Here's the shot everyone needs to see...a comparison between a stock 10.5" rotor vs. a 1LE 12" rotor (already installed).
Sunday, July 14th, 2002 brought about a complete frontend overhaul for my '85 SS. I had been collecting the necessary parts for almost two years already, and had a huge assortment of stuff in my basement. It was finally time to put them all to use! I drove the car over to my friend Jim's house around the corner and we started to rip the suspension out. The plan was to install a completely new front suspension in one day. In went a pair of donor '86 F-body lower A-arms, complete with 1LE bushings and Moog Problem Solver balljoints, Bilstein shocks, UB Machine tubular upper A-arms with '94 Impala SS spindles, and slotted 12" rotors.
Around 12:30, Henry and JMD cruised over, and the four of us worked to get the car back together. We installed new Bilstein shocks and all-new Moog Problem Solver steering linkage, and re-used my Addco poly endlinks and Hotchkis springs. Things were going great, until it was time to bolt on the used 9C1 calipers I acquired. The bleeder screws were seized and I forgot to buy new crush washers for the brake line fittings. To top it off, it was Sunday after 5:30, so all the parts stores were closed. Doh! We got the lines to stop leaking, but couldn't bleed the system. I drove the car home very slowly (no brakes!) and planted it on the driveway. The next day, I picked up a pair of rebuilt calipers, bolted them on, and bled them with a couple of friends. I had a performance alignment done and some slightly used 245/50 ZR16 BF Goodrich G-Force KDW tires mounted. For a 3600 lb. car, it handles like a slot car!
I'd really like to thank Jim (and his wife for putting up with us!) for the use of his house and tools, and his willingness to work with us on this project! Thanks to Henry for driving up and his help with swapping in all the new parts. Lastly, I need to thank JMD, as I would not have even done this job yet if he didn't say to me, "I'll be in the area, let's get your 12" stuff done this weekend." Matthew's kick in the ass was definitely worth it!
Without any further ado, here are some pics from the day's events.
Here's how things looked before we started "braking" it down.
Shown is the stock 10.5" rotor, and only the caliper is off at this point.
We decided to break the upper balljoint loose, let the spring out, and then remove the lower arm with the spindle attached.
Here's how things looked as they were going back together.
The small dustshield is a '94-'96 9C1 Caprice part.
Click here to check out the rest of the suspension upgrade!