For the guys that dont want to trade off body parts (human),there is a guy that sales stock sized cross drilled and slotted rotors for the el camino.They also come zinc plated.And the option to have them painted for an extra $30.All this for a whopping $100 a pair or $130 for the painted rotors. Got mine yestarday and I cant believe how awesome they look.
P.S. I have a 78 elco and he had the rotors for my car ,couldnt find them anywhere else.Check out his web site and give him a call. His name is Richard. www.rotorpros.com

Don't want to start a heated discussion on drilled rotors but for those that don't know drilled rotors are NOT GOOD for any type of performance driving. For looks at the car show fine-just don't but them thinking you are you are somehow "improving" the braking of your ride. Yes, I spend LOTS of time researching this stuff as I have huge $$$ invested into my braking system--and its not even on yet, still waiting for funds to complete the conversion.

See, thats what I mean,waiting for more $$$. with this up grade sure the cross drilled part wont improve braking,wont hurt it either but the slotted part will help..and they cost the same as oem replacment rotors if not cheaper,and yes they will look better.

Missed my point-drilled rotors are NOT an upgrade. They actually can HURT braking performance. Here is just ONE of the DOZENS reasons it hurts braking- the pad clamps down on the rotor to slow the wheel. The more of the rotor it grabs the better good it can do, if 20% of the rotor is either drilled or slotted you just reduced braking by 20%. There are many other reasons that get into Kt and Kf, stress concentration factors. f you want I'll post an entire thread we had about this on a hardcore racing site. It goes WAY into engineering and stress risers created as well as what it does to todays pads, they are not designed for these types of components. PS drilled/slotted rotors WILL EVENTUALLY fail.

Missed my point-drilled rotors are NOT an upgrade. They actually can HURT braking performance. Here is just ONE of the DOZENS reasons it hurts braking- the pad clamps down on the rotor to slow the wheel. The more of the rotor it grabs the better good it can do, if 20% of the rotor is either drilled or slotted you just reduced braking by 20%. There are many other reasons that get into Kt and Kf, stress concentration factors. f you want I'll post an entire thread we had about this on a hardcore racing site. It goes WAY into engineering and stress risers created as well as what it does to todays pads, they are not designed for these types of components. PS drilled/slotted rotors WILL EVENTUALLY fail.
I see your point about the racing aspect of the crossdrilled/slotted rotors Im just talking about the daily street driven aspect.Ive had cross drilled rotors on my other cars and never had problems with them, maybe I was just lucky I guess. I really never had to do hard braking from speeds of over 120 mph to overtake another car in a braking zone and I really dont do much road racing. But my cross drilled rotors have done just fine for me in normal southern california traffic and emergency stopping situations on the freeways..And I know that on a race track and even on the streets that your brake system would out perform mine but I cant up that kind of money right now..
Could you email that thread to me, I'd like to read and learn more about that research.

If the slotted rotors arent better or an upgrade why on all the "Hot Rod tv" shows do they put them on there cars?

If the slotted rotors arent better or an upgrade why on all the "Hot Rod tv" shows do they put them on there cars?
Well in most cases the drilled holes in the rotors can be prone to cracking if you buy rotors that have been improperly drilled or that are not meant to be drilled. and they will wear over time but soo will the stock oem rotors.They do help in dispelling heat and gases which will help in reducing brake fade and also help a little in wet weather braking.Plus they do look cool as hell. But like Dennis said you will have less grabbing area for the pads,but There will always be give and take,And Ive never had problems with cross drilled rotors while following the correct break in procedure for street and freeway driving.

Alot of times the hot rod shows are installing what their sponsors want to sell, not what is best for your vehicle. Here is the link

http://p067.ezboard.com/fprotouringgmachinesfrm5.showMessage?topicID=506.t opic

Drilling the stock rotors is very dumb. Slotted rotors designed as such are ok. I would never buy stock drilled and slotted rotors no matter how cheap or how cool looking. I don't want my rotors falling apart when I really need them.

I think I would save my pennies and get a set of rotors specifically engineered with the slots and/or ventilation. The whole idea is to get rid of the hot gas that gets trapped between the rotor and the pads as I understand it.

Kind of related. I have been looking at that Master Power Rear Drum brake upgrade for like 500 bucks. Don't have to change the combination valve or the master cylinder. I guess it duplicates the early HD drum option from the 60's and early 70's with 11 inch drums.

Chevy Hi Performance did an install article on em a couple of months back and apparently they worked pretty well. I think it was on a 3rd gen El too.

:)

I checked out that web site for the slotted, drilled, coated and painted rotors and I am NOT impressed! It looks as if stock rotors are modified and this could be very dangerous. Unless the modifier has an engineering degree and much experience with braking systems I would stay far away. When it comes to brakes-how well it works is far more important than how good it looks.

I think I would save my pennies and get a set of rotors specifically engineered with the slots and/or ventilation. The whole idea is to get rid of the hot gas that gets trapped between the rotor and the pads as I understand it.


:)

With the new technology being used with pad construction and calipers designed with square seals to pull the piston back the brakes outgas themselves. A decade ago D/S rotors were revolutionary for outgassing, now the are Bling/bling novelty items. If you are really interested in H/P brakes invest in some good calipers and pads.

I checked out that web site for the slotted, drilled, coated and painted rotors and I am NOT impressed! It looks as if stock rotors are modified and this could be very dangerous. Unless the modifier has an engineering degree and much experience with braking systems I would stay far away. When it comes to brakes-how well it works is far more important than how good it looks.
Actually the rotors are made by KVR up in canada,Im not sure if they drill the stock rotors or not.But as I have said before ,I have had D/S rotors on previous cars and have had no problems with the them,cracking,falling apart or not stopping the car. Just lucky I guess...

I think if the rotor is engineered from the outset to have the "gas reliefs" no pun intended, It will probably be fine for its purpose. I would leave stock parts alone with maybe the addition of a better brake pad being about the limit of "performance" mods.

I can't imagine anyone who wants to have any longevity in a boutique business like performance auto parts wanting to engineer a part that is unsafe or horribly unreliable. The bad rep would kill you off before your made your first million not to mention the lawsuits.

Anyway, don't they have to get DOT approval for this stuff?? I know they do for tires and glass.

:?

Check out the website in question--it's more like amateur hour than an "automotive boutique".

wait wait wait a sec...I think the whole idea of drilling and slotting as a bad idea has been taken a little too far. Simple physics: A body in motion has a certain kinetic energy. To reduce velocity, that energy must be dissipated, in this case in the form of heat. Having more surface area means more heat can be dissipated faster. Now, this could also be accomplished by using a larger rotor. There are several trade offs and I doubt anyone on a car forum is going to bother to do all the calculations to determine the optimum combination of rotor size, surface area, pad area and pressure (which directly corresponds to the braking force applied) heat dissipation, coefficient of kinetic friction of the pad material, etc. To blanketly state that drilling and slotting does not work is not sound. Drilling and slotting COULD work, if one was smart enough to do the math.

By the way, I think the new ford GT as well as several european performance cars come from the factory with cross drilled rotors, as well as just about every modern motorcycle