ecotec swap (Page 75/98)
wftb DEC 03, 04:47 PM
Got one of the rear calipers rebuilt .I nearly gave up on it because I broke the bleed screw , but I finally managed to get most of the threads out .I had to drill it out and then drill a 1/8 hole through the remains of the old screw and then make a seat for the new screw with a 1/4 bit .It seems to be holding OK but I wont know for sure until I get it all bled .One of the other calipers looks to be fairly new and in good shape so I am just going to clean it up and use it as is .The little yellow plastic button valve on the piston is a giveaway as to condition .If it is really old , it will be brittle and hard to the touch .Bought the rebuild kits from the fiero store and thanks to Dodgerunners rebuild thread in the how to section .
wftb DEC 03, 04:50 PM
I used my old caliper piston compressor and some silicone spray lube to get the piston back in.
wftb DEC 07, 07:17 PM
I got the new to me calipers on and connected .Had one leak , turned out a fitting was still just finger tight .The brakes are all bled now and seem to work fine .The parking brake is not working yet as the seized adjuster broke while I was backing it off to be able to join the cables together .So now I am waiting for the 2 short cables and a new adjuster from the fiero store .The cables that are on the car are original and pretty chewed up .
Lunatic DEC 08, 04:52 AM
Hey Steve.

Looking good my friend. I can't wait to go for a drive in your car and see how the suspension upgrade works. If I had known earlier that you were going with the SLA on the rear, I would've offered you my C4 suspension. All aluminum and you'd get the bigger 12" brakes as well. Keep up with the good work.
wftb DEC 08, 11:08 PM
Thanks .The reason I decided against using something like the corvette suspension was that I did not want to try building a cradle .Using the stock configuration lower control arm gave me an easy starting point even if it doesn't have the best geometry .Not too worried about the stock brakes on the back , I have found that the rear brakes on my car don't contribute that much any way .Very little pad wear and even with the 11" rotors and Willwood calipers you could not lock them up .And that is the way I like my rear brakes to work .This project has taken way more time than I planned on .Once I dropped the cradle I did way more updates than I thought I would .I believe it will be a much improved car so it will all be worth it .I just hate doing what I am doing now :waiting for parts .
wftb DEC 15, 05:54 PM
After correcting a big mistake(pistons reversed) and spending hours adjusting and getting rid of leaks etc , I finally have rear brakes that work with working parking brake .
wftb DEC 21, 04:39 PM
I have dropped it down on its wheels on the storage dollies to finish the engine compartment wiring and the upper part of the charge piping .Also have to finish the intake and PCV vent hookup .But first a massive garage cleanup , what more fun can you have while on holidays.....
wftb DEC 26, 03:25 PM
Got the garage all cleaned up so now back to working on the car .Elecrtics are reconnected and I fired it up .Sounds like I am going to be able to do without a muffler .Got the passenger side nuts and bolts all tightened down and got the coolant system filled and burped .I have heat again yahoo .Tomorrow I am going to tighten everything on the drivers side and set the toe on both sides .I set the camber at-.1/2 degree on both sides at ride height today .Pretty crowded on the passenger side , you can see the charge pipe and part of the intake plumbing and heater lines.
All tightened up:
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[This message has been edited by wftb (edited 12-26-2015).]

wftb DEC 31, 10:50 AM
My high tech device for checking bumpsteer .Took both shocks out and then just move the car up and down with a jack under the cradle .No toe change measured with a tape .Does not mean there isn't any , but it is minimal at worse .
wftb JAN 05, 01:42 PM
While cleaning up the tops of my strut mounts , I discovered that I had welded the cross brace in too high to get the trunk to close .Not by much but an 1/8" might as well be a mile in this case .I made the brace even with the top of the strut mount hole trying to get the max travel on the coilovers .But that is an eighth too high .Rather than grind it all out and lower it , I notched the bar and boxed it back in .Trunk closes now without a problem .I am a little concerned that the top of the strut tower may flex under load so I may yet add some bracing up there to make up for the metal I have removed .With the way it is shaped and welded the strut tower is one of the strongest areas of the space frame so adding bracing there might be just adding unneeded weight though.