Installing An ABS Power Brake 4-Wheel Disc Brake Kit
We know we’ve said this before, but for classic muscle cars, as in life, there is good and bad. The good is that they have big power and great looks, the bad is that some of the operating systems are dated, to say the least. One of those systems is the brakes.
Companies such as ABS Power Brakes has taken this upgraded technology and used it to produce 4-wheel disc brake kits for the cars that we love, such as this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle. Equipped with a high-performance 383ci engine, it is producing much more power than it did when it left Detroit, and thanks to its huge 22-inch wheels and tires, this Chevelle needs all the braking power it can get.
ABS Power Brakes has designed brackets that enable the twin-piston caliper and 13-inch slotted and slotted rotor from the 1999-2004 GM 1/2-ton pickups to be installed to the front of the Chevelle. The rear brake components are from an ’88 Thunderbird (12-inch rotors and single piston calipers). The nice thing about the rear kit is that ABS has designed its brackets to eliminate the need to remove the axles from the housing. The open-ended design allows for the bracket to simply slip around the housing and bolt to the stock end flange. The result is that the install is easy, and the upshot is that ABS Power Brake system provides much more stopping power than the stock drum units.
We were at No Limit Engineering in San Berdoo, CA and watched while they ran test with the set up that was on the car (stock front disc brakes and an aftermarket rear disc brake kit). With a 60mph head of steam, the big Chevelle stopped in an average of approximately 125 feet, but after a half of dozen runs, fade was becoming a problem. They also tested a stock Chevelle (disc front and drum rear), and the average jumped up to 140 feet.
The ABS Power Brake equipped Chevelle stopped with an average distance of only 109 feet, and the driver reported that the car stopped straight, without any pulling to the side, and the pedal felt good even after many runs. With a 15-foot reduction, stopping distance means the nose of the car will stay intact in more instances than before.
Though the ABS kits come with new rubber brake lines, this owner decided to go with Earl’s Performance Plumbing braided lines. Earl’s, now owned by Holley, has a long history of high-quality braided lines that not only work well, they also look trick, so a set of them were added to the front and rear during the installation process.
Follow along as the No Limit crew adds safety and style to this 1970 Chevelle thanks to the ABS Power Brake 4-wheel disc brake system.
Product Profiles:
ABS Power Brake
233 N. Lemon St.Orange,
CA 92866
714.771.6549
www.abspowerbrake.com (http://www NULL.abspowerbrake NULL.com)
Earl’s Performance Plumbing/Holley
www.earlsplumbing.com (http://www NULL.earlsplumbing NULL.com)
No Limit Engineering
455 S. “D” St.San Bernardino,
CA 92401
909.386.7637
www.nolimit.net (http://www NULL.nolimit NULL.net)
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Utilizing components from the 1999-2004 GM 1/2-ton trucks with brackets designed by ABS Power Brake, the front half of the kit comes with everything that one will need to drastically increase the stopping power of this classic Chevelle.
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The rear ABS Power Brake kit consists of components from a 1988 Ford Thunderbird. The drilled and slotted rotor measures out to 12-inches and the caliper is a single piston model. It also features a built-in parking brake mechanism.
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To give an idea of how the new ABS units compared to the stock/modified brake, we set up an impromptu braking test in a local parking lot. The car was run up to about 60 mph and then the brakes were applied. As equipped, the car stopped in an average of 125 feet but fade was becoming apparent after a few runs.
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See those cones way in the distance? They belonged to a bunch of motorcycle cops who were running a slalom course. Not amused by our scientific test methods (they gave us some serious stink-eye), we decided to keep the test quick and then got out of there and back to the No Limit’s shop.
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The stock disc brakes that came on the Chevelle were light years better than the standard Chevy drums from before, which were not up to the task compared to today’s technology.
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The stock unit is removed from the car.
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They say size matters, and comparing the stockers (L) with the new ABS units easily proves that is bigger is definitely better when it comes to brakes.
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Before the new ABS units are installed, the spindle must be cleaned as well as possible. After wiping off the old grease, it was liberally sprayed with brake clean, and wiped down again.
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Thread-locking compound should be used on all hardware, such as these caliper bracket bolts, prior to installation.
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The ABS Power Brake caliper bracket is installed. ABS doesn’t supply a torque spec for these bolts, but really tight would be our recommendation.
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High-quality, high-temp silicone grease is used on the bearings.
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Though it seems everyone has his own idea on how tight a spindle nut should be, the best bet is to tighten it until the rotor barely spins. The nut is then backed off about 1/3 of a turn. The rotor has to turn freely, but without any trace of wobble.
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The other must regarding mounting rotors is including the cotter pin. Never reuse an old cotter pin, and only use the proper size pin for the job. A new set came with the ABS kit (as did nuts, washers and new mounting hardware), so that was one less problem to deal with.
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ABS also saw fit to include pads with the kit, so again no problem there. Being that the pads are from a GM 1/2-ton truck, they are much larger than the stock pads, and the best part is that they are as easy to obtain as heading to the local parts store.
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Rubber lines do come with the ABS kit, but this owner wanted braided lines, so a set from Earl’s Performance Plumbing are to be installed. The Earl’s units are state of the art performance-wise; and look cool to boot!
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Another must when working with brakes is to include the brass washers on both sides of the banjo bolt. These washers are all that stands between high-pressure fluid and a puddle beneath your ride.
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With the twin-piston caliper design and the large 13-inch drilled and slotted rotors, the ABS units not only add precious stopping ability, but look pretty darn nice, too.
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There was already a disc brake kit added to the rear of the Chevelle, but it wasn’t the hot setup by any stretch, so an ABS rear disc kit will be installed there, as well.
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With the old kit, the caliper bracket was welded to the axle tube, which will need to be cut off. Notice how care was taken to protect the air bag as well as the shock absorber from flying (and very hot) debris.
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A cut-off torch was used to remove the bracket, and a grinder is used to remove any of the old welds. Once the area is cleaned and smooth, a coat of black paint is applied. This will make the area look better, but also to keep it from rusting.
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With its open-ended design, the ABS bracket easily slips around the axle housing and bolts right up to the flange at the end of the tube. Not needing to pull the axles makes installing the ABS kit a breeze.
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Again, for safety’s sake, a few drops of Loctite are applied to the threads prior to the nuts being installed.
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For peace of mind, anti-squeak compound is applied to the backs of the pads prior to them being installed. | |
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With the addition of another set of Earl’s braided lines, the rear end is done. Once the lines are bled (and remember, the calipers are dry, so it takes much more bleeding than it may seem to get the system working properly), it was time to get the car back to the “test track.” After 6-7 runs, the 30-foot difference stopping difference between stock and the ABS system proved that it works much better than the stock system (disc/drum) or the previous 4-wheel disc setup.
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