Better stopping power

[par69]

Hello everyone
My current brake set up on my 1967 chevy camaro. Front brakes consist of SSBC dual piston brake caliper with 11 inch rotors. Rear brakes consists of SSBC single piston brake calipers with 11 inch rotors (has built in emergency brake system also). The vacuum booster and master cylinder is from DSE. It also has an electric brake booster attached to this system. The brake lines at the calipers are the braided stainless steel type and the hard lines are stainless steel. The brake pads used in all the calipers are the EBC yellow stuff. It also has an adjustable SSBC proportion valve. I have 15 inch Centerline wheels all around (15x7 in the front and 15x 8 1/2in in the back).This brake works OK but I cant lock them up. I am afraid during a panic stop, the brakes wont stop the vehicle quick enough. My 1999 chevy blazer stops better than this system and it also has 11 inch rotors all the way around. I need suggestions to make my camaro stop better while keeping the same wheels. Would a 4 piston brake caliper with 11 inch rotor in the front stope better then my 2 piston brake caliper?

[cdrod]

You'll need to provide some more info to get any meaningful suggestions.

At a minimum we'll need the following info:
- Caliper piston sizes (front & rear)
- Master cylinder bore diameter
- Booster diameter, single or double diaphragm
- Vacuum at idle

Rodney

[par69]

Hi Rodney
1. Unknown on the caliper bore size=could not find anything on their website
2. 1 inch bore size on master cylinder
3. 9 inch dual diaphram booster from DSE
4. 18 inch of vacuum at idle

[stab6902]

I'm going to assume SSBC copied the stock early F-body caliper piston areas since most of their power brake kits appear to be sold with a 1.125" master cylinder. I'd recommend calling and asking them to be sure.

If this assumption is correct, your 1" master cylinder will result in about 20% less pedal effort and 20% more pedal travel than the 1.125" master cylinder the system was designed for. Not a huge deal, but something to be aware of. I think the DSE master/booster is the best in the business, but it's not a perfect match for your wheel brakes (again, if our assumption about the SSBC caliper piston area is correct).

Don't throw any parts at it until you understand what's going on. You should be able to make the parts you have work decently well - certainly well enough to lock the wheels easily.

If your pedal is "soft" and hits the floor before your brakes lock up, you probably have air in the system and need to re-bleed.

If your pedal effort is high and it takes a lot of muscle to stop the car (relative to your Blazer for example), something is going on with your power assist system. You mention something about "an electric brake booster attached to this system" - do you mean an electric vacuum pump? Is your vacuum system plumbed correctly with check valves, vacuum switch, etc? Is your pedal effort lower when the car/vacuum pump is running?

[par69]

Hello Ryan
I do have a solid brake pedal and its takes alot of effort to bring the car to a sudden stop. I do have an electric pump plumbed into my brake system The hose from the back of the manifold and the hose from the electric pump are teed together and then enters into the dual diaphram booster. There is a one way check valve from the manifold hose but no one way check valve from the electric pump.

[stab6902]

That does sound like a vacuum related issue (again, if our assumption about the calipers is correct). What vacuum pump do you have? I think some (but not all) of them have a check valve built in, so not having a separate check valve just after the pump could be the problem. Trying something like this would be a cheap experiment if you're not sure: https://www.amazon.com/ATE-990033-Power-Brake-Booster/dp/B007HO0OKS/ref=sr_1_5?crid=I7L4AIPZUWJF&keywords=power+brake+booster+check+valve&qid=1646687074&s=automotive&sprefix=power+brake+booster+check+valv%2Cautomotiv e%2C153&sr=1-5

After you run the car and/or vacuum pump and then shut it off, is your booster holding vacuum and functioning - meaning the pedal is easier to push for a few pumps before getting hard? You should also hear an air "rush" noise at the input rod when the booster is working. Try it out in your Blazer if you're not sure what I'm talking about - your Camaro should do the same thing.

[par69]

Thanks for your assistance. I will try this and see what happens