71 A-body budget brake upgrades

[SPLATT71MC]

I have a 71 Monte Carlo with factory disc/drum and looking to boost front braking performance without breaking the bank. The rear is going to be converted to 11" discs that I already have. I was originally going to convert the front to 12" F-body brakes but that won't allow me to run the 15" rally wheels during the winter. What are some budget minded upgrades I can make to help slow this big girl down?

[1sikride]

Astro van hydroboost.

Pair of hawk front brake pads

[SPLATT71MC]

How hard is the hydroboost conversion?

[jetmech442]

Sounds like front rotor and caliper are not changing, so you can go with higher fiction pads or need to apply more force. Both guys above already pointed this out(not trying to steal credit).
If you want some specific advice, post what your running now and what your trying to do with the car. Advice on pads will vary with street brawler or autox out road course.
Ps, the hydra boost isn't a difficult install, but does require the power steering flow rate to increase to like 3.5gpm or so. You can get all the clamping force you need but I assume it comes at a price for steering feel. I don't have it, just assuming.

[SPLATT71MC]

Sounds like front rotor and caliper are not changing, so you can go with higher fiction pads or need to apply more force. Both guys above already pointed this out(not trying to steal credit).
If you want some specific advice, post what your running now and what your trying to do with the car. Advice on pads will vary with street brawler or autox out road course.
Ps, the hydra boost isn't a difficult install, but does require the power steering flow rate to increase to like 3.5gpm or so. You can get all the clamping force you need but I assume it comes at a price for steering feel. I don't have it, just assuming.

Right now I have a bone stock disc/drum set up that needs some help. I am upgrading the rear to 11" Caddy discs but want to upgrade the performance of the stock front configuration. I was originally was going to go the 12" F-body front disc but I still want to be able to run the 15" rally wheel. I don't plan on running the car on the autocross track enough to need high end brakes I just want better than stock.

[jetmech442]

Cool, I'll share what I know, since I recently went the path you're taking. First, the ls1 brakes, while they have bigger rotors they have less caliper piston surface area, so unless you change the master cylinder to smaller bore you would lose braking capability.



If you really don't have any plans to track it, then you could probly find a pad that has really high friction at street temps , but falls off with race type temps. Maybe someone can recommend a good pad, I only have experience with ebc red stuff and wilwood bp20 pads, which aren't what you want.

If you need more than better friction, then your next stop is clamping force. Moving from a 1.125"master cylinder to a 1"will give more force at the expense of needing more pedal travel. Again, if your not racing or heal toeing, then not a big deal imo.

Since you're stock, you probly have a 12"booster,so not getting any bigger than that. The more vacuum you can feed it, generally, 18 or more inches, the more clamping force. If you've got a big cam with low vacuum, this may just be the place to start. This is when you might want to look at hydraboost. You can get huuuuge amplification from hydraboost and not worry about vacuum.

I'll stop here, if you have questions I'm happy to help, but just want to say I'm not an expert, my knowledge comes from my own trials in my car. Others may have different or better advice so keep an open mind I guess.