1970 Chevy Chevelle - Cheap Street Chevelle: Brakes

Begin the brake job by putting... 

   

  read full caption

Begin the brake job by putting the car up on jackstands and removing the wheels. Then, loosen the two Allen-headed caliper mounting bolts, and remove the disc-brake caliper. If you lift off the brake caliper carefully, the brake pads will remain in the caliper and come of as one unit.
Pry off the spindle-nut dust cap, remove the cotter retaining key, then loosen and remove the spindle castle nut. Afterward, remove the outer-wheel bearing, then carefully pull off the old disc-brake rotor. Wipe down the spindle, removing any old grease and/or built-up dirt deposits.

As the saga of project Cheap Street Chevelle continues, we are finally emerging with a street machine that is halfway decent. We started with a totally clapped-out hulk that didn't run and have since fixed it up, including installing a new low-buck engine built with Performance Automotive Warehouse (PAW) parts that propels the car to high 13.1-second passes at the dragstrip. With a small dose of NOS nitrous oxide, the car ran tire-spinning 12.2-second e.t.'s at nearly 110 mph. The crusty body was given the magic makeover and then covered in scorch-your-eyes yellow paint. The paint job isn't outrageous, just clean and simple. The Chevelle's stock suspension was totally shot, so we installed a new front-end kit from Performance Suspension Technology. By now, you're probably getting the gist of the theme of project Cheap Street Chevelle: simple, simple, simple.

Recently, while cruising Cheap Street Chevelle around the traffic-clogged streets of Los Angeles, we noticed the brakes were emitting obnoxious grinding noises. After inspection, we learned that the brake pads and shoes were not only severely worn out, but the front rotors had huge gouges worn into them. Rather than just replace the pads and shoes, we wanted to replace the entire braking system with new O.E.M.-type parts--not one-off, high-buck, aerospace-quality brake parts.

Rather than flip open a catalog from a brake-specific company and order everything we need, we wanted to conduct a little experiment. Thus, we took the "real world" approach and went to a local auto parts store to see what was available. Our store of choice, AutoZone, not only had everything we needed to upgrade our brakes (including rotors, calipers and bearings), but it also carried Performance Friction hi-po disc-brake pads. With our hands full of brake goodies, we set out to make our '70 Chevelle stop as well as it accelerates. Follow along as we show you the basics of our brake upgrades.

Rather than use the crusty-rusty...        read full caption Rather than use the crusty-rusty stock disc-brake calipers, we bought new calipers (part Nos. 90040 left; 90039 right) from AutoZone. To improve our Chevelle's braking performance, we opted to install new Performance Friction carbon-metallic brake pads (part No. 00524). The PF pads are extremely resistant to brake fade and fit into the caliper just as the O.E.M. pads do.	Rather than re-using our cracked...        read full caption Rather than re-using our cracked disc-brake caliper hoses, we installed new hoses (part No. 88466). Be sure to install the tiny (included) copper washers on both sides of the brake-hose banjo fitting (arrow), or brake-fluid leaks will occur.	We tossed our worn-out wheel...        read full caption We tossed our worn-out wheel bearings and replaced them with new inner and outer bearings (part Nos. A6 and A2, respectively). We didn't have a fancy bearing greaser so we hand packed the bearings with Unilube high-temp grease from AutoZone.
After the inner wheel bearing...        read full caption After the inner wheel bearing is greased and fitted within the backside of the new disc-brake rotor, install the new bearing seal (part No. 8705S).	After the inner wheel bearing...        read full caption After the inner wheel bearing and seal are installed, set the new disc-brake rotor onto the stock spindle. Be careful not to damage the bearing seal as you install the rotor.	Install the new outer-wheel...        read full caption Install the new outer-wheel bearing into the end of the disc-brake rotor, then add the stock retaining washer. Thread on the original castle nut and tighten it until it's snug. Afterward, back off the castle nut slightly while slowly rotating the rotor on the spindle. Begin tightening the castle nut (while spinning the rotor) just until you begin to feel drag on the rotor. Stop tightening and add a new cotter retaining key.
Once the new rotor is in position,...        read full caption Once the new rotor is in position, install the new disc-brake caliper (complete with new Performance Friction brake pads). Thread in the two caliper mounting bolts and torque to 35 lbs-ft.	One end of the rubber brake...        read full caption One end of the rubber brake hose attaches to the disc-brake caliper (shown in Step 4), and the other end attaches to a bracket on the frame. Simply position the end of the hose through the bracket opening, then insert the stock horseshoe-looking retaining clip. Afterward, thread in and tighten the O.E.M. brake "hard line" that routes up to the master cylinder.	Most car crafters realize...        read full caption Most car crafters realize they should regularly change the engine oil, coolant and transmission fluid, but completely overlook the brake fluid. Just like other automotive fluids, brake fluid becomes contaminated with dirt and water condensation, which will affect its performance. Tech+Plus (Dept. CC, 4600 Whitmer, Industrial Estates, Ste. 2, Niagara Falls, NY 14305, 905/822-3330) offers an easy-to-use brake-fluid checker that analyzes the condition and boiling point of your brake fluid. Simply hook up the positive and negative wire clips to the battery, then insert the tool into the brake fluid within the master cylinder. Depress the "ON" button and, within moments, the Tech+Plus tester will deliver the needed info.
After the front disc brakes...        read full caption After the front disc brakes are completely installed, you'll need to bleed out any air bubbles that may have accumulated in the brake lines.	After removing the rear wheel,...        read full caption After removing the rear wheel, back off the self-adjusting "star wheel," then pull off the rear-brake drum. If the brake drum doesn't easily come off, try tapping it lightly with a hammer. Then again, make sure the parking brake isn't set, which will prevent the drum from being pulled off.	Position the new brake shoes...        read full caption Position the new brake shoes (part No. 245) and affix them to the backing plate with new retainer springs and clips (arrow). The new clips and springs carry part No. H7104. Then, install the new brake-actuator hardware, springs and adjustor (part Nos. H2533 passenger's side; H2532 driver's side) just like the original units mounted.
Use a pair of needle-nosed...        read full caption Use a pair of needle-nosed pliers (or the proper spring removal tool if you've got it) to remove the various spring retainers that hold on the rear-brake shoes.	Once the new brake shoes and...        read full caption Once the new brake shoes and mounting hardware are installed, have a buddy slowly and partially depress the brake pedal to make sure that the brake shoes expand properly and do not bind on nearby items. If all is well, install the new rear-brake drum (part No. 8798), and adjust the brake shoes.	After the various springs...        read full caption After the various springs and retainer clips are removed, spread apart the rear-brake shoes and remove them from the backing plate. After the shoes have been removed, closely inspect the axles and backing plate for cracks and/or excessive wear. Before reinstalling the new brake parts, remove all traces of brake dust and gunk buildup. Be sure to lube the brake show pivot point (arrow) with a quality high-temperature grease. You may also want to apply a dab of grease to the brake backing plate to prevent galling.
We went to our local AutoZone...        read full caption We went to our local AutoZone parts store and were pleasantly surprised to find everything we needed to update the brakes on our Cheap Street Chevelle. We opted for new rotors, calipers, Performance Friction pads, caliper hoses, front wheel bearings and seals, rear drums and brake shoes along with all-new rear drum springs/adjusters/clips. Heck, AutoZone even had brake fluid, bearing grease and disc-brake caliper lube, so we went gung-ho and got it all.