dwhitez28ss

We just finished the LS1 brake upgrade on a '93 Z28 using new GM bolts to secure the caliper to the steering knuckle. In retrospect, should loctite have been used? My thinking was it would be easier to remove the caliper to change the pads in the future without it. Bolts were torqued to 70 ft.lb per the manual. Red thread locker was used to hold the hub to the knuckle.

Thanks..

11secgen

you should be good.i dont use it on caliper bolts anymore.

wrd1972

Absolutely red lock tite those big bolts to the bracket. I have had them fall out and the caliper swing down and scared the **** out of me. Put some lock washers on to and torque to 70#.

Caliper bolts not required.

seawolf06

I've had a friend lose a caliper on the interstate going 80+. It was not pretty.

Steve0

Use loc tite! I have done brakes on many cars before and never used it. Then when I did my LS1 swap, a bolt came out on the highway. I thought it was a freak accident, but it happened again on the other side, even after I retorqued all the bolts. I now have loc tite on them and have never had a problem since, even after auto crossing the car.

Terran2k

I used it, the blue one, on all the bolts when I did the ls1 swap. They should be in there fairly well, I'll recheck them when I change out the steering rack.

jchrisos

I've never used lock tite and have been fine for at least 60k and 3 brake changes. I will next time though after hearing stories about the caliper coming off! It's a small price to pay for added insurance.

wrd1972

You have just been lucky, those two bolts are subjected to a ton of force when the brakes are applied, that is what makes them walk and eventually back out.

jchrisos

Wow. I thought just putting it as tight as I could was okay. Thanks for the info, much appreciated!!

dwhitez28ss

Thanks everyone..I went back and applied Loctite Red threadlocker to the caliper guide pin bolts and two large brake caliper bolts. That should hold for awhile..

Terran2k

i thought the red locktite was difficult to break free, needs heat to break it free?

wrd1972

On bolts like these that are beefy there is no risk of breakage, but its does take a bit more effort. A small propane torch is sufficient to provide the required heat.

On small bolts that could break it is best to use heat. I prefer to use red on nearly everything including the dinky screws that hold the rotor button in the opti.

Norm Peterson

Never used Locktite or any similar product on brake parts.

With all the heat that brakes are capable of generating (and it will radiate and conduct into most everything around it), it doesn't seem to me that it makes a whole lot of sense to use even the red stuff since heat is what you use to break it free when you want to take something apart that used it .


Norm

wrd1972

I am quite confident that the heat generated by a propane or acetylene torch is quite different than the heat generated by brake usage plus its the rotor and caliper that take the brunt there. The big bolts in question could not possibly be subjected to anything over 150F or so.

It takes several hundred degrees F to loosen the red loctite.

shoebox

Same here. If bolts are tightened to spec, they should not go anywhere.