2nd gen Camaro front disks... need swap info

Michael

Active Member
The title is deceptive. I'm trying to swap front brake rotors and hubs from a second-generation Camaro to a Datsun Z. The hub diameter (inner and outer bearing race race diameters) is the same. The only notable difference is the fillet radius of the hub, which means that the grease-seal will be different.

Does anyone have advice on standard grease-seal geometries... fillet radii and diameters? Presumably there is some standardization across the auto industry, both domestic and foreign. If I can solve the grease-seal fitment issue, then that opens up a good source of front brakes and 5-lug rotor swaps for Datsuns, as the Camaro aftermarket is huge.
 
pete68 said:
1st Gen Camaro à C5 Corvette Disc Brake Swap
pete68 said:
This is the story of my journey to actually having a muscle car that stops.

This swap was performed on a 68 Camaro Coupe with the following specs; your car may be different.
  • Base model 210hp 327 2-barrel V-8 with Powerglide trans with console shift
  • Originally a non-power assist drum brake camaro
  • Rear axle is stock 10 bolt
  • Heidts 2” tall drop spindle up front
  • Hotchkis 1½” drop multi-leaf springs

Parts you will need / Services you will need performed:

  • Front Drum Hubs. You need original GM front drum hubs (disc brake front hubs will not work), if your car has disc or some other brakes on the front you can easily find these at an old classic car junkyard in your neighborhood. GM used these for many years so they should be easy to find. Or you can buy them on eBay, or maybe even the auto parts store? You won’t need the drums or any other hardware, just the hubs, the C5 rotors will mount on them. You will need to machine the hubs to front and rear to fit the “rotor hats” (the section of the rotor that fits over the hub), you will need to machine a bit less than 6” off, take it to the local machine shop and have them measure and machine it for you.
  • C5 Calipers (eBay/craigslist). These calipers are made in Australia by PBR and are badass. They are aluminum, not cast iron like the old calipers and some aftermarket ones. Aluminum means they are much lighter and dissipate heat much better. The C5 calipers and 13” rotors are 5lbs less per corner than the 11” rotors and calipers from the 60’s / 70’s. So now in addition to better braking you will take 10lbs off the front of your Camaro, unsprung weight too, which is the best weight to lose. Less unsprung weight = good, even on a crappy 40-year-old muscle car suspension. If you have a 68 or 69 Camaro you will need two C5 left rear calipers because of the staggered shocks, get a remanufactured one at Pep Boys (or whatever local auto parts store you have nearby, it was approx $70, use the right side caliper you will not use as the core, they won’t check and won’t know)
  • C5 Rotors (eBay/craigslist). These are 13” front rotors…not 11” like the originals from the 60’s and 70’s. Rear rotors are 12”. Big brakes=good, that’s why Ferraris and Lamborghinis have huge brakes! Your best bet for ebay are C5 owners that are tracking their cars and want better brakes, the C5 brakes are great for the street, not so great for hardcore track use, these guys tend to sell their old brakes on ebay.
  • C5 Master Cylinder (eBay/craigslist). It’s made of lightweight aluminum, and the master cylinder is clear plastic so you can see the fluid level. Yes, you can use your existing crappy cast iron master cylinder if you want but why would you want to when you can use a modern one for $100 extra? Cast iron master cylinders rust which can cause leakage between the internal rubber seals, eventually leading to a mushy pedal. You will need to cut the C5 brake pedal push rod and re-tap the end that I cut it so it will work with the old Camaro brake pedal, this just takes some measuring, then shim the booster at the firewall to get the correct spacing and to make sure it clears the hood, takes a bit of measuring and trial and error but is easy. You may need to shim the booster a bit so it angles down more, mine hit the hood a little. Be sure to use two nuts to hold the rod where it attaches to the pedal and use red Locktite to make sure it does not come loose.
  • C5 Brake Booster (eBay/craigslist). Get the master cylinder and booster together if you can, it’s almost a direct bolt in. Almost! I think I got booster and master cylinder on eBay for ~$140?
  • 4 Adapter Brackets (Kore3.com). To mount the new calipers to the old spindle in front, and axle in back, you will needadapter brackets. You will need different brackets based on different spindles so check the Kore3.com website to see what you have/need. Kore3 bracket kits also include very good directions, follow them closely.
  • 4 Brake Lines (Kore3.com). These are the flexible brake lines that go from the hard brake lines to the caliper. These need to be special lines that have different fittings on each end, one end goes to the old original Camaro hard lines, and the other end is designed to fit the new Corvette calipers. Remember, the Corvette calipers have a more modern style fitting…regular Camaro flexible brake lines will not work, and regular C5 corvette lines will not work. You need these special lines. Luckily the guys at www.Kore3.com have em, they are pretty helpful too if you call.
  • Disc/Disc Proportioning Valve (eBay). I got an aluminum one on eBay for around $40 I think. Make sure you get a Disc/Disc one since that’s what you will have when you are done! Your current prop valve is most likely a Disc/Drum or a Drum/Drum…that will not work with the new C5 Disc/Disc setup.
  • 2 Small Hard Brake Lines from Master Cylinder to Proportioning Valve. You will need 2 hard lines to connect the C5 master cylinder to the Disc/Disc proportioning valve. If you use your stock master cylinder you will not need these. This was perhaps the trickiest part of the swap, the lines must be old school type flare at the proportioning valve and bubble-type flare at the master cylinder. I bought bubble type flare stock tubes at the auto parts store and then cut one end, flared them with an old school flare and then bent them to fit, I then borrowed a friends flare tool and created the flare for theproportioning valve. It leaked. So I redid it. It leaked again. I redid it again this time without crushing the fitting so much, I allowed it to crush a bit while I was tightening it, no leaks! If needed some parts stores may be able to do this for you, or a brake shop can, ask around if you don’t want to do this.
  • Wheel studs (Summit Racing). I recommend upgrading from stock 7/16 studs to M12x1.5 (which are 12mm). I think I used ARP 100-7708, they are a bit long though. Your front hubs and rear axle will need to be removed so a machine shop can drill out and install these for you.
  • Machining: As with the front hubs you will also need to machine your rear axle hubs so the rotor hats will fit over the hub, only a tiny amount needs to be machined off, just a few mm, I suppose this could be done on the car but the best thing to do is remove the rear axle and have it machined at a local machine shop. Overall rear hub diameter should be 6”, same as the front, measure the inside of the rotor hats to make sure the size is right.
  • Larger wheels. 13” rotors are big, my Camaro had 14” wheels from the factory, so these brakes are only 1” smaller than the original wheels! These rotors will fit on some 17” wheels, use 18”s if you want to be sure they will fit. Kore3 has cutouts you can print to check your wheels to make sure they fit.
  • Brake line from body to rear axle (Classic Industries). Its probably a good time to change this brake line. I bought thefactory original style one from www.classicindustries.com. I’m not positive but the one on my car was most likely original, 40-year-old soft brake lines are not a good idea!

    Note: I did not install an adjustable proportioning valve to adjust the pressure from front to rear, it actually turned out fine as is, but you may need to do this. How to test if you need: After putting everything together do so hard braking in the dry and wet, if the rear locks up too early you may need to install a proportioning valve.

I never said it was super easy, if you are the kinda guy who likes to have someone else wash your car, change your oil, or repair your car, this may not be the best modification for you. But if you do it, remember: keep focused on the small steps and not the big task at hand and it will go easy.

Car really brakes well now, and the pedal feel is amazing, super firm with great feedback. Ill drive it for a month straight now as my daily driver sometimes. My car is an automatic transmission car and I currently have no parking brake which kinda sucks but you can do a parking brake, www.Kore3.com offers a kit, I just spaced and didn’t do it, but I will once I rebuild the rear axle with a posi unit. I think some other GM parking brakes from other vehicles will work but I have not looked into that yet, if anyone know send me an email.

Why not just buy aftermarket brakes? In my opinion here’s why:
  • Used OE parts are much cheaper
  • GM parts are easy to find in junkyards, on craigslist, and on eBay
  • Original GM parts are engineered by a team of experienced GM engineers, and since these are Corvette brakes they are arguably the best engineers at GM. They are not “engineered” by some guys in their garage like the aftermarket stuff...we are talking brakes after all!
  • GM parts must pass a full battery of GM strength, durability, corrosion, and effectiveness tests before they are put on your car, they are therefore less likely to fail prematurely, break, corrode, fit loosely, etc.
  • GM parts will be easy to service many years in the future cause the parts will still be available, they will always offer parts for old Corvettes, even at the local parts store (can’t say the same for most of the aftermarket parts, who knows if they will still be around in a few years when you need parts like brake pads, or a caliper bolt)

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http://www.classicperform.com/tech_articles/Camaro_Brakes/Camaro_Brakes.htm

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/brakes/sucp-0210-70-81-camaro-brake-kit/

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1308-how-to-replace-camaro-brakes-suspension/

http://pozziracing.com/cheap_big_brakes.htm

http://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...into-2nd-gen-shock-relocation-not-needed.html

http://www.customworksproducts.com/brakes.html

https://www.camarobrakeparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=343TD2&gclid=CITQqurb4scCFUuTfgodUUUNRA

http://www.rickscamaros.com/brakes/disc-brakes/complete-disc-brake-kits.html

http://www.chevy-camaro.com/faq/chevy-camaro-faq-first-gen-disc-brakes.shtm

http://www.wilwood.com/Camaro/Index.aspx

http://www.kore3.com/products.php?cat=26

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/1404-disc-brake-conversion/
 
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