As seen on

Beating the Drums: Stopping Short

By Ed Zinke / Photos by Ed Zinke and Baer Brakes Inc.

Our car simply did not stop! Seeing a stoplight in the distance was like a trip to Las Vegas: a roll of the dice as to whether or not the car would stop should the light change to red. This is a fairly common problem with many musclecar projects and must not be taken lightly. Brakes should be a major concern and a top priority on any project vehicle. The brake system is the one enhancement you can apply to your vehicle that improves personal safety and that of the vehicle.

Back in 1964 when this car was showroom new, stopping power was not the concern it is today to vehicle performance or sales. Our SS version of the first-year Chevelle came with a meager four-wheel drum-brake system with shoes measuring 8X2 inches each and a manual single-outlet master cylinder. Even with totally original musclecars, kits and systems are now available that bolt directly onto stock spindles and axle housings to produce far superior stopping abilities than those provided by the factory some 40 years ago.

We sought out Baer Brakes, Inc. for its expert advice on a bolt-on system that would greatly improve our braking performance. We added a challenge in that the system needed to allow for the use of 15-inch wheels. Founded in 1986 by Hal Baer and located in Phoenix, Arizona, Baer is one of the better-known sources of performance brake products for all types of vehicles, with more than 150 brake system applications in its inventory. With that kind of depth, chances were good Baer Brakes would have exactly what we needed.

For the front we chose the Serious Street Baer claw brake package that fits any stock or aftermarket 15-inch wheels. The system was developed to allow direct bolt on installation to either drum-or disc-brake spindles. The serious street Baer Claw brake systems are currently available for ‘67 to ‘72 A-bodies. They can be used whether the car originally came and equipped with drum or disc-drum brake systems. The rear brakes were matched to the front with the installation of the Rod & Drag package, a direct bolt-on kit that converted the rear drums to discs as well.

This brake system also requires the installation of a dual-reservoir master cylinder, which Baer provided with its kit. The dual reservoir master cylinder is a more efficient and safer design, as well as being hydraulically matched to the Serious Street front and Rod & drag rear disc system. Since we were in this deep correcting the deficits of the Chevelle‘s brake system, we decided to add a power booster to the system as well. Baer provided the correct power booster to complement the package from its braod array of specialized brake parts.

The final upgrades to the Chevelle‘s original system were to the brake lines. With a quick telephone call to Original Parts Group (OPG) we secured the pre-bent lines needed. Pre-bent lines are the only way to go. They fit perfectly and save tons of time and effort. The front brake lines, front-to-rear brake lines, and rear-axle brake line sets were all changed out in the installation. Some additional pieces that made the installation a little easier included a power brake booster fitting for the intake manifold, a brake booster hose kit, and a new pedal pad, which we simply had to have. All were in stock at OPGI.com.

Armed with everything we needed, we headed to Johns Customz & Performance located in Torrance, California for our installation. John Barbera and Paul Morrow both lent a wrench to the Chevelle in its conversion. While the brake system was being installed, the car also received upgraded front and rear suspension parts from Global West Suspension Systems and Edelbrock.

The actual installation was a relatively easy process that required only basic hand tools to complete. When working on both front and rear brakes, it‘s recommended that you allow a whole day to finish the project, although two would be better. While our Chevelle project was completed on a rack, homebuilders should always use a good set of jackstands to support their vehicle have available: quality tubing benders, double flaring tools, a garage jack, and a good set of hand tools to do the job right.

The last steps prior to enjoying the confident driving feeling of a new brake system was to follow proper bleeding and rotor-seasoning/pad-bleeding procedures. Baer stresses the importance of both procedures to insure maximum performance and product life.

Our Chevelle‘s initial 60-to-0 average stopping distance was 277 feet. While we could not get our rotors seasoned and pads bedded in time to meet press deadlines, we expect to shave a minimum of 35 percent, or about 100 feet, off that distance. We also expect the driving experience to feel something like the difference between walking on thin ice and running in the best set of custom jogging shoes.

Show All

1. We started the conversion process with the front brakes.Many of you will recognize this as the antiquated system that will be replaced. After securing your car on a hoist or jackstands, start by pulling the drum off the hub and then removing that hub by pulling the dust cap, cotter pin, and spindle nut.

2. With the drum and hub removed, the brake shoes and springs are exposed. Prior to their removal, detach the wheel cylinder from the line.

3. The two backing-plate bolts and brake-spring anchor pin, which is also an attaching point, are now exposed. Remove the springs from the anchor pin and loosen it along with the backing-plate bolts. The backing plate with the springs and shoes can now be removed from the spindle.

4. The Baer Serious Street system is mounted with 1/2-inch bolts. Some older cars used 7/16-inch bolts, and if that‘s that case with your car, the holes need to be enlarged using with a 1/2-inch drill bit, or Baer has a 1/2-inch reamer available. The spindle should also be thoroughly cleaned prior to reassembly.

5. The caliper bracket is positioned so that the caliper will mount to the rear of the vehicle. Bolts of different length are used to mount the bracket, and since the Chevelle is a front steer car, the longer bolt goes to the front. Secure and torque to 95 ft-lb.

6. Direction of rotation is vital to the proper operation of the Baer Serious Street brake system. Since the rotors are directionally ventilated, they must rotate in the correct direction to obtain necessary airflow for cooling.

7. With the proper rotation noted, the hubs are installed onto the spindle with the keyed washer and castle nut. The hubs come preassembled from Baer with Timken bearings, races and National seals packed in Redline synthetic grease. Baer stresses to only tighten just past finger-tight while rotating the rotor to allow for thermal expansion.

8. Calipers are also marked for left and right to simplify installation. Each caliper comes loaded with high-metallic pads (same as the original equipment on ZR-1 corvettes) and slide right in place. Secure with the supplied 9/16-inch bolts and torque to 105 ft-lb. Install the supplied braided hose and banjo-style fittings, and the front is ready for the proper bleeding procedure when the balance of the has been completed. Readers will also note new Global West Suspension tubular control arms installed at this point.

9. The old master-cylinder pushrod has to be disconnected from the brake pedal inside the car by pulling the keeper off the clevis pin. With that loose, we removed the one fluid line and that two attaching bolts. The result was an open hole through the firewall and four mounting holes to which we will add new studs.

10. The new power brake booster that Baer supplied matched up perfectly to the four mounting studs. After feeding the pushrod through the firewall, the power booster is positioned over the mounting studs and secured.

11. The new dual-reservoir master cylinder is mounted to the power booster and secured with the provided washers and nuts. A 10-inch brake line was made to go from the front (smaller) reservoir to the Baer adjustable proportioning valve, and then to the new P{E front-to-rear brake line, which supplies fluid to the rear system. The rear (larger) reservoir on the master was plumbed to the factory T-fitting that supplies both front calipers.

12. This is the stock rear brake prior to the start of our conversion to the Rod & Drag disc system. Remove the drum to allow access to the axle and backing plate.

13. To remove the axles on most GM rearends of this era, you need to access the C clips found in the center section. After removing the cover and draining the fluid, carefully remove the bolt that retains the cross-shaft and slide one axle at a time in toward the center. The C clip can easily be pulled out by hand or with needle-nose pliers. The photo shows one C clip in and one out (arrow).

14. With the C clip removed the axles can be pulled out from each side. To remove the brake backing plate, you will need to first disconnect the brake line from the wheel cylinder, the emergency brake cable from the frame, and the four bolts as shown.

15. With the brake backing-plate bolts removed from the axle housing, the entire backing plate with shoes and springs will slide off the axle.

16. After cleaning the axle housing surface and inspecting the axle bearings and seals for wear, begin the conversion assembly process by mounting one of the Baer-provided intermediate Brackets to the housing. Care must be taken as to the final positioning of the caliper in this step, as brackets are drilled for two sets of mounting options. The Chevelle has calipers mounted at the 4 o‘clock position on the driver side and 8 o‘clock position on the passenger side. Torque bolts to 35 ft-lbs.

17. A very important step in the conversion is to measure the axle flange outer diameter. It must be 5.9 inches or less to properly allow the rotor to mount to the axle. If it is larger, you must have a machine shop cut down the axle as shown.

18. Install the axle back into the housing and attach the C clip in the reverse manner. Be careful to keep gears and spacers in line as the cross-shaft slides back in place.

19. Rotors are clearly marked for left- and right-side installation. Slide the rotor on the axle and hold it in place with two lug nuts tightened to finger-tight only. Check the length of the studs because you may need (as we did) to install slightly longer studs to accommodate the rotors and for custom wheel installation later.

20. The caliper is now installed on the intermediate bracket. Secure with the provided bolts and take measurements on both sides of the caliper to the rotor. There must be a minimum of 0.030 inch on each of the four sides. With proper spacing, torque caliper bolts to 85 ft-lbs.

21. Brake lines are of the factory style adapted to the Baer brake caliper and lines. The OPG factory-style line has been installed on the rearend housing, and a 90-degree curve to the front of the car bent to connect to the Baer-provided line connection and stainless steel braided hose.

22. Because our Chevelle was also receiving a bolt-in suspension upgrade from Global West Suspension, we did have the rearend out from under the vehicle. The rear brake conversion is now finished and ready for a complete and thorough bleeding.

23. Back under the car, all lines and cables are installed. The final check is to review clearance of moving suspension parts, which in our case had space to spare. Bleed the brakes following Baer‘s instructions and get ready for miles of safe and serious stopping abilities.