13" front brake upgrade kit

From: Bob Mankin (bob@cadpros.com)
Date: Mon May 14 2001 - 16:52:40 EDT


OK, this is not any official offer for a group buy, but something to
consider for those with an interest.

The front brakes on these Gen III trucks suck, IMO. I don't know if it's
the fact that I moved from a GMC Typhoon which had MUCH better brakes or
the fact that I got too used to my shifter kart w/discs that could stand
it on its nose. But I've been searching for upgrade options and so far
have come up empty. Stillen has a high rent set, but $3400 is a bit rich
for my blood. No one else that I can find has put one on the street. I
even went so far as to pester Gary at Hotchkis about the Viper setup
they did for the project truck, but that has fabrication issues and
would require wheels that fit the Viper apps. I already have 17"
Colorado Customs and don't want to replace them, which was the deal
breaker. As I am about to upgrade the horsepower considerably, I just
can't do it in good conscience without doing something about these
brakes, so here's the deal:

I spoke with Baer Racing who has done preliminary proto stuff for the
Gen III trucks, but they have no interest in moving forward on their own
based on current demand. They would be willing to do a kit if they have
a standing order for 10 sets. If you've seen Baer brakes, they make some
pretty clean stuff and it would be a major improvement over the stock
pieces, IMO, taking them from 11" to 13". 2 piston calipers would be
used. The added swept area alone will help. I think I might even push
them to offer 13.5". Rotor configuration is open. Personally I'm not a
fan of drilled rotors and would opt for simple slotted units, but some
of the show crowd might want the drilled and slotted configuration which
I believe is what they offer by default. This could be worked out. Cost
is not final, but we're looking at $1200-$1300 neighborhood. One person
has to front the deal. This is not a group buy thing. They have no
interest in dealing with a group buy. What would be needed is firm
committments from 10 people to set this in motion. NO MONEY IS SENT TO
ANYONE UNTIL PRODUCT IS READY TO SHIP. There is fab work to be done and
test fitting of the first kit would happen approx 30 days later. For all
of you adding "go power" to your trucks, here's a chance to add some
"whoa power" to keep 'em safe. If you have a genuine interest, then post
here or private email. While I've seen all sorts of promises about kits
coming, no one has truly stepped up to the plate so to speak. Once these
are done, they'll become available on the regular market, but likely at
prices higher than what we're talking here.

Feel free to post any questions or concerns as well.

Bob



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:01:28 EDT