Rear disc conversion kit

[Caman96]

Didn’t a Little Shop Rep. reply(was it this thread?)and acknowledge there was no improvement, other than ease of maintenance, with rear disc kit compared to properly functioning OE 10” brakes? I don’t even understand that, they seem simple enough to maintain. For $1200.00 I’d just get a 14 bolt!
Edit: It was a different thread.

 

[Schurkey]

Disc brake upgrade

Anyone have a review on these disc brakes…..or any other kit to put disc on the rear of a 97 2 wheel drive 1500?……………https://littleshopmfg.com/

www.gmt400.com

Didn’t a Little Shop Rep. reply(was it this thread?)and acknowledge there was no improvement, other than ease of maintenance, with rear disc kit compared to properly functioning OE 10” brakes? I don’t even understand that, they seem simple enough to maintain. For $1200.00 I’d just get a 14 bolt!
Edit: It was a different thread.

Link above.

They didn't mention stopping power or maintenance, just that no-one that they know of has had a failure; and they admit that the kit is compromised to keep costs down, and sales up.

 

[Curt]

Didn’t a Little Shop Rep. reply(was it this thread?)and acknowledge there was no improvement, other than ease of maintenance, with rear disc kit compared to properly functioning OE 10” brakes? I don’t even understand that, they seem simple enough to maintain. For $1200.00 I’d just get a 14 bolt!
Edit: It was a different thread.

Link above.

Disc brake upgrade

Keep us updated if they respond back. Probably wont or itll be some automated crap email I'm hoping they register, and respond first-hand right in this thread.

www.gmt400.com

Here's the link to the LSMFG reply

 

[Caman96]

Disc brake upgrade

Keep us updated if they respond back. Probably wont or itll be some automated crap email I'm hoping they register, and respond first-hand right in this thread.

www.gmt400.com

Here's the link to the LSMFG reply

If that was their only reply then I guess I’m just remembering what seemed to be the overall consensus that the conversion in general, was not an improvement in stopping power, more an upgrade, as far as an ease of maintenance.

 

[stratton]

1999-2006 Rear Disc Brakes On OBS Chevy/GMC

www.cruizers.org

 

[Jamespnel]

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Check out this thread, Much cheaper than the kit stated above.

 

[sewlow]

Are the 'kits' they're selling any better than drums?
Performance-wise, maybe. Maintenance-wise? Being simpler in design, sure.
All of the companies selling rear disc conversion kits for our trucks, except one, are making them up out of off-the-shelf parts not originally designed to be used as such. Either OEM parts or re-branded secondary manufacturers.
Wilwood doesn't list a kit for these trucks. But they will sell you a kit. (?) Customer supplies the dimensions. They bin-pick.
Toronado front calipers, Vega discs, etc, etc. Want to go big? The Camaro/CTS-V stuff is down that aisle.
Little Shop & Baer have whatever required for 400's already figured & call that a kit. It's the same parts that Wilwood will send you.
The only part that they are actually 'manufacturing' are the brackets.
What they're selling is a cobbled list of parts that work together. Which anyone that spent the time to dig through GM parts lists could put together themselves.
Except for those brackets, of course.
But just because parts fit together doesn't mean that they will work together. Thinking people will do the research. Read the seller's feedback. Compare value, simplicity, purpose.
I'd still take all that with a grain of salt.
These are brakes. I take them pretty serious.
I'm hard on 'em. Last on the whoa, first on the go. I don't want to rely on parts that come recommended via public forum feedback.
I know how to edit stuff, too.
The R&D is by selected public consensus.

Wilwood & Baer have race history, but not with these trucks specifically. They have a lot of track time & race wins with their other vehicle products, improving & modifying as required.
Want to find out how reliable a part is? Consistently? Find it's failure point? Take it to the track & thrash the hell out of it.
Take it to the limit & then one step beyond.
Use that publicity across the product line.
Ride the wave of 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.' It doesn't mean that you are buying the actual product that won the race. You're buying the name. Which is what you get with Baer & Wilwood.
The one Co. that has actually researched, designed & manufactures a specific rear disc system for these trucks, (master cylinder, rotors, calipers & brackets, w/or w/o an e-brake.) is SSBC.
Their rear kits for these trucks are not cobbled together here & there from various parts bins. They have actually R&D'd all that specifically for these trucks.
That can be both good & not so good.
The good is that they've spent the time to make a system that works. One that works well enough that they feel comfortable putting their name on & backing with reputation & warranties.
The not so good is...just how easy is it to get the disposable parts? Rotors & pads. Rebuild kits.
...and yet, of the three 'name-brand' rear disc conversion kits out there, SSBC is the one that has never been on any winner of any type of major auto race.
If that really makes all that much difference. Of those that were equipped & then won races with the other guy's brakes, how many of those so-equipped didn't finish due to brake failure? Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info out there on that.
Hmmm...

 

[someotherguy]

Want to find out how reliable a part is? Consistently? Find it's failure point? Take it to the track & thrash the hell out of it.
Take it to the limit & then one step beyond.
Use that publicity across the product line.
Ride the wave of 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.'

Why did this get stuck in my head now? :

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Richard

 

[Caman96]

Are the 'kits' they're selling any better than drums?
Performance-wise, maybe. Maintenance-wise? Being simpler in design, sure.
All of the companies selling rear disc conversion kits for our trucks, except one, are making them up out of off-the-shelf parts not originally designed to be used as such. Either OEM parts or re-branded secondary manufacturers.
Wilwood doesn't list a kit for these trucks. But they will sell you a kit. (?) Customer supplies the dimensions. They bin-pick.
Toronado front calipers, Vega discs, etc, etc. Want to go big? The Camaro/CTS-V stuff is down that aisle.
Little Shop & Baer have whatever required for 400's already figured & call that a kit. It's the same parts that Wilwood will send you.
The only part that they are actually 'manufacturing' are the brackets.
What they're selling is a cobbled list of parts that work together. Which anyone that spent the time to dig through GM parts lists could put together themselves.
Except for those brackets, of course.
But just because parts fit together doesn't mean that they will work together. Thinking people will do the research. Read the seller's feedback. Compare value, simplicity, purpose.
I'd still take all that with a grain of salt.
These are brakes. I take them pretty serious.
I'm hard on 'em. Last on the whoa, first on the go. I don't want to rely on parts that come recommended via public forum feedback.
I know how to edit stuff, too.
The R&D is by selected public consensus.

Wilwood & Baer have race history, but not with these trucks specifically. They have a lot of track time & race wins with their other vehicle products, improving & modifying as required.
Want to find out how reliable a part is? Consistently? Find it's failure point? Take it to the track & thrash the hell out of it.
Take it to the limit & then one step beyond.
Use that publicity across the product line.
Ride the wave of 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.' It doesn't mean that you are buying the actual product that won the race. You're buying the name. Which is what you get with Baer & Wilwood.
The one Co. that has actually researched, designed & manufactures a specific rear disc system for these trucks, (master cylinder, rotors, calipers & brackets, w/or w/o an e-brake.) is SSBC.
Their rear kits for these trucks are not cobbled together here & there from various parts bins. They have actually R&D'd all that specifically for these trucks.
That can be both good & not so good.
The good is that they've spent the time to make a system that works. One that works well enough that they feel comfortable putting their name on & backing with reputation & warranties.
The not so good is...just how easy is it to get the disposable parts? Rotors & pads. Rebuild kits.
...and yet, of the three 'name-brand' rear disc conversion kits out there, SSBC is the one that has never been on any winner of any type of major auto race.
If that really makes all that much difference. Of those that were equipped & then won races with the other guy's brakes, how many of those so-equipped didn't finish due to brake failure? Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info out there on that.
Hmmm...

There’s another thread where a rep from one of these companies who acknowledges there’s no improvement in stopping power, just ease of maintenance. I know I’m repeating myself, but imo the oe drums are simple enough to maintain. My 2 cents x2 = 4 cents. Wait, it makes 0 cents!

 

[someotherguy]

There’s another thread where a rep from one of these companies who acknowledges there’s no improvement in stopping power, just ease of maintenance. I know I’m repeating myself, but imo the oe drums are simple enough to maintain. My 2 cents x2 = 4 cents. Wait, it makes 0 cents!

While I don't disagree in gmt400 terms, wait til you do drums on a gmt800. Yep, some of them have drums, like our '06 Silvy SS's. The hardware SUCKS and I mean SUCKS to battle with, though allegedly I need some kind of long bent needle nose to deal with them. Oh, and there aren't adjuster slots (and as far as I can see so far, no knockouts I could punch) to back the adjusters off so I can pull the drums easier. I battled like a båstard to get the drums (one with a nice lip) off my wife's truck, and mine is coming up soon for rear brakes, I'm sure..

Anyway best stopping power investment is in the FRONT brakes, but more importantly, as most have correctly chimed in the brakes are a SYSTEM that all the chosen parts must work well together - and that's something you are very unlikely to get once you start throwing miscellaneous parts together.

Looking forward to doing the front GMPP 16" rotor / Brembo 6 piston upgrade to my truck one of these days. And probably leaving the rear as drums. Or, whatever GM-sourced/correct parts to convert the weirdo hybrid 9.5" 14 bolt to disc... makes my head hurt

Richard