By Tommy Lee Byrd
With the C4 Corvette nearing the 40-year mark, there are many systems that need attention, especially if your project has sat dormant for longer than a few months. The braking system is one of the first places to look for problems after long term storage, as moisture and corrosion wreaks havoc throughout. The result is often faulty calipers with stuck pistons, or swollen brake hoses that restrict the flow of fluid. Either of these issues can cause one brake to grab more than the other, which causes the car to dart under braking, or it can cause the brake to lock up completely. Luckily, Zip Corvette offers a remedy for this common problem: the 1984-1987 Corvette Brake Overhaul Kit.
This kit includes rebuilt brake calipers for all four corners, new brake pads, DOT 3 brake fluid, rubber flex hoses and the necessary washers and retaining clips. While it was apart, it is a convenient time to address other aspects of the braking system, so we installed new front brake rotors and new rear brake rotors. New rotors are an affordable option that slide into place easily and provide a completely fresh braking system.
Our subject is a 1987 Corvette, which has been featured on the Sleeperdude YouTube Channel. This car sat for many years before Sleeperdude got his hands on it. The tuned-port engine was brought back to life, but the car still needed some serious mechanical attention to be road worthy. Sleeperdude installed the 1984-1987 Corvette Brake Overhaul kit in his shop, utilizing a drive-on lift and air jack, but this install can easily be performed with a floor jack and jackstands in your garage or driveway. Simple hand tools are all that’s needed, and you can expect to spend a weekend doing all four corners.
001-The 1987 Corvette had been sitting for many years and the brakes were no longer functional, due to internal corrosion. As you can see, it has plenty of external corrosion as well.
002-Because of the rust, some of the fasteners were difficult to remove. The brake line fittings were the worst, requiring heat from a handheld torch to loosen.
003-With the brake line loosened at the frame mount, the caliper, mounting bracket and brake hose are removed as one unit.
004-An impact with a 15mm socket and 17mm open end wrench are used to break the bolts loose that hold the caliper to the bracket. This could be accomplished with hand tools if the caliper and bracket were still attached to the car.
005-The brake rotors were seized to the hub, due to many years of rust. A hammer is used to break the rotor loose from the hub.
006-The new Front 84-87 Front Brake Rotors get a bath in brake cleaner before installation. This removes the packaging oil and provides a clean surface for the pads to grab when it’s time to hit the pedal.
007-It’s a good idea to wear gloves when dealing with brake components. Installing the new rotors with gloves prevents surface rust from the moisture on your hands. The rotor simply slides into place.
008-The caliper bracket is bolted to the spindle using the original hardware. Then, the new brake pads from the Brake Overhaul Kit are installed.
009-Sometimes, the piston in the brake caliper is protruding slightly, so a C-clamp is used to push the piston all the way in.
010-It is naturally a tight fit but sliding the new calipers over the pads should not require excessive force.
011-A 17mm open end wrench is used to hold the guide pin, while a 15mm wrench is used to tighten the original caliper bolt.
012-The new front brake hoses come with new washers, which are placed on either side of the fitting block. The original banjo bolt is threaded into the caliper and tightened with a 13mm wrench.
013-The other side of the brake hose fits into the stock location with a new retaining clip and then the hard brake line fitting is installed. A 12mm wrench is used on the hard line fitting and 16mm wrench is used on the flex hose.
014-With new rotors, calipers, pads and hoses, one corner of the 1987 Corvette brake overhaul is complete. We will wait until all four corners are complete to bleed the system.
015-Moving to the rear, we have a similar setup, but it appears to have less rust than the front. Regardless of the exterior appearance, it’s time for new components.
016-The brake line connection at the frame is typically the toughest, so that’s what is tackled first. This requires a 12mm wrench on the hard line fitting and a 16mm wrench on the rubber flex hose.
017-Instead of removing the caliper and bracket as one unit, we try a different approach by removing only the caliper first. This is accomplished by loosening the 15mm bolt, while holding the guide pin with a 17mm wrench.
018-After sliding the original rotor off the hub, we can inspect the internal parking brake for any damage. Since everything checks out, we can proceed with the install.
019-Brake cleaner and a fresh pair of gloves prepare us for the Rear 84-87 Rear Brake Rotor install. The new rotors slide over the studs easily.
020-The brake caliper bracket is installed and tightened, and then the new brake pads are installed in the bracket. Finally, the new caliper is installed over the new pads.
021-A 15mm wrench is used for the caliper bolt, and a 17mm wrench holds the guide pin to tighten the calipers.
022-The rear brake hose has a long steel section on the side that attaches to the caliper. It comes with new washers, and we retain the original 13mm banjo bolt.
023-Now the frame side of the brake hose can be installed and tightened. A new retaining clip slides into place to hold the hose to the mount.
024-The final steps are filling the system with fresh DOT 3 Brake Fluid so it can be bled to remove any air in the lines and calipers.
025-A 10mm wrench is used for the bleeder screws. We start with the furthest corner from the master cylinder (passenger rear) and work our way to the driver rear, passenger front and driver front.
026-It is important to bed-in the new rotors and pads. This is accomplished by a series of decelerations. Start with a few runs from 35 miles per hour to 5 miles per hour, then from 50 miles per hour to 5 miles per hour without coming to a complete stop.
1984-1987 Corvette Brake Overhaul
Source: Zip Corvette Parts
8067 Fast Lane | Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | (800) 962-9632
Corvette Parts List Related to Article:
- 84-87 Brake Overhaul Kit
- 84-87 Front Brake Pad Set
- 84-96 Rear Brake Pad Set
- 84-87 Rubber Brake Hose Set w/Washers & Clips
- 84-87 Front Brake Rotor (Stock)
- 84-87 Rear Brake Rotor (Stock)
- 84-87 Front Brake Hose (Rubber)
- 84-87 Rear Brake Hose (Rubber)
- 84-13 Brake Hose Copper Washer
- 84-13 Brake Hose to Caliper Banjo Bolt
- 85-87 Front Brake Caliper Mount Bracket
- 85-87 Rear Brake Caliper Mount Bracket
- 84-87 Front & 84-13 Rear Brake Caliper Guide Pins & Bolts