I have a 1965 Impala SS, it has drum brakes all the way around. I want to know the cheapest way to get disc brakes on it. I was thinking of going to the junk yard and taking the off a newer B-Body like a caprice or something. Would that work? Or What are some other suggestions? I'm hopping to get at least 2 piston brakes in the front, the 1 piston kits seem to small for such a large and heavy car.
Some 1967-1970 Impala's had factory disc brakes. They are a direct bolt on for 1965-1966 Impala's. You can use Corvette rotors instead of the original ones. You have to use the disc brake spindles.
Would it be possible to use some from maybe a 93 Roadmaster, I see Roadmasters at the junk yards all the time and I know it's also on the B-Body like the Impala but I'm not sure if it will fit
no thats not possible. i believe the a-arms and all that are diff. you can also use 78-87 camaro disc brakes fit. also like stated above 67-70 impala and buick riviera disc brakes are bolt ons. hope you find what your lookin for!
I'm not so sure the camaro disc brakes will fit with out some kind of adapter. The ball joints and spindle are wrong. The aftermarket kits use the smaller car disc brake setup.
Hi guys,I have a '66 Pontiac B body (Strato-Chief 2 dr Post car) and I successfuly installed '65-'81 Corvette brakes(4 piston calipers) on all 4 corners.This car stops just as good as my '11 Ram. Easy to do.The fronts are complete C3 from spindle to hub to rotor.For those interested,the rears are a little bit of work but very much do able.
Hi guys,I have a '66 Pontiac B body (Strato-Chief 2 dr Post car) and I successfuly installed '65-'81 Corvette brakes(4 piston calipers) on all 4 corners.This car stops just as good as my '11 Ram. Easy to do.The fronts are complete C3 from spindle to hub to rotor.For those interested,the rears are a little bit of work but very much do able.
What welding is required for the rear brakes? I have the front set up just curious, I can weld but if beyond my tools and skill I can farm it out. To confirm also passenger side only parts for rear.
VR
Jason
65 Impala SS
For A and F body that would be alot of research regarding the fronts.For the rears,the mounting flange has a smaller bolt pattern for the caliper mounting brackets.GM used B body axle tubes to put the 4 piston brakes on the rear's of the Camaro('69).For '65-'68 B body,the fronts are Corvette.Now the rears-first thing is that the rears are '65-'81 Corvette brakes and the other thing to remember is that everything is right hand side x2.No left hand parts on the rear brakes.2 right rear caliper mounting brackets,a pair of JL8 e-brake cables(ebay),2 right hand rear dust/splash shields(Corvette),a pair of e brake cable mounting brakets(JL8 brakes.com).When purchasing the emergency brake kit,you'll have to get another right hand e brake cable actuator/lever(2 pieces).There will be some minor welding required and some grinding/turning of the axle flanges.This is required to push the axles inside of the rear brake shoes to re-install the c-clips.The e brake cables on the right pull from the front of the diff as the left side pulls from the rear.You'll see when you notice the difference in cable lengths.The short one goes on the right,the longer one goes to the left under and to the back side of the braking system.And to make this come together under the car,both cable connectors will have to be lenghtened by approx. 2 in. or so.It's a real simple process with a little patience but the end result is well worth it.Don't forget to change the proportioning valve to disc/disc.Up here in Calgary(Canada) I found a good used front brake set up for $500(needed rotors,calipers,dust shields).The rears I bought all new.No used there.The rear calipers sit at about 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock on the diff when mounted so be careful when choosing a wheel to go up under.I choose the Torque Thrust(15x7) 'cause those wheels were designed for the Corvette's braking system in '65 to clear the big brake calipers and I wanted to keep the '60's looking theme.It all could be done in a weekend or two maximum.It took me 4 months two winters ago as there was alot of trial and error-lots of pre-fitting,on and off stuff.Oh,and one more note,on the left side of the diff where the shock mount is there is a hole just above the shock bolt.Open that hole up(step drill bit) so to run the emergency cable through up to the braking system.This system is adaptable to 10 or 12 bolt "B" diffs.If in doubt about what pieces are needed,look up JL8 for the some guidance.This system is how GM did it on the '69 Camaro.Again,do some research as it will pay off!
You asked about "A" and "F" body.In what regards would it be pertaining to? The fronts or the rears? "A" body cars never had rear disc and "F" body only in '69 and again in '79(Firebirds).I have an April '69 12 bolt "F" body rear disc brake diff I'm somewhat restoring-getting back to useable condition.
Let me know how you made out or if you have any problems/questions.
going to do a c3 conversion on my 65 impala have everything for the front, found a salvage yard going out of business cut me a good deal on everything but the calipers but still need the stuff for the rear and would like to get it before the crusher does.mine is down to the frame so now is the time with easy access. what needs to be ground/turned on the rear axles to get the c-clips to fit? why only use the right side parts, clearance issues? in the pic looks like an awful tight bend in the d.s. e-brake cable. thanks for posting saved me alot of headaches already.
I've seen those kits before. I don't like them too much because they're quite small and they're only single piston. I'm really interested in learning more about about the 4 Wheel, 4 Pistons Corvette conversion.
check around on Ebay i was just show what i looked up in a easy find i have a 4 piston style on my 66 and with cross drilled rotors and stainless steel braded lines.
yes they are i think i spend around $1200 shipped to my home and came with the brackets and lowering spindles too. shocks, bearings and new hardware. power booster and master, love the system i got took about 3 hours to install everything front and rear.
FiretoFlames-Hello,The fronts are pretty simple C3 ('65-'81)swap.I found a good set of used up here in Calgary(Canada) which I then bought new rotors,calipers,dust shields and freshened up the hubs.The rears are a different story.What took me 4 months two winters ago to figure out,one can do in their garage in a weekend or two.First off,the rear brakes are C3 pieces right side x2.That's right-no left hand side pieces here.2 right caliper mounting brackets,2 right dust shields,and when the emergency brake kit is purchased buy another right side e brake actuator/levers(2 pieces).The e brake cables along with the pretension springs are JL8(Camaro) pieces(a must have-ebay).Another required pieces are the e brake cable brackets(JL8brakes.com) that need to be welded to the diff in their respective places.The longer of the e-brake cables goes on the left side and pulls from the rear.The shorter one on the right pulls from the front of the diff.The cable connectors under the vehicle need to be lengthened about 2 inches to accommodate for the shorter cables.Now the axle flanges need to be turned/ground on the inside radius to clear the brake shoes to re-install the c-clips.On the left of the diff where the lower shock bolt is there is a hole right above that that needs to be opened up(step drill bit) to route the e-brake cable through up to the assembly.If that isn't done,the cable will have too much tension on it to function correctly.The calipers are C3.Oh and another thing,longer axle studs will have to be installed in the axles to accommodate for the rotors and the wheel for the lug nuts to work.I think I went with 1 3/4in studs.I used Torque Thrust wheels(15x7) 'cause they were designed to clear the '65 Corvette brake calipers and I also wanted to stay with the '60's theme.
Add rotors,calipers,bleed,mount wheels then drive away.Don't forget to change to a disc/disc porportioning valve.This conversion can be done to 10/12 bolt "B" body's with minimal work."A" and "F" body's,that's a different story, but I do know how.I do have a '69 Camaro rear disc brake(QW-3:55 posi) diff that I am cleaning up for sale.I was going to put it in my '68 Acadian(Nova) but I have since sold the car.That diff is where I got the idea to do the brake conversion on my "B" body.
I am currently working on a 4 wheel disk brake conversion on my 67 Impala SS. I have ordered and returned a 13 inch rotor conversion kit from ABS brake, found out that it only works with drum brake spindles and I wasn't satisfied with the quality for the $ spent. I then ordered a 13 inch rotor and drop spindle kit from POL, again poor quality, has taken 2 months for them to try to correct all the problems with the kit so I tried to return it with their "no hassle return policy" only to find a lot of hassle and I'm stuck with it. Anyway, the POL stuff is unusable so this is what I did. The front spindles currently on the car are from a 70 Impala wagon, 12 inch rotors and single piston calipers. I am converting the front to 2000 Corvette brakes. Its fairly simple and I wish I did the research before I stated this project. You must use the 69-70 spindles, the C5 rotor hub opening must be machined to the dimension of the original rotor and the wheel stud holes opened for 1/2 20 thead studs. The caliper bracket is about 10 by 2 1/2 inches 3/8 inch thick steel. You can mock up a bracket out of plexiglass to determine where to mount the caliper cage, I cant give you exact dimensions because I eyed mine and got lucky the first time. I'm still working on the rear brakes so I haven't road tested it yet. On the rear I"m using 95 Camaro calipers and rotors, dont have the brackets sorted out yet but there are frame clearance issues if your car is lowered. Hope this helps, good luck with your project.
I'll post some pics of my brake conversion in a couple weeks when I complete the rears. I will have some dimensions for the front caliper brackets then.
As with any project, some things just dont go as planned. An automotive machine shop is not equipped to do the custom machine work required for this project, it cost me $900 in ruined parts and labor to figure that out. Use a manufacturing machine shop to get the required results. Anyway, the front brakes are complete. I had to make some changes to simplify the fit. The caliper bracket is now 2 x 9 x 1/4 and I have exact dimensions if you are interested. To check caliper clearance I removed the front springs so the suspension could be moved throughout the range, everything is clear. Total parts cost for the front is about $850, includes new C5 rotors, calipers, braided DOT lines and machine work, The rears are taking a bit more work, I ended up using 95 C4 rotors and calipers. Had to have the axle flange and hub lip reduced to fit the rotor and locate e-brake cables (03 electric ford ranger). Got it all together and it looked like there may be some caliper/frame clearance issues so I pulled the springs and sway bar to check, too close for me. Got some more 3/8 plate and making new caliper brackets now, need to drop caliper about 20 degrees. Parts cost for the rear is about $950, includes new C4 rotors, calipers, braided DOT lines, cables and machine work. I cant get all the pics attached to this post
Here are some pictures of the conversion I made for my 1965.....My car had drums all the way around...... I used front Calipers and rotors from a 2000 Z28 and on the back disc I used 2000 Olds Brivada calipers and rotors for a '1992 Z28.. I had to make all the brackets and such. It took me some time and a lot of measuring, but they work great, and use all GM parts.... Sorry I didn't have more pics of the rear brakes.... My car has a 9" ford rear end in it and the caliper brackets I made also double as the bearing retaining plates...
Just to clarify, you used factory drum brake spindles?
Anyone seen anybody adapt the 4th gen Camro brake calipers to stock Impala disc brake spindles? I have a pair of these calipers and would like to use them on my 1970 build.
Looks great! Those skinny tires look kinda funny though.
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