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...