Camaro Brakes Guide: How to Restore Your Chevy Camaro Step by Step (2023)

You need to determine the degree of restoration (competition, daily driver, survivor, etc.) and level of authenticity of your Camaro. With a full concours restoration, keep the stock brakes, including rear drum brakes. If you have found a very rare car with a JL8 rear disc brake setup, keep those brakes as well. However, for most owners, especially of stock 6-cylinder and V-8 Camaros, an aftermarket brake upgrade delivers a huge performance improvement and doesn't detract from the car's value. Since there are so many options and the brakes can easily be swapped back to a stock setup, we also cover some practical applications and aftermarket upgrades for street cars and daily drivers.

This tech tip is from the whole book"HOW TO RESTORE YOUR 1967-1969 CAMARO". For a comprehensive guide on this entire topic, visit this link:

READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK HERE

SHARE THIS ARTICLE:Feel free to share this post on Facebook / Twitter / Google+ or any automotive forum or blog you read. You can use the social sharing buttons on the left or copy and paste the website link:https://www.chevydiy.com/camaro-brake-guide-how-to-restore-your-chevy-camaro-step-by-step/

Original components and restoration

The original master cylinder, brake booster, residual pressure valve and distributor/safety switch block in our 1968 SS/RS project car were original but needed some serious work to get them back to good running order and aesthetically pleasing. Power Brake Exchange (PBE) in San Jose, California was up to the restoration task. Of course, you can buy cheaper parts, but not only are they not original to the car (if you care), but the replacement units are usually not visibly the same. Having the original parts rebuilt ensures that they bolt back onto the car correctly and their appearance will not differ from the original.

PBE has been restoring brake components for a long time and they really know their stuff. All parts were painted or coated to their original factory finish. The booster was taken apart, refinished in original gold cadmium and rebuilt with all the original steel parts, which was confirmed by checking the factory numbers stamped on the locking pin. The master cylinder was rebuilt with new internals after they drilled out the cylinder and fitted it with a stainless steel sleeve. Afterwards they restored the exterior with factory finish on the clamps and hood. The safety switch block was blown and the brass flares were replaced. The residual pressure valve underwent similar processes.

Brakes are an important safety system and you need to ensure that your brakes are working properly. If the Camaro's pads or drum liners are worn beyond the minimum thickness, or the rotors are warped, you'll need a brake service job. Because many brake pads are made of asbestos, be sure to wear gloves and a respirator when servicing the brakes. (We won't cover every step of brake disassembly, inspection, and installation, but you can find the information in a factory service manual or High-Performance Brake Systems by James Walker.)

Brake hardlines

There are many different configurations of brake hardlines because so many different manual and power brake systems were installed in the first generation of Camaros. The original brake pipes are made of mild steel. You can buy new brake lines from many reproduction companies in the original mild steel or you can buy the same lines in stainless steel for a little more money. The stainless steel looks great and will last forever, but it won't look like the factory finish.

Long brake hoses come bent in the middle and stuffed into a huge box, so there will be a bit of modification to get them straight, but with a cheap bend you can get them straight pretty easily. To get these full length brake hoses in the car, you are much better off doing it with the body outside the frame, even just a few inches. Otherwise, you will scratch the heck out of your car and probably damage the new brake hoses. A little bending is usually necessary, but with the good kits (from Fine Lines) they take the original lines out of unrestored cars and replicate them exactly. With this set, every piece fits up exactly as it should, unlike lines we've used from other well-known companies.

Master cylinder

It is likely that your master cylinder has been replaced and is not original. (If it's original, you can have it restored with a new sleeve and seals.) Master cylinders have a different size bore for each application, and there are at least three different sizes: 7/8, 1, and 11⁄8 inches.

Each original master cylinder has a two-letter stamp on the small machined pad at the front. There have been at least seven different stampings documented on master cylinders. These stamps are: AD, AU, BS, CT, SA, US and WT. Many of the master cylinders were physically different and varied by application, but some differed only internally by the bore size required for the given application. The only way to tell these similar masters apart is by the two-letter stamp. Master cylinders ranged from: 7/8-inch (AU manual J65 in 1967) to 1-inch (BS manual and power drums for 1968 and 1969, AD manual front disc in 1967, and CT manual and power drums with mixed use) to 11⁄8 inches (WT-power front disc 1967 and 1968 and US-power front disc and power 4-wheel disc [JL8]).

The master cylinders were originally painted flat black with the machined surfaces (front stamped pad, lugs around fittings and the tapered hole at the front [on some]) left bare cast iron. Bail wires (cylinder head cover retainers) were left bare steel (silver colored). The covers were gold-cadmium plated. Bare cast iron rusts in a very short time, so apply a light coat of gun oil or paint the surface with gray cast coat.

Hold-off valve

According to the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual, the valve assembly located between the master cylinder and brake distributor block on the front brake circuit is called a "pressure regulator valve". That said, the more operationally correct name for this valve is the "hold-off valve" and for this book I refer to it as the hold-off valve because the valve on the side of the subframe under the car is more appropriately called a pressure control valve .

To operate, disc brakes require more than three times as much line pressure compared to drum brakes. Chevrolet added the shut-off valve to manual and power-assisted front disc/rear drum-equipped cars so that the front brakes would not become too strong (compared to the rear drum brakes) under light braking. The valve maintains pressure to the front disc brakes until approximately 35 pounds of pressure is applied to the rear drums. A front disc equipped Camaro nose dives too much if the valve is missing or stuck open. Some self-proclaimed experts claim that some disc/drum cars did not have a stop valve and that some 4-wheel drum cars did, but it's hard to know everything the factory did and new information is emerging all the time.

The factory finish on the holdoff valve (under the master) is semi-gloss black with a cast iron finish on the large nut and the perimeter of the round projection on the regulator housing. The small bracket that secures the valve to the master cylinder is gold cadmium plated and the bolt that secures the bracket to the valve is zinc plated.

Brake distribution block (with brake warning)

The first generation Camaro factory brake distribution block has front and rear brake lines going in and out of it, as well as a single wire to the brake warning switch. The distributor block is located about 1 inch below the master cylinder and mounted on an L-shaped bracket attached to the right front master cylinder mounting stud. The distributor block and its brackets were painted semi-gloss black from the factory.

There are at least two different distribution blocks: one that has a cast face and one that has a machined face (machined faces did not have paint). The latter was used on first generation 4-wheel drum, front disc/rear drum and 4-wheel disc brake applications. This block distributes the single front brake line coming from the master cylinder front brake circuit. A pressure control valve on cars with disc brakes is attached to the block and splits the fluid into two lines, one to the left front and one to the right front brake assembly.

The rear brake line is a single line coming from the rear circuit of the master cylinder. It returns from the distributor block as a single brake line to the rear brakes.

The brake warning switch is located in the center of the distributor block.

The front circuit fluid entering the block pushes on the piston in the center of the distribution block; the rear circuit fluid pushes on the piston from the other side. Equal pressure on the switch actuator piston from both sides helps center the piston. If the rear circuit fails (ie the rear brakes lose pressure from a burst brake line), the pressure on both sides of the piston is no longer the same, causing the greater pressure on the front brake circuit to push the contact actuator piston into the distributor block to a off-center position (toward the back in this example).

When the piston is off-center, it activates the brake warning switch, which turns on the small red warning light in the instrument panel. In some cases, if the piston moves far enough away from center, it can close the faulty half of the circuit (rear brakes in this example) so that the good half of the system (front circuit in this example) will still stop the vehicle. When one circuit is off, the brake pedal still feels firm, possibly more firm than if both circuits are working properly, so if the brake warning light is on, you better find out why.

When you fix the leak in the system and bleed the brakes, the pressure in the distributor block will equalize. As a result, the switch actuation piston is pushed back to center and the brake warning light goes off.

Late model cars have a similar looking block under the master cylinder. The new blocks not only contain the brake warning switch, but also contain proportioning valves (and residual pressure valves on rear drum brake applications) and are called combination valves. Be aware that not all parts from newer cars or other cars from the same year will work with the parts on your car and application due to the existence of valves inside components that you cannot see.

Pressure regulator valve

The pressure regulator valve is located under the left front seat on the outside of the subframe. The valve limits the pressure going to the rear brakes, which is regulated by the pressure at the valve's inlet. This helps the rear brakes from overexerting under hard braking, which can cause a rear brake lock condition. The factory finish on the valve is machined brass. It is a Kelsey-Hayes valve with the letters "KH" stamped along with an "R" and a date code.

This valve was rarely installed on Camaros. Per the instructions in the 1967 factory Camaro Assembly Manual, the pressure regulator valve was installed on Camaros with air conditioning (RPO C60). The 1968 and 1969 manuals say the valve was installed on SS models (RPOs L48 and L78). However, both the 1967 and 1968 Chevrolet Chassis Service Manuals state that the valve was used on RPO C60 Camaros. And in the 1969 service manual, the valve is listed for use on Camaro models equipped with 8-7/8-inch ring gears (12-bolt differentials).

We have seen the valve on 1967 427 Yenkos which are not C60 equipped but have a 12-bolt rear axle. We've also seen them on non-SS models like the 1969 LM1, which was the first non-SS Camaro to get a 350 engine; so it is possible that other performance models such as the 1967 and 1968 L30/M20 (275hp 327 models matched with the M20 4-speed transmission) also came with this pressure control valve and that the factory set a standard or rule that Camaros received the valve, but the did not make the corrections or notes in the assembly or service manuals.

OEM brakes

Compared to today's standards, the original braking systems from 1967 to 1969 were significantly inadequate with manual front and rear drums for adequate braking performance with the rare power disc front and rear. It wouldn't hurt the value of most cars to at least upgrade to factory front disc and rear drum brakes, and it's an important safety upgrade.

4-wheel manual drum (standard brakes)

All first-generation Camaros came standard with four-wheel manual drum brakes. For the period and low-performance lower model Camaros, the stock brakes were adequate, but left much to be desired in performance applications. The front drum brakes had a small hub with a separate brake drum that slid over.

J50 4-wheel drum brakes

The lowest level of brake upgrade is the RPO J50, where the four-wheel drums were vacuum-assisted power brakes. This RPO was offered all three years of the first generation Camaro. J52

Power and manual front disc rear drum (1967 to 1969)

The most common power front disc and rear drum is the RPO J52. The J52 brakes changed from a 4-piston fixed-mount front caliper in 1967 and 1968 to a floating single-piston caliper in 1969. The 1967 and 1968 rotor was a two-piece rotor and changed to a one-piece rotor in 1969. The rotor was 1 inch thick and 11 inches in diameter.

J56 Power Front Disc Bagtromle (1967 Low Production)

Corvette 4-piston brake calipers were adapted to work on the front of the Camaro during Chevrolet's race brake development process. These low-production (less than 500 units) front brakes were available for 1967, which required the Z28 RPO. The rotors were 11⁄4 inches thick and 113⁄4 inches in diameter. The calibers are easily identified as J56 due to the two pins that hold the pads in place, while the JL8 caliper uses a single pad locating pin. This system used HD metallic rear brake shoes to increase rear braking. J56 production numbers are even lower than the rare JL8 4-wheel disc brake package.

J65 4-wheel drum brake metal pads

This was an option for only one year (1967). The RPO J65 was a drum brake shoe upgrade to HD metallic liners for Camaros equipped with 4-wheel drum brakes. It was typically reserved for performance-level SS-equipped Camaros.

JL8 4-wheel disc brakes (1969 low production)

One of the rarest of the rare options is the JL8 all-wheel drive disc brakes. According to historians, only about 206 Camaros left the factory with the JL8 brake option, as it was offered as a regular production option for a brief period for the 1969 model year. Prior to that, during the 1968 model year, the JL8 was only available at the dealership as a power service equipment. All these facts add up to the fact that the JL8 is very rare and if you have a JL8 equipped car (from factory or service upgrade) you have some truly amazing and valuable equipment.

If you don't have the standard JL8 4-wheel disc brake kit but want to invest in installing them on your Camaro, you can find the parts at www.jl8brakes.com.

Homebrew 4-wheel disc brakes

Maybe you want to build your own 4-wheel disc brakes from non-first generation Camaros or even non-GM brakes to save some money. We've done it with less than stellar results. You are taking your life into your own hands if you try to design a system with mismatched brake parts. There are a few places on the internet that explain how to upgrade your brakes using late model parts, but for safety reasons we can't suggest using their information. Maybe these guys knew what they were doing or they were really lucky. There is a lot of engineering, math and fluid dynamics knowledge that goes into building a well-balanced braking system.

It is important to have a balanced braking system, meaning that the front brakes do not overpower the rear brakes (too much) and the rear brakes do not overpower the front brakes. Through pressure from pressing the brake pedal, the master cylinder moves fluid to each wheel. If 2 ounces of fluid moves the front caliper pistons 4mm, and the same pedal position pushes 2 ounces of fluid to the rear calipers (which in this example have larger bores than the front brakes), it moves the rear caliper pistons 0.5mm.

A system like this will never give you enough rear caliper movement to be effective. In fact, the front brakes do all the work, and the rear brakes will probably never work. This scenario could not be safely remedied by installing an adjustable brake proportioning valve because you would have to limit the amount of brake fluid going to the front brakes, which would be a ridiculous solution. If you are going to design your own brake system, educate yourself.

Aftermarket components

Stock drum brakes leave a lot to be desired in performance. If you've never driven a 4-wheel drum brake car, or haven't driven one in the last 10 years, you might not know or remember that they don't stop very quickly and really just aren't safe for any kind of performance driving. If you are looking for better braking than some old standard four wheel drum brakes or want to upgrade from some old crusty stock disc brakes, there are many options on the market. If you have factory four-wheel disc brakes on your first-generation Camaro, don't swap them out for aftermarket brakes; If you do, contact us and we'll find someone to take those JL8 brakes off your hands.

Because this book is for hands-on restorations, we felt it only made sense to include information on all brake options, including aftermarket brake systems. I think it's safe to say that most of the people restoring/rebuilding their first generation Camaro probably can't afford to spend approx. $8,000 dollars to install JL8 front brakes and another $5,000 for JL8 rear brakes (or $15,000 for the JL8 rear brakes with correct differential assembly) to complete the only first-generation factory-offered 4-wheel disc brake package. You could spend $13,000 or $23,000 on factory correct (or close to it) 4-wheel disc brakes, but not many can afford that. Most people choose aftermarket high performance disc brake conversions that match or exceed the performance of OEM model JL8 brakes.

This is where aftermarket companies, such as Baer Brakes and CPP Brakes, come into play. They both offer kits that fit inside the stock 15-inch wheel and still have an integrated parking brake in the rear calipers. As an example, we chose Baer brakes.

Typically, when you think of Baer Brakes, you think of brake rotors so big that you have to run 17- or 18-inch-diameter wheels to handle them. Well, Baer Brakes also offers a smaller diameter disc brake system that fits factory wheels and delivers high-performance braking. Its Serious Street package with one-piece rotors and Serious Street Plus with two-piece rotors are the answer for muscle car owners who don't want to upgrade to wheels with a diameter of 16 inches or larger. The front rotors are 11 inches in diameter, the rears are 11.35 inches in diameter, and they fit under factory-style 15-inch steel wheels. Smaller 14-inch wheels are simply too small, so 15-inch wheels are required.

Baer successfully blended Corvette brake caliper design and late model performance with a special combination of rotors with smaller inside hub diameters than its other Sport, Track, Extreme and other performance brake systems. Some aftermarket brake companies offer single-piston disc brake front kits similar to standard 1969 Camaro front brakes and a later model (non-early) Camaro prominent caliper so that the parking brake cable can be incorporated. The older single-piston caliper lacks the performance offered with the Baer kit, which features a better-performing two-piston caliper up front along with the late-model caliper in the rear. It only makes sense to upgrade to the best brakes for the money if you have to upgrade the brakes at all.

This tech tip is from the whole book"HOW TO RESTORE YOUR 1967-1969 CAMARO". For a comprehensive guide on this entire topic, visit this link:

READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK HERE

SHARE THIS ARTICLE:Feel free to share this post on Facebook / Twitter / Google+ or any automotive forum or blog you read. You can use the social sharing buttons on the left or copy and paste the website link:https://www.chevydiy.com/camaro-brake-guide-how-to-restore-your-chevy-camaro-step-by-step/

Step-1: Installation of disc brake

Place the car securely on jacks. Remove the wheels. Place the new caliper over the new rotor and place them inside the wheels. This is to ensure that the new brake caliper and the center of the hub fit the wheels before you go through the trouble of installing the entire system. Do this for front and rear systems. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-2: Installation of disc brake

Loosen the brake bracket where it connects to the brake hose on the side of the subframe. Use the correct 3/8-inch wrench or you'll round the edges of the nut and make this a much bigger job that will require a vise and replacing the nut and/or brake line. Spray the fittings with penetrating oil if necessary. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-3: Installation of disc brake

Someone had already installed this non-genuine master cylinder. We replace it with the Baer included in the kit. Master cylinder bore size is important, so we removed the cap and let the brake fluid drain out the front lines into a container, then put the cap back on for now. We installed the included caps on the end of the brake lines to keep moisture and dirt out. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-4: Installing Disc Brake

Remove all the brake components from the spindle, but do not remove the spindle. Our car has disc brakes, so we pulled the bolts out of the caliper, pulled the brake clip off the bracket at the frame, and then removed the caliper. Remove the dust cap, cotter pin and spindle nut. Pull the rotor off the spindle and clean the grease off the spindle pin so you don't get any unnecessary grease. Remove the two bolts holding the control arm to the spindle and the last large bolt holding the backplate to the spindle. If you have drum brakes, pull the drum off the separate hub. Next, you need to completely disassemble the brake shoes, components (which are easier to remove if you have the right drum brake tool), and the hub before you can remove the backing plate. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-5: Installing Disc Brake

Install a new caliper bracket and original control arm onto the spindle with the included 1/2-inch hardware. The longer bolts are for the thicker part (back) of the control arm. Tighten them to 90 ft-lbs. With a new rotor, put a film of assembly grease on the inner seal and then slide the rotor onto the spindle. Place the supplied outer wheel bearing and keyed spindle washer onto the spindle. Fit the lock nut finger tight while turning the rotor. If the threads on the spindle are bad, replace it. Tighten the nut with a wrench as you rotate the rotor, but as soon as you feel the bearings stop rotating freely and you feel yourself pulling on the rotor, back off the nut until resistance stops. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-6: Installing Disc Brake

The split pin must fit through one of the recesses in the nut and through the spindle pin. If the nut must be moved to get the split through the hole, the nut must not be tightened so that the rotor pulls on the bearings. Instead, turn the nut counterclockwise (loosen) until the cotter pin slides through the nut into one of the holes in the spindle pin. When the pin is installed, it is bent over the ends of the pin. Installation of the cap was made easy by using a short pipe that had the correct diameter to fit the lip. As with any brake installation, use brake cleaner to clean the brake surface of grease and oil before installing pads or shoes. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-7: Installing Disc Brake

Grasp the correct caliper with its anchor plate to the correct side. The brake hose hole is mounted low and the bleed screw is mounted high (so the air bubbles rise to the top and bleed out easily). Slide the caliper over the rotor and secure the caliper and its anchor plate to the billet bracket with the supplied metric bolts to 110 ft-lbs. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-8: Installing Disc Brake

Use the included locking clip to secure the brake hose to the factory frame bracket. Secure the other end of the hose to the caliper so that it does not bind, twist, or break during the full range of suspension and right-to-left rotation. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-9: Installing Disc Brake

Make sure you have a copper washer between the caliper and the banjo bracket and another washer between the banjo bracket and the banjo bolt. These are not ordinary washers, so do not use any other type of washing machine in their place. Tighten the banjo bolt to 20 ft-lbs. WARNING: Banjo bolts are designed to break if overtightened. Perform the same procedure on the opposite front wheel. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-10: Installing Disc Brake

Remove the brake drums. If they don't pop off the ends of the shafts, they may be rusted/fused to the shaft flange or centering hub on the center of the shaft. In this case, a sharp blow with a rubber or plastic hammer typically breaks it loose. If the drum is loose from the axle but won't come off, it is possible that the brake shoes are stuck in a groove worn in the brake drum. If this is the case, insert a long flat screwdriver or brake adjustment tool through the slot in the front of the brake drum and adjust the rear brakes to get the brake shoes off the brake drum. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-11: Installing Disc Brake

To remove the drum brake backing plates from the rear axle, pull the rear axles out of the housing. Place a drain pan under the differential cover and remove the cover. Loosen and remove all but two bolts. Drain the liquid by loosening the lid. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-12: Installing Disc Brake

With the cover off, remove the pin lock bolt and then slide the lock pin out of the gear carrier. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-13: Installing Disc Brake

Push the shafts in one at a time and slide the C-clip off the end of the shaft. Carefully push the shaft out of the shaft housing without tearing the shaft seals. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-14: Installing Disc Brake

Inspect the shafts on the outer bearing surface (arrow indicates worn surface) to ensure they are in good condition and not bent or twisted. Replace an axle if there is evidence of trauma. Now is also a good time to replace any broken wheel bolts. Also check the shaft seal, but this is actually a good time to replace it because it could be the original seal. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-15: Installing Disc Brake

Make sure the outside diameter of the shaft flange is 5.9 inches or less. Also make sure the center hub surface is the correct diameter. If it is larger, the rotor will not seat against the shaft flange and will cause problems with caliper alignment. Take the shafts to a machine shop to have the flange diameter reduced if necessary. Here you can see how the hub and outer diameter have been machined to reduce their diameters. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-16: Installing Disc Brake

Use your line wrench to remove the hardline from the back of the wheel cylinders and cover the line ends with the supplied caps to keep dirt and moisture out of the lines. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-17: Installing Disc Brake

Remove all brake shoes and accessories from the backplates. Using the correct drum brake tool makes the job much easier. Remove the parking brake cable by removing the adjuster from the inside of the driver's side frame rail. Pull the cable ends out of the connection brackets. Remove the rear parking brake cables from the backplates by pressing on the clamp tabs. Remove the backing plates from the housing ends. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-18: Installing Disc Brake

Mount the supplied rear axle brackets to the ends of the housing using the original rear plate bolts. The bracket is mounted so that the flange of the caliper bolt points away from the shock absorber, otherwise the caliper will hit the shock. Test fit the correct caliper (vent fitting pointing up) to the shaft bracket. The supplied parking brake cables must be fitted to the caliper unit and routed just below the leaf spring. If you have aftermarket equipment on the car, you may need to adjust the axle mounts accordingly. Tighten the flange bolts to 35 ft-lbs. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-19: Installing Disc Brake

Put a light film of mounting grease on the shaft seal and mount the shafts on the correct side. Slide them in and install the C-clips, then move them out to hold the C-clips in place. Install the pin back into the gear carrier and install the lock bolt, but don't tighten it yet. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-20: Installing Disc Brake

Determine the correct rotor direction. Install the rotors on the shaft flanges and use two offset nuts to secure the rotor against the shaft flange so it does not fall to the ground. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-21: Installing Disc Brake

Use the supplied metric bolts to hold the caliper to the axle mount and tighten them to measure clearance. Use the bracket alignment chart as a guide to check caliper armature bracket clearance to rotor clearance. There is some variance on stock and aftermarket parts, so make sure there is at least 0.030 inch between the rotor and each side of the bracket. Remove the anchor bracket as needed with the supplied shims. If the clearance between the inner rotor surface and the bracket is too small, the bracket may need to be machined (contact Baer's technical department for details). Tighten the metric gauge bolts to 85 ftlbs when the clearances are correct.

Step-22: Installing Disc Brake

Baer includes its own hardline bracket kit, which includes tabs to weld to the rear axle housing tube. You can use the instructions, or (if you don't want to make a change that would take some undoing if you wanted to go back to stock) use hose clamps around the axle tube to anchor the retaining studs. Attach the supplied brake hoses to the calipers using the same clamp washer placement method as used on the front calipers. Attach the other end of the brake hoses to the original hardline. Make sure the routed hoses do not interfere with moving parts under the suspension link, torque the banjo bolts to 15 to 20 ft-lbs, and tighten the brake lines to the hard lines. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-23: Installing Disc Brake

Install the new Baer parking brake cables to the calipers and the other ends to the factory emergency brake cable bracket on the frame. Install the other parking brake cable components and adjust the cable tension. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-24: Installing Disc Brake

After all clearances and parking brake cable routing have been verified, torque the bracket pin lock bolt to 20 ft-lbs. Apply a new gasket with a thin film of Permatex Ultra Black sealer to the housing and cover mating surfaces and torque the cover bolts to 20 ft-lbs. Unscrew the filler cap from the differential and fill it with the correct fluid for your Positraction or non-Posi rear axle. With the car level, fill until the fluid starts to come back from the filler plug and reinsert the filler plug and tighten it. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Now is a good time to have your booster rebuilt and plated with gold cadmium. You are much better off getting your booster rebuilt if it is an original part. But if you remove it and don't want to keep it, many restoration enthusiasts will want to buy this original part. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-25: Installing Disc Brake

Baer suggests removing the pressure regulator valve from the side of the subframe in the rear brake line and the barrel-shaped hold-off valve located under the master cylinder. If you install both Baer front and rear disc brakes, these valves can adversely affect disc brake performance. If you want to leave these valves in place for aesthetics and so you don't have to change the main brake lines, simply disassemble the valves and remove the guts (piston, spring, moving parts, etc.). Do not remove or tamper with the rectangular distribution block and safety switch located under the master cylinder! (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-26: Installing Disc Brake

Begin bleeding the brakes at the wheel cylinder or caliper farthest from the master cylinder. Suction fans do not always work because they draw air bubbles through the threads of the vent screw, making it difficult to vent the system. Gravity venting the system by opening the vent screw and allowing gravity to push the bubbles out of each corner of the system works well if the system is primed; it is not a good idea to leave the system open for very long because it allows moisture to enter the system. Instead, have a buddy pump the pedal, open the fan, and then close the fan. Repeat until all bubbles have left the system. We found a much cleaner and easier way to bleed the brakes. Danny Nix at Classic Performance Products (CPP) suggested we try using the spray method. Before you start bleeding the system, double check the entire system and make sure all fittings and connections are tight. A vent kit like this is a cost effective system. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

The front master cylinder reservoir on first generation Camaros holds the fluid for the front brakes; the rear reservoir is for the rear brakes. The Baer kit has a new CPP master cylinder with the ports in the right places. This allowed us to leave the expansion loops in the brake lines and leave the distribution block at the stock location. Baer includes adapter flare fittings to make it easier to fit new lines due to different line sizes between manual and electric brake systems. We were tempted to use our original master because it was a 1-inch bore, the same as the Baer master. The project car was a driver, not a concours restoration, so it made sense for us to use their included unit and not take any chances with the brakes. (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Step-27: Installing Disc Brake

Make sure the farthest vent screw is open, connect a clear plastic/nylon hose with one end to the vent. The other end should be draped in a clear plastic or glass container with the end of the hose below approx. 1/2 inch of fluid (to prevent air from possibly moving up the tube). Insert the screw-on rubber tip on the end of the syringe into the port at the bottom of the correct reservoir and push the plunger down to force the liquid into the port. Make sure you don't force air into the system or you'll have to start the process over. Push the plunger down slowly when you start so you know how much fluid to add. Ask a friend to watch the hose to tell you when the bubbles stop coming out. Keep adding more liquid with the syringe until the bubbles stop. Do not empty or overfill the container during this process. When air stops coming out of the hose, close the bleeder screw and move to the next bleeder screw and continue until all four corners are free of air bubbles. Fill the master cylinder to about 1/4 inch from the top and close the cap completely. Pump and hold the brake pedal to confirm that it feels good and that the pedal is not slowly falling to the floor. It must stand firm and not move. If it moves, there is a loose connection somewhere in the system and it needs immediate attention. If everything looks good, put all the wheels back on the car and torque them to the correct specifications for your size wheel studs (stock: 7/16 inch, 75 ft-lbs; aftermarket: 1/2 inch, 80 ft-lbs . ) (Photo courtesy of Mary Pozzi)

Clean the spindle completely and check for damaged threads and any damage to the bearing surface. We have seen internal wheel bearings lock up and seize in the spindle and damage the spindle pin. If you find any cuts or damage to the spindle pin, look for a replacement. Install the new caliper bracket and original control arm using the supplied bolts and torque to 90 ft-lbs.

Grab the right rotor for the right side of the car. The rotors have gas release openings on the outside and cooling fins inside. Both functions require specific directional rotation to function properly.

Before working around brakes, especially drum brakes, be aware that there is a lot of loose brake dust that can get on your skin and in your lungs. Over the past 40 years, brake linings have been manufactured from materials known or suspected to cause health problems. Drum brakes are the worst for brake lining dust because large amounts get trapped inside the drum. Hitting the drum with a hammer to help remove it from the axle flange or simply removing the drum and turning it over will release a cloud of brake dust. I want to be very clear: You must wear safety glasses, a proper respirator, and protective gloves when working around brakes until you have thoroughly wiped off all brake dust.

Install the master cylinder

Make sure you have a bucket under the dash and have some disposable wipes readily available because brake fluid eats through paint faster than you can wipe it off. Do your best to contain the liquid and keep your fender covered with plastic or something non-absorbent to protect your paint. Use wire wrenches to disconnect the brake hoses from the master cylinder. Remove the nuts from the master cylinder and pull it off the booster.

Proportioning valve

To balance the front brakes with the rear brakes, you can install an adjustable brake pressure valve. It goes between the master cylinder and the rear brake system. The valve limits the amount of fluid going to the rear brakes in an attempt to prevent the rear brakes from overpowering the front brakes. This can cause the rear brakes to lock up before the front brakes, causing a loss of control of your car when braking, especially during a panic stop.

Residual pressure

Valve This valve is designed to work on vehicles with rear drum brakes. Rear disc brake equipped cars typically do not use a residual pressure valve. The residual pressure valve maintains a few pounds of brake fluid pressure in the rear drum brake system when the brake pedal is released and the pressure in the rear system drops. The pressure maintained in the rear system keeps the rear brake shoes partially engaged. The shoes do not remain engaged against the inside of the brake drum; rather, they fall slightly away from the drum. Without the residual pressure in the system, the shoes would pull further away from the drum and greatly increase the rear brake's response time when the brake pedal is depressed. The residual pressure also helps the rear drum self-adjustment system to function properly.

Written by Tony Huntimer and published with permission from CarTechBooks

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