| C4 Corvette Chassis |
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| Picture left are the new brake pads. Made by Raybestos, they are made with a higher ceramic content. These "ceramic" pads have two main benefits: heat reduction and brake dust minimization. Less heat also helps with brake noise. I bought these from RockAuto online, and even received a cash rebate from Raybestos - not bad! In the box, you may think they are ready to install - but they are not. First we need to install new spring clips. |
| You can see pictured right that the spring clips are attached. I used the old pads as a guide. Also notice the round and pronged plates attached to the backs of both pads. These prongs fit inside the caliper for the outer pad, and inside the pistons for the inside pad. Which goes where you ask? Read on... |
| You can see the outer pad partially installed in the caliper in the picture on the right. As will be seen later in this page, the caliper bracket fits over the bottom of the caliper (the open end), and has a specific shape to hold the pads in place. The spring clip, seen on the left end of the pad, is used to apply outward pressure on the caliper bracket, which holds the pads in place. Notice the CORVETTE script - it has been lightly sanded and buffed to make it really sparkle! |
| The picture at right shows the wear tab indicator. This tab is only on the inner pad, and as the pad wears down, the tab eventually hits the rotor and makes a squeaking sound. That's when you know your pads are getting too thin and need replacement. One thing to know: the squeak from the wear tab indicator only happens when you are not braking. |
| At left is the caliper bracket. The bolts connect the bracket to the hub knuckle. The notches on either end of the bracket are designed to hold the bracket to the pads and caliper. I cleaned and painted the caliper brackets with high temp paint from Eastwood. Look good don't they? |
| Pictured right is the caliper with both pads installed. Notice both spring clips are on the same side. Also note the wear tab indicator on the left end of the inner pad. Tremendous heat is generated by brakes. When you step on the brake pedal, brake fluid is under high pressure. This hydraulic pressure is transferred to the caliper where the pistons are pushed outward. This pushes the inner pad outward where is contacts the rotor. The caliper then moves to contact the outer pad, and wonder of wonders...the car stops! |
| Pictured left and right are two different views of the caliper bracket as it is correctly installed. The notches I wrote about earlier are clearly surrounding the ends of the brake pad. When on the car, this notch setup makes replacing pads a breeze. |
| As seen left and right, a guide pin is inserted through the caliper bracket. It is secured at the other end by an E-clip. Yep, that's the only thing holding the caliper to the bracket - pretty nice engineering huh? |
| 1957 Corvette RestoMod Project - Page 12 C4 Front Brake Rebuild - Part Two Part One of our 1996 Corvette Grand Sport brake rebuild showed you how to prep the caliper pistons and bores, and then install the seals and piston boots. The brake calipers will be painted black just like the original Grand Sport calipers. I used high temp paint from Eastwood. But I added a few personal touches to the calipers...so you'll have to read on to find out. Better yet, buy Chapter 4 of my new book and find out exactly how I did it. On this page, we continue with the front brake rebuild by installing brake pads with new spring clips. Then we assemble it all and wrap in a soft towel until we need them. Okay, let's rebuild some calipers! |
| This caliper is completed! To keep it looking pristine, I wrapped both caliper assemblies in a soft towel and stored in a safe place. The next time you see these good-looking pieces is when I begin the chassis test fit phase. Stay tuned! |
1957 Corvette RestoMod