Last month we reached the end of the drivetrain renewal for our '83 Camaro known as Project Crossfire Z, as we completed the installation of a Moser 12-bolt rearend. The bolt-in Moser package can be ordered to work with any stock Camaro brake configuration, yet we opted to upgrade to a housing that incorporated the beefier Ford bearing ends instead of standard GM C-clip retainers. This made upgrading to disc brakes easier, and necessary. Before we decided on what brake system to use, the folks at Baer Brakes had gotten wind of our latest project and suggested we give one of their Pro-PLUS systems a try.
These kits come complete with everything you'll need to outfit your Camaro with a set of their super trick Baer 6P six-piston calipers and two-piece slotted rotors. While valued way over and above the budget for our project (street priced at around $3,700), the Baer guys reminded us that there are plenty of third-gen owners willing to spend the money on their rides for the ultimate in performance. And the Baer jewels are simply the best money can buy. With that said, and shouldered with the responsibility of providing our readers with test and installation data on everything from low buck to big dollar, we put down the calculator, ignored our feelings of over indulgence, and forged ahead with the installation. And we're glad we did ...
When upgrading to bigger brakes,...
When upgrading to bigger brakes, it's important to consider caliper-to-wheel clearance. Before getting started, we had to determine what size rotor would fit comfortably with our 17-inch Billet Specialities wheels.
•So, you just fit your toy with a set of the nastiest looking accessories this side of an 871, and you can't wait to throw your buddy into the shoulder belt as you rip down from 100 mph. But if you go from tightening the last lug nut, straight to the track, you and your wallet are going to be sorry. Before you test the performance of your new brakes with a heavy foot, your fresh rotors need to go through a "seasoning process." This is where heat is gradually induced into them over dozens of stopping and cooling down periods.
Standing on the brakes before they are properly seasoned will cause premature failure and warping and/or cracking of the rotors. Even the good guys at Baer won't be able to warranty that mistake. In addition to the rotor seasoning process, brake pads must go through a break in process of their own called "bedding." This procedure causes the organic binding compound in the pad to burn from the surface of the pad. It then allows the friction material to make proper contact with the rotor. So, it's a good idea to protect your investment by checking out www.baer.com for their complete seasoning and bedding procedures.
Baer supplies a neat little...
Baer supplies a neat little template for measuring caliper-to-wheel clearance. After taking a few preliminary measurements, we glued the template to a piece of cardboard, and put it into action. We determined that a 13-inch caliper would be the limit for our wheels.
So for the bucks we just poured into the brake system to get our disco dog to stop, we had high hopes that something good would happen. After a couple weeks of seasoning the rotors and bedding the pads, we packed up the radar gun and timing lights and headed out to our test facility. Besides the '83 Camaro project, we also brought along our '10 Camaro to put it through the paces as well.
Once our brakes arrived, the...
Once our brakes arrived, the first thing we did was double-check the fit. We weren't too comfortable with the valve stem-to-caliper clearance.
A quick trip to Summit's website...
A quick trip to Summit's website (www.summitracing.com) produced a solution (so what's new?) in the form of Gorilla flush mount valve stems. These use a screw-in filler tube when it's time for inflating.
Here's the complete kit from...
Here's the complete kit from Baer. We chose not to use the emergency brake option, so the cables pictured here weren't used.
The first part to be installed...
The first part to be installed onto the rearend housing was the intermediate caliper mounting bracket.
Unfortunately, we encountered...
Unfortunately, we encountered a slight problem here. The socket cap mounting screws (top) were designed to thread into the caliper bracket, but because the Moser housing had slightly more "girth" to it, the heads of the bolts wouldn't protrude far enough through the mounting holes. Baer recommends grinding the housing to make room for the bolts. We didn't think this would provide us with enough clearance, so we opted to use the Moser-supplied T-bolts as a back up.
Since the T-bolts would be...
Since the T-bolts would be stationary, we had to drill out the caliber brackets and fasten with nuts. Modifying brake parts of any kind is NEVER advised. We cleared our "fix" with the Baer guys first.