chad doty wrote:ive heard of the neon but requires fabbing which i cant do

No it doesn't. Its a quick trip to a machine shop and bolting it all on. If you don't know how to bolt things together, you shouldn't be attempting it at all.

Entrapped Fury (aka Spence) wrote:If i was to do a rear disc brake conversion. I know ppl say to upgrade the front as well. Would upgrade pads, rotors and maybe calipers work? or would it be wise to go with a front brake conversion as well?

It depends on what type of conversion you do. The front brakes do about 70% of the stopping, so its up to you.

I bought a shop manual...I seemed to have misplaced it last week. How do I change my brakes? (Front rotors and pads)



That cop took the whole thing way out of context. I mean, I was only going 145 Km/h in that
80 km/h zone because I was drunk and I wanted to get off the roads.

1. Jack up car, take wheel off.
2. Two 3/8 allen bolts on back side of caliper.
3. Pull caliper off. Replace rotor if necessary. Replace Pads.
4. Use C-Clamp to push the piston back into the caliper (or caliper piston pushing tool).
5. Put caliper back on. Tighten 3/8" allen bolts.
6. Put wheel back on. Lower car....

i will be doin a 13" front conversion and a 12" rear disc conversion on my 03 cav in early june, i will do a fully write up with detailed pics.

also putting in a set of tien Super street coilovers and russell SS brake lines i will do a write up on those if i get enough requests



many changes in the making
my favorite part about doing bodywork,.......... bondo bugers

something i was told about dot 5 as far as why not to use it in abs systems is that because it is silicone based it will foam with the abs modulation (basically the fluid is chopped so as to supply and then not supply fluid to the brakes, hence pulsing them for you so you don't have to pump the pedal) that is the reason i was taught not to use it. i hear it's good for things like classic cars that aren't driven very often and don't have abs, but other than that it's pretty useless.

Thanx bro!! I'm a newb to the 12th power ( a friend told me about this site, yesterday) and it answered my first question about my brake prob.

You’re really good in automotive… I recently got problem with my Volvo brake caliper. Do you have any suggestion for me to maintain its good condition?... Thanks!!!

I have about 45K on my 2003 Cavalier coupe. I havent had the brake system flushed since the car was new. The brake fluid in the resouvoir is starting to look dark. Should I get the brake system flushed right away? Also, I wasnt to upgrade the brake system slightly without going overboard. Would it be worth while to buy premium brake pads alone, or would I also need to get slotted rotors too?

Slotted rotors? You will do fine with premium pads and standard rotors, IF the rotors you have now need replacing. For more stopping power, you need bigger brakes.


------------------------------------
We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

Can anyone suggest a good repair manual for someone with basic automotive knowledge. I just want some extra help when doing stuff involving brakes, suspension etc.

I know this is an old thread, but have to put my 2 cents in as many readers are probably still looking at it. If you can afford the front big brake kits, by all means, upgrade, I WOULD IN A HEARTBEAT! However, I bought GD3 Series Rotors from EBC which are alotted and dimpled, not drilled, and EBC YellowStuff pads. The car stops on a dime! However, the rotors are so thin on the stock setup they heat up quickly even if slotted and dimpled/drilled. But for everyday driving on a stock setup, I can recomend EBC, just don't expect the car to continue to stop on a dime once the brake system ( fluid, rotors, pads, calipers ) heat up. This car should have come with larger, or thicker rotors, one or the other would have made a world of difference at a neglegable cost per car, but then again, everything on this car seems to be an afterthought as far as design. lol It amazes me, the front windows don't go asll the way down, the front cup holders block the A/C, heater, & fan controls. The drivers side rear tail light has to be removed to change out the bulb. ( I cut the metal on mine, the socket comes out now without having to unscrew the lens. Just so many stupid design flaws, it beyond me why? Just STUID STUPID STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuberocity wrote:I know this is an old thread, but have to put my 2 cents in as many readers are probably still looking at it. If you can afford the front big brake kits, by all means, upgrade, I WOULD IN A HEARTBEAT! However, I bought GD3 Series Rotors from EBC which are alotted and dimpled, not drilled, and EBC YellowStuff pads. The car stops on a dime! However, the rotors are so thin on the stock setup they heat up quickly even if slotted and dimpled/drilled. But for everyday driving on a stock setup, I can recomend EBC, just don't expect the car to continue to stop on a dime once the brake system ( fluid, rotors, pads, calipers ) heat up.1 This car should have come with larger, or thicker rotors, one or the other would have made a world of difference at a neglegable cost per car, but then again, everything on this car seems to be an afterthought as far as design. lol It amazes me, 2 the front windows don't go asll the way down, the front cup holders block the A/C, heater, & fan controls. 3 The drivers side rear tail light has to be removed to change out the bulb. ( I cut the metal on mine, the socket comes out now without having to unscrew the lens. Just so many stupid design flaws, it beyond me why? Just STUID STUPID STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!

1.) although i will agree with that statement, the only reason i'm doing so is because i'm looking at it from a performance standpoint. 99% of the people driving these cars have no need for larger brakes, they do just fine at getting the job done. (btw if you want a better rotor, get powerslot rotors. even at the stock size they work wonders)

2.) i have no idea what your'e talking about there? my front windows go all the way down. and i've never heard anyone else say there's don't. it was the rears that don't. and all that needed to be done to make the rears go down was simply pull out a piece of styrofoam from behind the door panel.

3.) again, no idea what your'e talking about. i've never pulled the light housing to change a bulb.

although i will 100% agree with you that these are cheap ass cars and gm obviously cut alot of corners while building them, i don't understand the things that your'e complaining about.

Funny I should come across this thread again. I need brakes again, and the EBC's, though excellent at stopping for the most part, lasted less than 10,000 mi. This is mostly to do with the way I drive on the street, and those thin rotors just don't hold up. I also suspect I need new rears which probably contributed to premature wear. All things being perfect on the car, I would guess I may have gotten double what I did get so am not blaming EBC in the least, great brakes, but unfortunately, I can't afford to get them again this time around, and will look into your suggestion on Powerslots, but I doubt I can afford those either at this point. I really need to do the rears also this time around since I have never taken a look at them, and it's been 15000 mi since we bought the car. I will get slotted only this time around if I can afford a decent set, but otherwise, it's the cheapest, decent rotors I can find at a reasonable cost. Also, the originator of this thread is correct, and I wish I had read his documentation on brakes before buying the drilled & slotted rotors as they are cracking at the drill sites as he stated they would. So, now I have to buy new rotors as I can't take the chance with my child in the car. This was the reason for buying top grade EBC components in the first place, but alas, I can't afford to spend that $400 this time around so need to get the best I can get for what I can afford.
Anyway, in response to blucavvy, those front windows don't go all the way down! My arm rests on about an inch of window when resting on the door while driving! Both front windows at the rear portion of the door, stick out about an inch! You may of shorter stature, and your seat may be closer to the wheel, and you just havn't noticed it? Check it out, I can't believe it's a one off thing, just on my particular car? Mine is a base cavalier with nothing added except a factory installed cd player, and air, and thank the lord, NO ABS! Very base edition, may be a difference? I don't know. As to the rear marker lights, it's been so long I forget what the problem was, but I do know I needed to cut the metal so next time around I can simply unscrew the light socket as I can on the driver side, or was it the reverse of that? lol Cold & windy out so am not gonna look, but those who have replaced the rear marker lights know what I am referring to. The cup holders in front of the instrument cluster? Come on, that's just an irresponsible design flaw that could have been easily solved had an engineer simply took a few hours to redesign it, and the same goes for the marker lights, and windows. I hold to my original opinion, it's just stupidity to release an auto with those simple, but agrivating flaws that could have been easily redesigned! I'm a logical thinker, and nothing about the front windows, rear marker lights, and the cup holders is logical! lol
On the other hand, the car is extremely fast for it's class, doubt anything near it's price can compete, and I have come to really enjoy the car. Just wish I could afford to stiffin it up a bit, put at least some 16" rims & low profile tires on it, and switch out the front brakes for bigger & thicker rotors. However, now I think about it, My Nissan Maxima which I bought new in 95 stopped on a dime! I have never had a better stopping car, and it was actually faster than my 91 Mustang GT, but not by much, maybe a few 10ths of a second. Anyway, the rotors on the Maxima were very small, and thin as well, but it stopped about as perfect as one could ask for? Obviosly, if I could offord it as I once could, I wouldn't be dring a Cavalier, but since, like a lot of folks, funds are more difficult to come by, I could do a lot worsse than driving a Cavalier, and I do enjoy the car. Burns rubber in first, and even chirps in second, and it's an automatic! I still wonder if the previous owner did something to it? Anhoo, great car other than some very stupid flaws I can live with, and or, maneuver around.

This thing should be updated with newer info, condense all the front end swaps/rear disc swaps to one page with all the info.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, January 30, 2013 5:09 PM

Have a nice day.

Yeah I think braking isnt emphasized as much as it should be. Everyone talks about performance upgrades but braking should be done first as a supporting mod to any engine mods that make you go faster.
My biggest gripe with doing a rear disc conversion is almost everyone seems to do it to look better. I dont see anyone talking about how much better they stop with rear discs since the fronts do most of the work. And if they do, its most likely because they also upgraded their fronts which do most of the work.

Im always curious which pads/rotors people are using. I know eBay has a lot of rotor/pad deals and I dont think theres a big difference as long as the brake pad material and rotor casting is all done the same. I figure a nice front upgrade with stock drums our cars can perform perfectly fine unless asthetics is your goal.

Maybe we can get a few people to chime in with where they bought their brake upgrade parts, and the cost. Im looking to do a quality set of rotors and pads since i do a lot of back hill country 'hooning' and i notice brake fade after a couple miles of runs even with decent pads. But i dont want to get larger rotors if I cant swap back to steelies if i ever feel the need (sell it, emergencies, etc). Anyone know if the larger brake upgrades impede the ability to drop the 14" steelies back on?


04 Cav. 2dr. 5spd. My DD. 'Nuff said.

Help,
After 3 sets of different manufactiour of rear drums all made in China, They all go out of round in 2-4 weeks. I have bought new GM OEM drums the others aftermarket they all are soft. I have been a Hot Rodder a long time and now retired all I need to do is keep my 1999 Cav RS on the road. I have cut all the drums as they came out of the boxes to make sure I was starting with a round drum. I wish I kept the old ones I tossed out which were still round but over limit size. 111,000 miles on the car runs great 30 mpg I added ADDCO swap bars and new struts and shocks with springs three years ago when I retired.
Just need to find good drums that will not go out of round. I have been running Powerstop rotors and pads up front and love them. Because of winters here in IL I used undrilled rotors this time as they just rust up the holes closed.
Thanks in advance.
Mike

It is helpful to hear this. I have all of the parts I need for the swap to disk brakes on my 98 Cav RS using the Saturn calipers. Drums are a pain ether way. It sounds like you set this car up for the long run and the swap to disk brakes could be a next good step give no your horrible luck on the drums.

If you want to stay drums you could try a boneyard. I noticed your profile says Rockford Illinois. There is an LKQ there and there look to be quite a few Cavs there. Maybe you can grab 2 drums with good life left in them for cheap.

Here is the inventory search: just toe Cavalier or Sunfire and there are your selections.

https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/locations/LKQ_Pick_Your_Part_-_Rockford-250/recents/

My 99 Cav daily driver is about to hit 200k miles. It has about 500 or so more miles to go for that.

99ln2