 clear them, doesn't mean another wheel with the same dimensions will.
 
Yeah offset is not much of an issue with the GXPs, mainly because the face of the caliper is recessed lower then the top of the rotor hat; They would have to be some funky ass wheels for it not to clear.

CTS-V's are a ***** to clear spoke wise. I just did 19x9.5 40mm wheels and they wouldn't have cleared unless I had a 10mm spacer at the very least under them.
 
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