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| WHERE THE MONEY WENT |
| Item: |
PN: |
Price: |
| Baer A-body Track 4 front brake kit |
4301381R |
$1,395 |
| Baer A-body Track rear brake kit |
4302112R |
$1,225 |
| Baer proportioning valve |
2000035 |
$50 |
| Detroit Speed brake booster |
050103 |
$375 |
| THE COST SO FAR |
| Description: |
PHR Issue: |
Price: |
| '65 Olds Cutlass |
January 2010 |
$7,500 |
| DSE four-link suspension |
January 2010 |
$2,345 |
| DSE front suspension |
February 2010 |
$3,982 |
| Baer front and rear brakes |
March 2010 |
$2,670 |
| DSE brake booster |
March 2010 |
$375 |
| Total |
|
$16,872 |
Breaking Them In
The purpose of breaking in a new brake system is to burn off residual machining oils off the rotor surface, and relieving the internal stresses inside the rotor before subjecting them to extreme temperatures. Baer recommends easy street driving for the first 400-500 miles, with a minimum of 8-10 normal heat cycles. Zinc-plated rotors, like the ones on our Cutlass, require an additional 100-200 miles and 4-6 heat cycles. Next, it's time for the fun stuff. Baer suggests performing 10 partial stops at 40 percent pedal effort, slowing from 60-15 mph. This process should be repeated at 60 percent pedal effort. After allowing the rotors to cool with 10 miles of relaxed freeway driving, another 10 partial stops must be performed at 85-90 percent pedal effort. Once the brakes cool for several hours back down to ambient air temperature, they're ready to go.  The stock power brake booster...  The stock power brake booster had seen better days, so it was replaced with a dual-diaphragm unit (PN 050103) from Detroit Speed and Engineering. It's a direct bolt-in replacement that features a 9-inch booster, a new master cylinder, reservoir, and a mounting bracket. Whenever a new master cylinder is installed, it should always be bench-bled first.  Removing the stock rear drum...  Removing the stock rear drum assembly and backing plates requires pulling the axles. This is easily accomplished by removing the differential cover, carrier locking pin, and the C-clips. With the axles removed, it's not a bad idea to replace the seals and bearings. Jarvis takes things one step further by tack-welding the retaining rings onto the axles. Heavy cars such as A-bodies generate tremendous side-loads on an autocross course, and welding the rings in place prevents the axles from ejecting out of the housing.  The Baer rear Track system...  The Baer rear Track system includes an integrated parking brake. The stock cable stretches over time, so Baer includes a brand-new unit with its kit. It routes along the frame and control arms in the stock location using the supplied clips.  A loose brake pushrod can...  A loose brake pushrod can lead to excessive free-play and a sloppy pedal. To avoid this, Jarvis prefers putting a slight amount of preload on the pushrod adjustment nut during installation. Since Project Olds came equipped with power brakes from the factory, the pushrod was attached to the stock hole in the brake pedal. For cars that were equipped with factory manual brakes, the hole in the pedal must be relocated. Baer can provide formulas to help determine the proper pedal hole location for a specific application upon request.  The rear caliper bracket can...  The rear caliper bracket can be clocked in a number of positions, but mounting them in front of the axles provides the best frame clearance on A-bodies. They attach to the rearend housing using the factory backing plate bolts. Afterward, the stock axles were reinstalled.  After placing the pads in...  After placing the pads in the rear calipers, Jarvis slid the rear rotors over the axles, then bolted the calipers to the Baer bracket using 12mm bolts torqued to 85 lb-ft. According to Baer the rotor slots should always point forward, and the bleeder screws on the calipers should point upward. As with the front brakes, the rears must be evenly shimmed from side to side.  With the parking brake cable...  With the parking brake cable properly routed, Jarvis attached it to the caliper. Baer's integrated parking brake mechanism is a simple and reliable design. It actuates a lever on the bottom of the caliper, which then pushes the inboard pad against the rotor.  To prevent the rear wheels...  To prevent the rear wheels from prematurely locking up, Jarvis installed a Baer proportioning valve, which will allow precisely dialing in the ideal front-to-rear bias. It works by tapping into the rear brake line, between the master cylinder and rear calipers. For quick and easy in-car adjustments, it was mounted underneath the car, with the knob protruding through the floorpan and into the cabin. From that location, the driver can simply reach to his left and adjust bias on demand while cruising or racing.  To prevent the rear wheels...  To prevent the rear wheels from prematurely locking up, Jarvis installed a Baer proportioning valve, which will allow precisely dialing in the ideal front-to-rear bias. It works by tapping into the rear brake line, between the master cylinder and rear calipers. For quick and easy in-car adjustments, it was mounted underneath the car, with the knob protruding through the floorpan and into the cabin. From that location, the driver can simply reach to his left and adjust bias on demand while cruising or racing.  One of the final steps is...  One of the final steps is attaching the steel braided brake lines. Baer includes new mounting tabs to help route the rear lines along the rearend housing. After welding on the new tabs, Jarvis attached the braided lines to the stock hardline.  Both front and rear brake...  Both front and rear brake lines attach to the calipers using copper washers placed on each side of the banjo fitting. Although it's tempting to over-tighten them, the fittings need just 15-18 lb-ft for a tight, leak-free seal.  Parts store-grade brake fluid...  Parts store-grade brake fluid will boil over very quickly in performance applications. While bleeding the system, Jarvis fed a healthy stream of high-temp brake fluid to flush out the old, contaminated gunk. A vacuum bleeder sped up the process, but once the system was full of fresh new fluid, a standard pedal-bleeding procedure was employed to remove all the air out of the lines.  The Track-4 kit will fit behind...  The Track-4 kit will fit behind most 17-inch wheels, but clearance depends on the design of the wheel itself. Project Olds' 18-inch Rocket Racing wheels needed a .200-inch spacer for proper caliper clearance. Baer offers these billet spacers in varying thicknesses.  Although the priority was...  Although the priority was improved braking performance, we're not complaining about the improved looks. These clamps look downright mean. Furthermore, the open-face design of modern wheels provides much more airflow through the brake assembly than the rollers of yesteryear.
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