[KSZR]

What can I do to improve the brakes on my 81 TA without going to bigger wheels?

Maybe I just need to rebuild what I have to stock specs? Have a new booster, but brakes don't inspire confidence, especially if I upgrade to an engine with more power.

[JLMounce]

What aren't the brakes doing now that you need them to do better?

Do they not feel good, but stop decently?
Are they not able to lock up the tires?
Are they able to lock up the tires, but you feel the braking performance is sub-par?
Do they brake well but get hot and fade quickly?

Lots of possible avenues without needing to change wheels, but you have to know what you're trying to achieve.

[78w72]

Address the above mentioned things first... if the rest of the system is in good condition the easiest thing to improve braking is to get some performance pads, I use HAWK HPS on one of my 2d gen cars, they make a huge difference over stock pads. This car is a 500+hp 72 firebird that runs low 11s at 121+mph, with rear drums! with the HAWK pads & slotted rotors it stops better than my 81 with 4 wheel disc. Although a 4 wheel disc car should confidently stop the car even with a higher power engine.

HAWK pads arent very expensive, they work great on the street with no heat up required like some "race" pads and they have very low dust to keep wheels clean.

[KSZR]

OK, I'll see if it will lock up. The pedal feel isn't real responsive at first, and you have to push down plenty before getting some stopping power. Brakes were really strange when I bought it and we figured out the new aftermarket booster on it was bad. A new one from The Parts Place made them functional.

So maybe new calipers, pads and mc would make it good? 80,000 miles.

Planning to do a 6.0LQ9(LS) swap. The 301 is a dog and drinks a ton of gas, but this all is another subject.

[KSZR]

The do stop decent.

[Scarebird]

Originally Posted by KSZR

...Planning to do a 6.0LQ9(LS) swap. The 301 is a dog and drinks a ton of gas, but this all is another subject.

Unless you already have the LQ9, I would look at the Gen IV 5.3's.

They have aluminum blocks, better heads and have variable valve timing. They weigh about 395 pounds.

The 6 and 6.2 liters are not thrifty with fuel.

Being newer, they also have less wear and could be found with low mileage.

[JLMounce]

Originally Posted by KSZR

OK, I'll see if it will lock up. The pedal feel isn't real responsive at first, and you have to push down plenty before getting some stopping power. Brakes were really strange when I bought it and we figured out the new aftermarket booster on it was bad. A new one from The Parts Place made them functional.

So maybe new calipers, pads and mc would make it good? 80,000 miles.

Planning to do a 6.0LQ9(LS) swap. The 301 is a dog and drinks a ton of gas, but this all is another subject.

Originally Posted by KSZR

The do stop decent.

It sounds like you just need to go through the whole system. Source new calipers, replace any hardline that looks bad and replace all the flex lines. If you want a bit better feel at the pedal use braided steel hose for the soft lines.

I’d go with a more performance oriented pad like the hawk hps or the carbotech 1510.

If you’re going to be doing performance driving, fill the system with a quality, high temp dot 4 fluid.

[Skip Fix]

You can use the 12" rotor 1LE setup on the front using a HD wagon B body spindle. B body rotors use a bigger bolt pattern but a 1LE brake option for 3rd gen F bodies that went with a factory road race suspension has the correct 4.75" pattern but metric studs. Speedway has them with 7/16 stud in one of their Impala front brake kits.