Anybody have a good source for insulators that go on the top of the brake pistons. I have a j 56 road race car and the pads eventually wore out. The factory bakelite insulators ,were hard as a rock as tough as iron but alas all good things came to an end. I replaced them about 5 years ago with white "ceramic' looking insulators that worked well but are begining to flake. I tried using the 'bakelite' insulators supplied by DUNTOV Motors and they failed imediately. In fairness they told me they probablly could'nt take the heat of road racing. They were right. I like using insulators because at the temperatures the race car brakes operate it really helps to keep the heat off the pistons. I'd be happy to buy the ceramic insulators again but I don't remember where i got them. CRS. What are you guys doing? Jerry
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Re: C2/C3 brake insulators
Jerry -
Try Vette Brakes & Products - they claim to have 1st-design pistons and insulators. -
Re: C2/C3 brake insulators
Jerry, Vette Brakes now makes ceramic insulated pistons ,these are not first design style, they are Oring style. Been using them two years now on our 65 Road Race Corvette and now on our 69 AP Convertible. They do need to have the spring behind them and the SS sleeve bore must be perfect at the bottom of the caliper because the piston can hang up on the bottom of the sleeve to bore lip, if there is one, and of the eight calipers I did at least six had to be releaved of the lip. Easily done with a 3/16" round carbide burr. The price on the piston kits is pretty OK too.
You know that Alan (Fast Corvette) has solid titanium pistons. Real expensive too.
A company called http://takspeed.com/shop/ also made us some titanium brake pad insulators that I hope are working. Talk with Alan. Corvette pads are called D8.
You took my 67 hood to Road Atlanta a few years ago bolted onto your 64 and it wants to go again.
Thanks Scott C PfuehlerComment
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Re: C2/C3 brake insulators
Did you make the hood for my car?? The 67 hood for my car ended up with a Camaro sitting on top of it,on the track at Road America, which broke it to little parts I now have a ZE-2 hood based on early 66 Chev enginnering for Penske.
Are you having any problems with pad wear or heat generation while using the springs. My recollection is that at tracks like Road America with the sprimgs we cooked the fluid and ate up two set of pads for the weekend, but that was a while ago and several iterations of brake design later. I think the Vette Brakes guys won't sell just he insulators( which is all that wears out) they want to sell and entire kit, which I don't need. I looked at the Titanium and I don't get it from an engineering standpoint. It appears that Titanium has similar thermal conductivity as aluminum so I don't see the advantage.Comment
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Re: C2/C3 brake insulators
Thanks Clem, Good whitepapers. Have you ever used Titanium backing plates? What do you think of them?Comment
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Re: C2/C3 brake insulators
Jerry,
I have several of the original black insulators from rebuilding brakes for others. Not sure if I have a full set of large and small size. You are welcome to what I have for the postage. BillComment
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Re: C2/C3 brake insulators
Did you make the hood for my car?? NO, the hood you used of mine was just for the one race while you were waiting for your new special hood to arrive.
The 67 hood for my car ended up with a Camaro sitting on top of it,on the track at Road America, which broke it to little parts I now have a ZE-2 hood based on early 66 Chev enginnering for Penske. I believe this is the hood that is in the 1966 Corvette assembly manual for the L88 that wasnt produced.
> Are you having any problems with pad wear or heat generation while using the springs. No, First I assembled the pistons and calipers without springs but any pad wobble resulted in having to pump the brake pedal to take up the pad to rotor distance, After putting in the springs they work as normal. I only have experience at Hallett, a new new Texas track and Heartland Park in Topeka, nothing on long fast tracks. We are going to Texas World in September, I think it is, so we will see how the wear is there.
My recollection is that at tracks like Road America with the sprimgs we cooked the fluid and ate up two set of pads for the weekend, but that was a while ago and several iterations of brake design later. I think the Vette Brakes guys won't sell just he insulators( which is all that wears out) they want to sell and entire kit, which I don't need. I looked at the Titanium and I don't get it from an engineering standpoint. It appears that Titanium has similar thermal conductivity as aluminum so I don't see the advantage. I cant see these insulators ever wearing out, they show no heat checking or cracking like Alans did, they are a ceramic type material. Below is what I am pretty sure we are using, I will check the part number Monday. It is an aluminum Oring piston, similar to the 2nd design GM one and has a white Ceramic type material attached with a screw.
Vette Brakes #ID: 11309iName: Front O-ring w/insulator Caliper Conv Kit, 1967-82 (1 Wheel)Desc: Front O-Ring seals & pistons w/insulators. (1 Wheel)Price: $69.99
We also found that Cryogenicly treating the rotors and pads trippled their wear life. At Hallett with stock $25 rotors and hawk pads they would last three track days, after Cryoing them they last over nine days and can still be truned for street use. The cryo cost was $25 per rotor.
ScottComment
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