96ZRide

My '96 Z28's brakes where starting to vibrate (and REALLY sucked in the rain), so I decided to do the LS1 swap rather than just replace what I have. My front brakes were all original (70K).

I found an LS1 setup on ebay for about 180 shipped. One of the boots on one of the calipers was ripped, so I put new seals and dust boots in both calipers. I reused my hubs because I know they work and guessed they might even have fewer miles on them than what came with the eBay setup.

I bought new Brembo x-drilled rotors and Hawk HP Plus pads. I realized after the fact, that the general consesus is to use the blanks, but its what I got and I can't imagine I'll be disappointed, based on what I had before.

I had a little trouble getting the knuckles separated from the lower ball joints until I realized that the wheel/hub puller in one of my tool drawers worked like champ. A must have tool for sure.

My BIGGEST problem during the whole project: finding steering knuckles that haven't been tweeked. The drivers side that I got from eBay: WAY too much negative camber and a twisted tie rod arm. The driver's side I got from a local junkyard: WAY too much postive camber. The second drivers side I got from a local junkyard: just about right....but not sure yet. Actually, I'm not sure of either spindle/knuckle.

Note to potential LS1 brake swappers: If you value your time, just buy new steering knuckles. About $180/pc shipped from gmpartsdirect. Maybe cheaper elsewhere?

I got it back together and it looks pretty close, but DEFINITELY needs an alignment.

Question: If you were to take a pristine LT1 car (never driven; right off the factory line) and swap in brand new LS1 spindles, would it be correctly aligned?

If the answer is yes, then I still have something that is tweaked. The steering wheel is off by about 20 degrees when traveling in a straight line (was straight before), but the car does not pull. The camber looks a little too positive on both sides as well, but not by much. Anyway, I think it is close enough so it will align. We will find out when my alignment is done.

I took the car for a very short spin, and I must say that the brakes are "all there"! Can't wait to get it aligned so I can take her for a beatin'!

Thanks to all of the board members who have posted meaningful content! There is alot here that is just a click of the search button away!

BTW, I have knuckles (my car drove straight and was nice to its tires!), calipers, and rotors that would probably still turn from a '96 z28, and hubs from a 98+ that I don't need anymore if anyone is interested. PM me with a reasonable offer.

96ZRide

Just an update...

The car was off alot (3 degress of camber on one side and quite a bit of toe-in), but did align, so I's a happy camper. Brakes are incredibly improved. My only complaint is that the Hawk HP+ pads do produce quite a bit of dust on the wheels, but I can live with it considering the much improved braking.

Something I hadn't thought of: will the spare thats included with a 96 fit over the 98+ brakes?

rngilliland

The spare will not fit. I went to a junk yard and got one from a later model. If you had to you could put the spare on a rear wheel and move a rear wheel to the front if you get a flat.

96ZRide

rngilliland,

Thanks for the heads up. Now i know to just change the back first in the event of a front flat.

red87iroc

You'll want to get the newer spare. If you run the spare on the rear, you risk burning out your posi, since you will be running tires of two different diameters.