'70-81 Camaro Brake Kit - Second Gen Brakes

When Chevrolet released its Second-Generation Camaro in early 1970, stopping was not high on their list of priorities. With only a few years racing on the Trans Am circuit in the still-new-at-the-time Camaro platform, braking had hardly reached the pinnacle of perfection it is today. Because the '70 Camaro was longer, wider, and heavier than its predecessors, it didn't stop much better than a Greyhound bus. It's not really Chevrolet's fault because back then braking was simply a means to slow the car down; it was not thought of as a way to improve performance. That's probably because when most car guys and girls think of performance, their brains automatically shift into acceleration mode. "Why would anybody worry about slowing down?" we recently overheard some gearhead saying. That mentality probably stems from every gearhead's first experience with speed, straight-line acceleration.

To bring this '71 Camaro into the 21st century and improve its stopping force, we installed Baer Racing Track/PBR front and rear disc brake systems with a matching master cylinder and adjustable proportioning valve.

To bring this '71 Camaro into the 21st century and improve its stopping force, we installe

When you're drag racing in a mildly fast car (i.e. slower than 10 seconds), there's always plenty of room to slow down and make the last turnout before you skid into the sand box. So why would you want to spend money on your brake system when it could otherwise go for a new camshaft or cylinder heads if your car can make the last return road? We can answer that question with one simple suggestion: go test-drive a new Corvette and stomp on its brake pedal. After you put the fillings back in your teeth, you'll realize that braking can be cool. And really good braking can help make even the most mundane daily commute more exciting.

Baer Braking
If there's one company that's become known for high-performance street car braking, it's Baer. That's because they've worked very hard developing and adapting systems for real vehicles. When you research Baer's systems, the parts may seem a bit pricey at first, but they're designed to take braking to the extreme and require little, if any, adaptation to fit your car. The Track front disc brake system we installed utilizes a big 13-inch-diameter rotor to give the caliper plenty of braking leverage and is 1.100 inches thick to dissipate tons of heat. The Baer Track rotors dissipate heat so well that their 100-0-mph stopping distances actually improved after each run and the 60-0-mph tests hardly changed distances from the first to the tenth run. That brake consistency can mean the difference between winning and loosing a race or between driving home and slamming into something. The Track system also features an aluminum mounting hat and aluminum four-piston calipers for reduced weight, which is something every Camaro needs up front. You'll need at least a 17-inch wheel to fit them inside, but the Track system is the best bang-for-the-buck front brake kit for a Pro Touring/g-Machine.

We tackled the front brakes first. Support the lower control arms on jackstands and loosen the ball joint, but leave the nut threaded on a few turns. Whack the spindle several times with a hammer and the ball joint should pop loose with the nut holding the assembly together.

We tackled the front brakes first. Support the lower control arms on jackstands and loosen

The rear brakes consist of a 12x.810-inch thick rotor using a PBR caliper and solid hat design. Since the front brakes in any car handle about 70 percent of all the braking chores, it's safe and effective to run smaller brakes in the rear. It doesn't make any sense to stuff 13-inch rotors out back, unless you're after a symmetrical look inside your wheels. You'll definitely want to combine the rear discs with an adjustable roportioning valve for the best performance.

Why Braking Is Big
Ever since the Pro Touring/g-Machine movement really took off several years ago, there's been a huge increase in the number of performance brake systems offered in the aftermarket. And you've probably already noticed that all the car magazines have begun telling you about ways to make your car stop as well as it can go. With high technology leading the way in performance braking, we thought we'd see if we could improve on Chevrolet's second-best effort of the early years: the '70-81 Camaro.

Remove the upper ball joint in the same fashion, but leave the assembly hanging on the A-arms so you can loosen the brake lines next. Or loosen the brake line first, your choice.
Remove the upper ball joint in the same fashion, but leave the assembly hanging on the A-a
Use a flare-nut wrench and some penetrating oil to loosen the brake line, then remove the retaining clips as shown. Put a 1/8-inch vacuum cap on the steel brake line to keep it from leaking fluid everywhere.
Use a flare-nut wrench and some penetrating oil to loosen the brake line, then remove the
The Baer Track brake system comes mounted on its own spindle ready to install. All you need to do is hang it on the factory ball joints and torque the nuts. Now is a good time to replace the joints if they're a few years old.
The Baer Track brake system comes mounted on its own spindle ready to install. All you nee

Connect the new Baer braided stainless Teflon brake hose to the factory hard line and reinsert the retaining clip. Don't over-tighten this connection.
Connect the new Baer braided stainless Teflon brake hose to the factory hard line and rein
With the Baer Track assembly mounted and all nuts tight, turn the front wheels lock-to-lock by hand to see if anything binds.
With the Baer Track assembly mounted and all nuts tight, turn the front wheels lock-to-loc
The rear brakes require removal of the factory drums, backing plates, and axels.

Baer has several different rear disc rotor sizes available. Some sizes may need to have the axle's mounting flange machined down in a lathe. Most machine shops can handle this for less than $50.
Baer has several different rear disc rotor sizes available. Some sizes may need to have th
Connect the braided stainless hoses to the factory brake lines on each end of the rear housing. Secure them with hose clamps and then use a wire brush and brake cleaner to remove the years of goop that is on the housing. Now is a good time to replace those axel shaft seals, too.
Connect the braided stainless hoses to the factory brake lines on each end of the rear hou
Secure the caliper mounting bracket to the rear end housing as shown and torque to spec. Baer offers several different-style brackets for custom applications, but this is an easy bolt-on.
Secure the caliper mounting bracket to the rear end housing as shown and torque to spec. B

You may need to create some brake caliper clearance on the driver-side fenderwell. This will keep the caliper from hitting the body if your car is lowered or may see heavy bumps. Simply bend the sheetmetal directly above the caliper with a hammer. Not all cars will require this mod.
You may need to create some brake caliper clearance on the driver-side fenderwell. This wi
Bolt the PBR rear caliper to the bracket using the supplied fasteners, which have a locking-compound already applied.
Bolt the PBR rear caliper to the bracket using the supplied fasteners, which have a lockin
Baer warns against over-tightening the brake line banjo fittings on all the calipers. Use a very short-handled ratchet or short wrench so you can't make too much leverage. They don't require much tension to seal.
Baer warns against over-tightening the brake line banjo fittings on all the calipers. Use

The Baer Racing master cylinder can go on next. It's a cast-iron GM unit with a plastic fluid reservoir that Baer has carefully matched to the system. It directly replaces the factory master in most applications, so little or no line bending will be required. There's also a non-power-assist master cylinder available from Baer if you want to really feel what your brakes are about.
The Baer Racing master cylinder can go on next. It's a cast-iron GM unit with a plastic fl
To further improve your braking abilities, replace your stock proportioning valve with an adjustable one like this from Baer.
To further improve your braking abilities, replace your stock proportioning valve with an
Street cars need a parking brake and Baer has included one on its rear disc brake calipers. You can route the Baer cables through the factory locations and they connect right to the stock cable up front.
Street cars need a parking brake and Baer has included one on its rear disc brake calipers

F-Body Braking
Before installing its Track/PBR brake system, Baer tested this '71 Camaro's braking ability. After the install they returned to the same stretch of asphalt to compare the results of their system. Each test was repeated 10 times to get the brakes nice and hot. Note how terribly the factory system stops as it gets hotter. The Baer system hardly even noticed the heat. All times listed is how many seconds it took the car to come to a complete stop.

	Stock 60-0 Tests			Baer 60-0 Tests			Improvement
	Feet	Time	g's	Feet	Time	g's	Feet	Time	g's (increase)
1	164	4.91	0.73	126	3.78	0.95	-38	-1.13	0.21
2	191	5.70	0.63	126	3.78	0.95	-65	-1.92	0.32
3	268	8.00	0.45	124	3.69	0.97	-144	-4.30	0.52
4	314	9.37	0.38	126	3.77	0.95	-188	-5.60	0.57
5	365	10.89	0.33	126	3.77	0.95	-239	-7.12	0.62
6	420	12.53	0.29	133	3.98	0.90	-287	-8.54	0.61
7	478	14.28	0.25	119	3.57	1.00	-359	-10.72	0.75
8	504	15.05	0.24	126	3.76	0.95	-378	-11.29	0.72
9	500	14.93	0.24	126	3.77	0.95	-374	-11.15	0.71
10	487	14.54	0.25	126	3.77	0.95	-361	-10.77	0.70

Since these brakes are all about performance, and performance driving doesn't even begin to happen until you reach triple-digit speeds, Baer also ran the Camaro up to 100 mph and brought it to a halt five more times. Notice that it took the factory brakes more than one-quarter of a mile to come to a complete stop from 100 mph after they got hot. That's scary. The Baer system actually improved its stopping distances after every 100-0-mph test.

	Stock 100-0 Tests			Baer 100-0 Tests			Improvement
	Feet	Time	g's	Feet	Time	g's	Feet	Time	g's (increase)
1	655	8.95	0.51	435	5.95	0.76	-220	-3.00	0.25
2	809	11.04	0.41	408	5.58	0.82	-401	-5.46	0.40
3	1261	17.23	0.26	402	5.49	0.83	-859	-11.74	0.57
4	1695	23.14	0.20	387	5.28	0.86	-1308	-17.86	0.66
5	1387	18.93	0.24	383	5.23	0.87	-1004	-13.70	0.63