Ok, well heres the deal ive searched and ive searched and cant find any real answer. I bought a set of the rear disk conversion plates in the big GP this time last year. and well after sourcing parts and gettihng everything together i finally got them installed. I have the Bear Front 13" track system and the 12" rear touring system, now all the parts i sourced on my own and didnt buy the actual kits from Baer.
The front i have actual spindles and caliper adaptor brackets they are from Baer, i bought them form a fellow org member that had the whole brake kit, so i bought a few pieces of it off him.
The front calipers are 94-98 muxtang cobra calipers and mounting brackets, and ceramic brake pads i got off ebay. These are the same exact caliper Baer uses just without the Baer Logo. I painted them red and the brackets and spindles black. Anyway i already had stainless lines up front and they hooked right up to the new calipers. I also installed new D-specs struts and 1.7 drop springs and RK Sport tubular lower control arms. Bleed the brakes and man do they make one hell of a differance in the way this thing stops. I had to get on it hard yesterday and i dam near slid out of the seat, i need a submirine belt with these brakes.
So yeaterday i got time to install the rear 12" kit, using the plates from the GP everything bolted right up, except i had to get 3 12mm flat washers for each caliper mouting bolt to act as a spacer, worked perfectly. Installed the pads and calipers and also was able to get my stock ebrake cables to hook up to the corvette ebrake mounting points, juts had to shave the swing arm down alittle bit to fit inside the stock j-body cable end. Heres a pic of each side so you can see what im talking about:
Now the problem im having is that the ebrake wont hold the car AT ALL. I tried to release the tension to readjust the cable but after a few clicks it goes right bacl to the same way, I can only pull it up maybe 5-6 clicks and it has absolutly no holding power. No i only had to pull the stock cable ends about 1.5-2 inches to hook up to the calipers once inserted thru the cable brackets. Heres a pic of what the middle of my cable looks liek with the spring, do i need to compress that so much to relieve tension?
You cna also see my dual rear line locks that will make big smokey burnouts easy and no wear and tear on the brakes.
Anywasy im out of things to try to get the ebrake working, i have to have it working son as mine is a 5 speed and even thought i leave it in gear while parked dont feel 100% that this will hold the car in all situations.
So please for anybody that has this conversion and ran into this problem and found a fix, please share.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
I have the same problem on my Bear rear conversion...it came with a spring that I think you install in place of the stock e-brake spring. I just never installed it, wasn't a big deal since i'm auto but my inspection is due and I will have to install it...BTW my e-brake will lock and not come undone instead of not engage at all(if this what you mean) I have to remove my back wheels and manually disengage the brakes by hand
Failure is not failure if you learn from it
Do you have a pic of this spring? Ivew never heard of this before. And mine will pull tight and release, but is not holding the car at all.
I think im going to have to reengineer the parking brake, becasue i noticed after looking at the pics i posted that the lever is hiting ther side of the caliper body, but this is the saem exact way they are hooked up on a vette, so maybe the differance is in the vette handle? I would try calling baer, but they havent been much help in the past unless you get the kit from them.
I also noticed that on Wild Weasel;s car the rear parking brake mechnism is way different than mine, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Again i have no idea, if i pull the cable at the center of the axle, it gives some slack on the passenger side, but seems to tighten up on the drivers side, maybe if i switched the calipers side to side?
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
First off, 02Turbo's problem is due to the lack of the new spring stop. The Baer kit includes the new spring only for cars that don't come with one stock. If your car comes with a spring, which yours do, you only need to install a new stop for it. In HotRod's pic, you can see the stock stop sitting about a quarter inch past the end of the spring doing absolutely nothing.
In this pic you can see my stock stop also doing nothing, but you can also see the stop that Baer provides holding the spring. This is how it should look with the ebrake engaged. With it disengaged, the spring should be 6" long.
<a href="http://www.wildweasel.ca/j-body/HowTo/images/BaerRear/ebrake_spring.jpg"><img src="http://www.wildweasel.ca/j-body/HowTo/images/BaerRear/ebrake_spring_t.jpg"></a>
Again... this is for the calipers that Baer provides. I have no idea if things are different for yours.
A key point here is that without the spring set, the problem is that the calipers will not disengage. Your problem seems to be the opposite, though I may still have a solution.
The way the PBR parking brake mechanism works, it basically just clamps the caliper in place where it is. It doesn't actually move the caliper much, if at all.
In order to set the parking brake, you have to firmly press down the brake pedal to put the pressure on the discs and then pull up the brake handle to hold it there.
If you don't press the brake pedal and just pull up the handle, you get nothing.
You won't sending the back end sliding around a corner with the ebrake handle using this system... but it works just fine for what it's made for. Holding the car in place while parked.
If you haven't been doing this, give it a shot and see how it goes.
If it still isn't holding, then you may have other issues. The PBR calipers that Baer provides can be adjusted with an allen screw but I don't have the paper handy with the whole procedure. All I remember is that it must be done with brand new pads and that the screw basically set the parking brake to the right place so there was no free movement before it engaged. If anyone needs that info though, just call Baer and they'll fax it to you.
this is interesting..... post more pix of your front!
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
Well i also had a major Brain fart at about 4 in the morning while laying in bed, and i remembered that i forgot to reinstall a spring that goes from the swing arm to the caliper body, like a return spring to make sure that it is fully disengaged when the ebrake is realeased.
Also the part about not being able to grab the brake and slide the back end around is something i will miss being able to do, sometimes thats just fun as hell.
Ok, well im going to reinstall the return springs, and go to Home depot and pck up one of them spring stops and set my spring length to 6" with the ebrake fully disengaged. Whqt is the length of the spring with your ebrake engaged?
Ill post up my results later today, i also have a nasty exhaust rattle to fix.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
Oh, and if you wanted to see more pics of my front setup here you go.
I dont have any pics of before i installed the brakes, just once they are on the car.
I am also going to rebleed all four wheels today so ill take some pics of the brakes with the wheels removed.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
They look great!
Keep in mind that the 6" spring length is meant for the PBR calipers. You might require a little more. I can't imagine you'd require less since any less will simply take away from the amount of travel the handle has.
The pic shows it when the handle is pulled up. As you can see, the spring is fully bound. The PBR calipers have springs on them to return them to rest position as well but if there's any tension on the wire at all, they don't do squat. That's what that spring on the wire is for. It's there to put slack on the cable ends. WIthout it, there's enough friction in the line to actually hold it partially tight and drag the rear brakes. That's 02turbo's problem up there.
wow those look HUGE lol. looks great. may i ask how you installed the front caliper bracket?
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
Id just use the rear line lock as a Parking Brake
WW: Well i do have PBR calipers, but as you can see in the pics the ebrake setup is alot different than the ones on your car as supplied by Baer. Mine are off a 92 vette, but i did forget to install the return spring, which ill do in the morning, and i got a new sprig stop to install in the morning as well, ill set the spring length to 6" with the handle fully disengaged, I also always forget to have the brakes applied before trying to set the ebrake, it said the same thing about the stock drums, but it would hold the car if you pulled the handle.
Viper: I have Stock spindles/hubs and the caliper adaptor bracket that is directly from Baer, already machined and ready to install. I bought them from a fellow org memer who had the complete brake kit for sale, but was having trouble selling the whole kit, so i made him an offer of 500 plus shipping for the spindles/hubs and adaptor brackets for the caliper mounting brackets. You can buy just the machined spindle, no hub or adaptor bracket for 260 bucks from Baer, and the adaptor bracket is 185 bucks for a piece of bilet aluminum. I had bought one from them to use as a template to have a set of junkyard spindles machined and have the bracket duplicated, but the local machine shop was going to cost me 500 bucks to machine 2 spindles and make one bracket, so i made the offer to the other guy and got new hubs for the saem price.
I also learned that with the front your are much cheaper and better off to just buy the kit from Baer, becaue of the extensive machine work, and then you have to get the rotors from Baer as they have a very shallow offset, i had stock vette rotors i was going to use, but they were way to deep on the hub and wouldnt work. So the saem guy had a set of the Eradispeed rotors for the J-body and we made a deal for them as well, so basically ive spent the same amount as i would have thru Baer, 500 for the spindles, and 300 for the rotors, and the calipers are actually Mustang Cobra Calipers that i got brand new off ebay with the mounting brackets for 125, and 45 bucks for the ceramic pads off ebay. So i have 975 in th front which may be alittle cheaper but if done again i would go straight to Baer and buy Direct.
Now the rears i got them on the car and working for about 50% of what baer charges, used calipers off ebay for 50 bucks, stock vette rear rotors that are croosdriled and slotted for 75 bucks, and the calipers came with the mouting brackets and bolts, 40 bucks for ceramic pads off ebay, 1.00 worth of 12mm washers to act as spacers for the rear mounting brackets, and 250 bucks in the rear stainless brake lines, fittings and line locks. I actually bought a set of Russel stainless brake lines for the front and back, and use the two short ones in the back in place of the short stock rubber hose, and the used the front lines going from the caliper to the line lock with some 10mm x 1.00 russel adaptors, and some 3 an x 1/8 NPT adaptors on either end of the line lock and a 3an x 3an coupler. and the 80 bucks for the hub adaptor plates im right at 500 bucks total invested in a rear disk conversion. And 80 bucks of that is in Line Lock solenoids, something i dont think anybody else has. Very good deal i think, and if you shop aroud and scour ebay you can find some good deals.
Damion: Well you cant have the Line Lock Applied for more than 30 Seconds at a time or you can burn up the solenoid, plus it loses power when the car is shut off, so its not that easy to use it as a parking brake. Would be sweet if i could though.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
So Im assuming the line locks are for drag racing purposes?
<img src="http://boner.berettaspeed.com/cavysig.jpg">
bonecrrusher wrote:So Im assuming the line locks are for drag racing purposes?
Yeah, that's what they're for.
So HotRod... you still haven't clarified... does the parking brake hold if you press the pedal down before pulling up the handle? Does it function at all?
All the fiddling with the springs and what not is to get it to release properly. If it's not grabbing on in the first place, then that's all secondary.
Wild Weasel wrote:bonecrrusher wrote:So Im assuming the line locks are for drag racing purposes?
Yeah, that's what they're for.
So HotRod... you still haven't clarified... does the parking brake hold if you press the pedal down before pulling up the handle? Does it function at all?
All the fiddling with the springs and what not is to get it to release properly. If it's not grabbing on in the first place, then that's all secondary.
Ok, well when i depress the brake pedal and pullup on the ebrake handle it does the same thing, no holding at all.
So i got back under the car and installed the return springs that are supposed to be mounted on the calipers and i also installed a spring stop on the main spring, setting spring length to 6" with the handle all the way down, and fully disengaged.
I NOW HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONING PARKING BRAKE THAT HOLDS THE CAR VERY WELL. I AM VERY HAPPY AT THIS POINT.
Im not really sure if i understand how compressing the length of that spring down to 6", which on mine didnt require much at all to get it to that length, is going to make that much of a differance of haveing no parking brake to having one, but i learned to quit asking questions along time ago and just acept the fact that it is working.
So thanks to everyone for there help and feedback with this thread. Much Appreciated as always.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
Excellent!! Glad to hear it's working! Bring me a beer at the Bash...
Wild Weasel wrote:Excellent!! Glad to hear it's working! Bring me a beer at the Bash...
Man if i were going to the Bash this year i would defintly buy you a beer, but i cant afford to go, maybe next year.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Fully built turbo 2200 in progress, should be installed very soon. Will post details as they happen.
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
can you post pictures of what you added ??
mine have always been questionable on working
HotRodV6 wrote:Wild Weasel wrote:Excellent!! Glad to hear it's working! Bring me a beer at the Bash...
Man if i were going to the Bash this year i would defintly buy you a beer, but i cant afford to go, maybe next year.
Dammit!
Ok then... anyone else 'round here need help??
I was thinking about a front brake up grade but when i get the money i will only do a rear upgrade. I want to get some 14" wheel to drag and any front brake upgrade will not work or not all me to go smaller than a 17" Wheel
2004 Grand Prix GTP (Competition Group)
SOLD-->1999 Z24 5M-#30 to register on JBO
"You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people'
all the time
paypal WW 5.00 for a beer
lol
Mylife75 wrote:I was thinking about a front brake up grade but when i get the money i will only do a rear upgrade. I want to get some 14" wheel to drag and any front brake upgrade will not work or not all me to go smaller than a 17" Wheel
Deji, I would not reccomend putting huge brakes on the rear without balancing out the front. If you absolutley need that rear disc back there to keep your eyes happy, I would look at Mantapart's 10.5" rear disc setup.
I want to get some more stopping power in the rear. I really don't trust mantapart.
2004 Grand Prix GTP (Competition Group)
SOLD-->1999 Z24 5M-#30 to register on JBO
"You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people'
all the time
Well, if you durastically improve the rear brakes without balancing out the fronts then I think you run the risk of locking up the rear wheels, especially while cornering. This could cause you to spin out.
Why do you want more rear braking power? Have you upgraded your front brakes? If not, try just installing a good pad, set of rotors, and some stainless lines.
That is what i am going to do when my brake wear out.
2004 Grand Prix GTP (Competition Group)
SOLD-->1999 Z24 5M-#30 to register on JBO
"You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people'
all the time
nothin looks better than a nice 12" rear brake setup, and a 10.5" front brake setup
if you want racing wheels, go with 15's or 16's. the front wilwood kit will fit aftermarket 16's, and karo has it so it fits hits racing 15's, so you might wanna ask him how he did it.
rear braking does hardly any good when u dont have a more powerful front to match with it.
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
