Hey everyone. Well my new set of 17's and 18's are to be delivered by the 24th and already I'm dreading how small the stock Fiero brakes will look behind those big open 5 spokes I picked out. So, i've been running my options for big brake upgrades. Now, I'm not a big flashy kinda guy but I've decided I really like the C5 Z06 brakes that Troy Boy has on Perfect Union. I know Design 1 made his kit but I'm cheap and have enough talent and resources (i think) to make the caliper adapters myself. Actually my brackets might be better because they will be steel (possibly stainless) so I think I'll be ok. My problem is, the C5 Corvettes don't use a rear caliper with an e-brake. They use a standard (smaller) caliper and an internal e-brake that acts like a drum brake inside of the rotor hat. I KNOW there are a number of dedicated parking brake calipers out there but I can't find anything except for one Wilwood design. Not bad, but want to check my options. If it all works out, I'll have C5 Z06 calipers all the way around with the nice big CORVETTE on them and still retain a functional parking brake. It will take some work, but its winter in wisconsin and packer season is almost over so I'm going to need something to do. Heres the one Wilwood caliper I found. Anyone have any good ideas?

-Tim

Looking into the same set up. I have all the parts except the bracket adaptors (making those). I'm currently looking into a line-lock for the e-brake. not sure yet if I will go with that but wilwood looks like the best option. If I figure something out I'll let you know.

For now wilwood looks like the best option.

I have a pair of these I was going to use for emergency brakes on my Skyhawk racer. $100.00 shipped if anyone's interested.

I used the c5 calipers on the rear with the lebaron rotors. Currently do not have e-brake, but was looking into using the lebaron drum parking brake that the rotors are made for. Is this possible ?

Hmmmm...well Archie commented on my same question posted in the perfect union thread. He says those Wilwood calipers are not very good and aren't a very good idea. From what he says, I don't want to use them anymore. I guess I'll have to figure something else out. My original plan was to use the C5 in front and C4 in the rear, then I could still have the E brake and it would all be pretty similiar. Unfortunately, the C5 front and C4 rear calipers look like they are from different planets so I think it would look really strange. Haven't quite decided. I also thought of using line-loc as a parking brake but I don't think it would work. I believe a line-loc solenoid is energized when it is engaged or holding so you couldn't use it as a parking brake because it would be drawing power the whole while it was locked. Am i right on this?

As for adapting an internal E-brake like on the C5, I'm sure it is possible but it seems like thats a lot of extra weight on top of a lot of weight already put on the suspension by the bigger brakes. If you find out its really simple, maybe the C5 parking brake could be used on the rear.

-Tim

Those look like the calipers I have been looking at. What was the reason for not using those?

"The problem with the Wilwood one is that they rattle when you're driving down the road. They are really designed for Karting & industrial use only where a mechanically operated spot brake system is needed on a vehicle that doesn't have a hydralic brake system on board. When released the pads are loose in there they rattle &, while it might not sound like a big deal, it is very annoying at highway speeds. The Formula I/Held braking system has always used the Wilwood Spot Brake & over the years, when doing V-8 swaps, a lot of cars have had those brakes when they got here & every one of them has had one or two of the pads removed before the cars got here.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/...0002_757779_-1_11755

That little spot brake has pads that are only about 1.6" in Diameter, they don't hold very well on any kind of incline more than a few degrees. On the industrial applications, they typically have a spot brake on every wheel that is on the vehicle with a big lever to clamp them all down tight. For the most part the brake is being applied on a relatively level surface.

IMHO, they are not really ment to hold a 3000 pound $80000.00 car on a city street with any real security.

Archie"


This is what Archie came back with in the "perfect union" thread. I know nothing of these calipers but i've got a feeling he knows what hes talking about. I also agree that they probably aren't the best thing for holding you're car on a hill. I'm going to go another direction if you ask me.

-Tim

Hey I just started a thread but think I'll add to this one. I have a set of parking brake's from a c5 and I'm looking at setting it up for the fiero. If it works out i'll let yall know what it will take to make it work. the offset between the knuckle and the hub is the same so it should line up except for the flange. I will look into the flange setup and see what I can do to make it work. This way the whole assy will be a C5 brake set up (front & rear) including the e-brake. Wish me luck.

Bob

Very cool, keep us posted. How heavy is the e-brake setup? I have been a little worried about all this extra weight i'm hanging on each wheel and would like to keep it to a minimum. Do you have a link to the other thread?

-Tim

Not much yet but hope this will help eventually..

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/088398.html

About the rattling of the wilwoods, I havent tried them yet but these 3 pieces will be only held in place by the rotor...

I'm glad someone has a closeup of one of these. I know wilwood makes good stuff but that looks like junk. Something you would but on a pallet jack or something. Yeah, I won't be doing that. I've got a new plan cooked up to use C4 calipers in the rear and customize them. Hopefully it works out.

-Tim

Here's an old thread that has info on some other alternatives.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...060206-2-059280.html

I think that the wildwood brake would hold a fiero on a slope if it was parked in gear. I've got kind of a steep driveway and if I park my 2m4 in reverse, it will slowly creep down the driveway. I don't think it would take much to stop this. I just wonder if there might be a way to quiet the rattle when driving at highway speeds.

I basically need these Wilwoods to pass ebrake inspection...that is checked by applying the ebrake with the wheels off the ground, and the inspector tries to turn the wheels and they should stay locked...
I think I will glue the pads to the backplates and put a thin layer of flexible sealant around the edges, hope it will keep them from rattling and still being able to move out...
For vented discs you will need more spacers and longer bolts, now when I ordered them from Summit extra spacers should be available but I couldnt order them
You'll need even longer bolts to mount them to a bracket. If someone needs specific close-ups let me know, theyre still on the table