[myckee]

My complete backing plate kits arrived in the mail on friday. I'm hoping to install them this weekend. The backing plates are complete and assembled. They were about $115 each from www.partszoneonline.com. I'll try to take some pics of the install too.

[myckee]

Well, I completed the install of the S10/Blazer rear brakes on my 1980 Firebird today. The install is very easy and straight forward, especially since I was installing on a car that already had factory rear discs. The factory 81 4 wheel disc master cylinder and proportioning valve yeilds PERFECT, in my opinion, brake bias when used with the Blazer brakes.

On the driver side, I had to use 3 washers on each of the 4 mounting bolts to center the rotor in the caliper basket, and on the passenger side I had to use 4. I used all stainless fastners, and the stainless washers are quite thin; so if not using stainless, you probably need fewer washers. When it was all together, I gravity bled the rear brakes and filled the diff using Amsoil 80W90 gear lube. The brakes work awesome!

If you don't already have rear discs, you need a 4 wheel disc brake master cyliner, a 4 wheel disc proportioning valve. You might have to use longer wheel studs; I didn't. I don't believe you have to turn your axles to fit in the rotors either. I certainly didn't on mine.

So, the parts list to install the backing plates and calipers on my 2nd gen F-body which originally had 4 wheel discs is:

8 - 1-3/4" 3/8 bolts to secure plates to the axle. This gives lots of room on the bolts for shimming. I probably could have used 1-1/2, but the nut would have been flush with the bolt when tight, and besides there is tons of space, so the longer bolts are no problem.

40 - thin 3/8" washers. I have some left over, but they were thin and I didn't know how many I would need exactly.

8 - 3/8 lock washers

8 - 3/8 nuts

4 - 15726460 GM bolts to secure caliper baskets to backing plates.

2 - 10286122 GM banjo bolts to secure flex hose to caliper

1 - 15064302 GM Complete left backing plate kit from 4WD

1 - 15773309 GM Complete right backing plate kit from 2WD

2 - caliper kits which include mounting baskets

1 - set disc brake pads if you didn't buy 'loaded' caliper kits

3 - 1 litre bottles of gear oil. I used Amsoil.

1- 1 litre bottle of brake fluid. I only used about half, but better to have too much than too little.

2 - rear axle seals

2 - rotors from 2WD Blazer. I bought the $30 white box cheapies. They look great!

1 - "lokar" universal e-brake kit. I bought a Lokar knock-off kit from ebay for $46. It hasn't arrived yet so it is not installed.

I think that is about everything. Here are some pics of the install. I like to use anti-seize on everything, and might have got carried away in the first pic. The first pic shows the bolts with the 4 washer shims on each.

[Scarebird]

I like the setup, but would recommend you get rid of the washers and that thick paint. Unless those are machined washers, their thickness is all over the dock - and may result in grabbing and uneven pad wear. I have proper spacers (12 gauge) if you need them.

[myckee]

That's not paint, it is just grease..anti-seize really.

They aren't machined washers, but I doubt there is enough difference between each stack of 3 or 4 washers to make a significant difference. However, you have peaked my curiosity. I will buy some more and randomly create some new stacks of 3 and 4 and measure them loose and clamped tightly together. I'm guessing maybe a few thousands difference between each stack; especially since they are so thin. Each washer is about 1mm thick. Besides, I've always wanted a micrometer.

If, however, I find that they vary significantly, I'll be in touch.

[tempest455]

I cant see so good, can you make it larger?

[Scarebird]

The washers I get from Tacoma Screw usually vary from 0.063 to 0.096" - quite a swing! The do have machine washers which are uniform in thickness.

[cdoggy81]

I am in the hardware business & it is true washers can vary quite a bit in thickness.
Just make sure you check the final stack height is within spec.
If you want to be safe & don't want to take chances & measure out washers, I totally second & agree with what Scarebird is saying & go with the machine washers.

[tempest455]

Or machine some spacers in the correct thickness.

[myckee]

Ok, So I finally got around to completing my installation by making the e-brake cables and installing them.

I used a universal cable kit I bought from ebay. It is 100% identical in every way to the Lokar kit, but there is no branding on the package and it was about half the cost. For the proper clevis ends which connect to the lever on the backing plate, I used a Lokar kit which I had to buy seperately. Some of the Lokar knock off kits on ebay already come with these clevis'. See this thread for pictures of the Lokar knock off cable kit:
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162604

I routed the cables in the stock position on my 1980 Firebird using the stock foot pedal and the stock 4 wheel disc front cable. (I don't think it is different from the drum front cable, but I thought I should mention it just in case.)
Of the Lokar kit I didn't use the adujuster block contraption, or the bracket that holds the cable adjusters. On my car, the sheathing is cut to a length of 26.5 inches for both sides. This is measured from the base of the threads on the threaded end. Next, if the ferrule isn't already on the sheathing, install it with the narrow part at the end of the cable. Then I used vice grips to squish the fat end of the 'cable housing adjuster ferrules'. This serves to hold the ferrule to the end of the cable and also to make the fit tighter when the cable with ferrule is inserted into the 'cable housing adjuster'.

I installed the 'cable housing adjuster' with one nut bottomed out on the threads. Then I inserted it into the bracket on the car and threaded the other nut on the tighten it down. A 3/8" washer must be used on either side of the bracket as the nuts ar about the same size as the old hole on the car. I left these loose until I pushed the cable through the frame and then inserted the ferruled end into it. A 14mm deep socket is needed to tighten it. Once tight, then you can remove the nut from the other end and fasten that end to the backing plate. It feels like it doesn't fit 100%, but once the nut is tightened it becomes very secure. Don't forget to use Anti-seize on all of these nuts and threaded areas as it is aluminum and will seize up if you don't.

Now that the cable sheathing is installed, you can now focus on the cable. the first thing that goes on the cable is the Clevis, so remove the spring and put on the clevis. Before you put the spring back on, it must be trimmed as it is too long. Untrimmed it is about 6 inches long. We only need maximum 2.5 inches. A hair less would be best. Once cut, put the sprin on so that the cut end is against the clevis. Now thread the cable through the sheathing from the backing plate end. It is a bit tight to fit the clevis over the lever, but it isn't hard to do. We'll trim the cable later. In fact that is the last thing we'll do. Now, do the same for the other side of the car.
Once you have done the same on the other side of the car, you should have all of the excess wire laying on the ground. To make the loops which will connect the rear cables together, I bought, from Home Depot, "wire rope" thingys. What these do is protect the wires from cutting into eachother. You can see a diagram of how they assemble on the package in the picture below. So the passenger side wire rope thing is installed so the end of the cable is at about the midpoint of the car. Then you do the same with the driver side, but the cable first must go through the "U" bracket at the end of the front cable, and the must should be on the very end. This will ensure we have plenty of threaded rod to tighten up the cables. So, interlink the wire rope ends and make sure before you tighten the clamps that the cable is fairly tight. Don't go nuts here, but just take the slack out. The threaded rod end of the front cable will be how we do the adjusting.

Well, once you have the wire rope ends installed and the clamps tight, tighten up the nut on the threaded rod to make sure all the cables are tight. Now test the brake. The pedal shouldn't go all the way to the floor before it is tight and the brake fully applied. Try it a few times, and if you are satisfied, and it works as it should, you can clip the excess wire from each side. I left 2-3 inches after the last clamp. That's it, you are done. That is how I did it and it works perfectly.

Parts List:
Unviversal E-brake kit (Lokar or similar)
Lokar Clevis Kit EC-80CC
(4) 3/8" washers (I used stainless)
(2) Wire Rope clips

[myckee]

Here is a repost of the pics I posted earlier in the thread. For some reason I am not able to edit the post to fix the broken links. If a mod wants to fix the links in the other post above and delete this post, I'd appreciate it.