Originally I was going to modify some B car (Caprice) spindles to allow me to make a bracket to mount the Vette caliper bracket to it. The downside to this was I was going to have the have quite a bit of machining done to the spindles, machine the braking surface off of an existing rotor to make a hub for the Vette rotor to slip onto, make the adapter bracket & then spend close to $600 for aftermarked upper A arms to allow the B car spindles to work on the Monte. I have done some research & found that the S10 spindles were the same as the Monte. Between 1998-2002 GM used a different style spindles on the 2WD S10 Blazers that had 11" slip on rotors & 2 piston calipers on a knuckle that needed no machining to do what I wanted to do. Well I finally found a set. All I have to make is an adapter bracket to mount between the mount locations on the knuckle that will allow the Vette caliper carrier bracket to mount to it. In the pics is my prototype aluminum bracket. As you can see the vette rotor slips on the existing hub, & the caliper mounts to my bracket, & the knuckles mount to the car without buying the $600 upper A arms. Now some day I may decide that I want the suspension advantage of the taller B spindles. So I can either machine the B spindles like I had originally planned or simply use a taller aftermarket upper ball joint & then get the aftermarket upper A arms.

Hopefully this link works for the pics I have on Webshots:
http://community.webshots.com/album/285812169GLiaOH

Scot

Looks slick, you folks with talent & imagination impress the h-e-double hockey stix out of me.

I found out about the S-10 spindles after I had bought the new rotors, bearings etc. and a set of G-body spindles to use for mock up. Good find and picking them up.

I finally have my hubs so I can start designing the bracket I want to use.

Sounds clean and effective, but I haven't seen discussion on wheel sizing and effects. Obviously the front bolt pattern changes to 5 X 120.65 and I understand running 17" wheels. What impact, if any, does it have on offset or other considerations. Are you running something like 17X8 with 4.5 offset, and a mixing with 5 X 4.75 bolt pattern on the rear?

Answers could really change wheel choices, etc. If this is addressed in another thread, I've missed it.

Bottom line is I think this is the cleanest approach so far, I just have to clarify the details and if I have to do a vette rear brake conversion too then so be it.

Great thread.

120.65mm is 4.75 inches, exactly the same as the factory Monte, El Camino & most all GM cars.

My front wheels are 17X8 with 4" backspacing.

When I get a chance I will take off the wheel and measure the distance from the outside of the caliper to the center of the rotor.

Scot

120.65mm is 4.75 inches, exactly the same as the factory Monte, El Camino & most all GM cars.

My front wheels are 17X8 with 4" backspacing.

When I get a chance I will take off the wheel and measure the distance from the outside of the caliper to the center of the rotor.

Scot

Once upon a time I could calculate ... Thanks for your gentle response to a dummy. Regarding the offset, it does seem like the thickness of machined disc/hub could have an effect. I look forward to your response.

I mesured tonight, & from the outside of the caliper to the center of the hub is about 7.5". I doubt 15" wheels will work, definetly 16" will fit.
Scot

I mesured tonight, & from the outside of the caliper to the center of the hub is about 7.5". I doubt 15" wheels will work, definetly 16" will fit.
Scot

:-( Now i have no excuse not to do the conversion.


wait, yes i do.....Im broke and i have no job!!!!

Done a fair amount of research since last post and this sounds like the best front conversion method yet. Smooth. Just to confirm that you still use stock length Camino brake lines - only changed to SS braided.

Vette conversion on the rear would be a slam dunk too, except a State Inspector told me a line lock for an emergency brake will not pass inspection in Virginia. Cadillac Seville disc w/ integral e-brake may be a good option there.

Yep I used the stock front brake lines. For the time being they are factory rubber ones that came on the Monte, I use the banjo bolt for the Vette caliper. Threads are finer. Eventually I will change them to braided lines. For the rear, I have Baer's brackets to mount 93-97 F body calipers. The calipers are mostly identical to Vette calipers except the emergency brake lines pull towards the center of the car, not towards the front like the Vette does. All the emergency brake setup is built into the caliper. When applied, a lever pushes the piston out towards the rotor & compresses the brake pads against the rotor. Works great, no need to go with the Cadillac setup. If you do this, you will also need the shock relocation kit. And you will have to have the axle flanges machined to fit inside the 94 Vette rotors. Here are some pics of what I have, the emergency brakes are not setup yet. You will have to use Impala SS E brake hines & do some fab work.

http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=viewall&albumID=304438839

Let me know if the link doesn't work. smckitt@verizon.net

Scot

Thanks Scott. The link won't let me in - says I'm not the owner.

How about this link:
http://community.webshots.com/album/304438839nxeOgo

Scot

Thanks again. I do like this better. I'll do my homework like the slow country boy I am and proceed. You have been very helpful - I think to many of us.

If someone had nothing else to do, they could consolidate much of the tech stuff on this site into a book w/ the proceeds going to the site. I'd buy it.

By the way, in a past life, I was in the medical field so I love your avatar. I copied it (stole it) and placed it on my desktop.

Talk soon.

Your welcome. Somewhere I have a trace of the rear caliper bracket from Baer that I may see if I can get some made.

You are right there is a ton of information on here. I don't have an El Camino, but a lot of the information is the same for the 80s Monte Carlos.

I thought the Avatar was hillarious when I first saw it. Especially since I have a 6 speed in the Monte.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Scot

Hey, if you've got an outline, it would be one big step closer to completing the process. No rush, for me at least, but please don't forget us on that sketch.

Thanks again.

I'll see if I can find someone to make a couple.
Scot

I know this is kind of from the dead, but I'd really be interested in getting a hold of the bracket to mount the F body calipers on the rear.
Scot, what Master cylinder did you run to create enough pressure for the c5 calipers and the F body rears. I would imagine that the stock master is way too small for that pressure (especially considering that the rears are drums.)

Thanks...........

I have been trying to find someplace that can cut out the brackets with either waterjet or laser but am having no luck. I currently have a B car mastercylinder from a police car that had 4 wheel discs. But I have been told by several people to use the factory master, even with the 2 piston C5 front calipers. That is what Baer recommends using as well. I am going to keep the B one with the larger booster & see how it works before switching back.
Scot

Hmmmmm...
I'll have to see what the diameter of the cylinder is in the master to find out how much it displaces.

Thanks for the response.

Do you have the dimensions for the bracket required to mount the front C5 calipers to the S10 spindle?

I could measure it myself, but if you have the dimensions or a template it would really help out.
Thanks....

Tony

Is anyone on this board?

Even though it looks like no one is reading this, I'll post for the sake of future searches.

The spindle is from a 99-03 2wd 6 cylinder GMC Jimmy. It does not have the mounts for the single piston caliper, which makes it a fairly rare spindle as far as s10/s15s go.

FWIW I just picked up all 4 C5 calipers and lines from corvetteforum.cc for 150 shipped. Pretty good deal. Anyone looking for similar should go there.

I was told the spindles are from a 98-02 2WD Blazer. $150 for C5 calipers is a decent price. The rotors are about $100 each new from GM, there is a right & a left one.

Scot

You can get drilled/slotted rotors from www.gmpartsdirect.com for around $50 a piece.

correct me if im wrong but 99-03 jimmys and 98-02 blazers are the same thing

Same chassis, but from what I've found, the chevy has the single piston calipers, which means the spindle is not the one that lt1monte found.

So far, I'm having no luck in the junkyards.

May have to buy new.....that sucks.

Guru's,

Just now getting around to this conversion since I finally got 17" Cragars and tires.

Confusion - Parts place tells me that 2000 S-10 2WD spindles have an integrated hub and rotor - not slip ons like the Vette.

Duh, what am I missing here? As I understand this conversion, S-10 spindles fit onto G-Body ball-joints. The 13" Vette slip-on rotors are a direct fit and you fab the caliper mount brackets. Must have gotten the wrong message somehow. Can anyone enlighten me?

Note: Will likely use 2" drop spindles, but that shouldn't effect answer.

Take care.

The right S10 spindles DO use a slip on rotor and they do have integrated hubs. It's a nice upgrade. A junkyard near my house said they had three sets when I looked. They are the correct ones with the integrated hubs included (that's what is usually the kicker when finding them), but they wanted $150 a set. I didn't get a set yet, but I may have to take them up on it since I can't find any others with hubs.

Does anybody else want a set or two?

[quote=
Does anybody else want a set or two?[/quote]

Yeah, as long as they are the ones for this conversion, I'd be in for a set.

That's basically the entire hub assembly right? Not just the spindle itself.
Bearings bolts and all.

Sorry, that was me above.
Forgot to sign in.

thachera@excite.com

Maybe we can get a deal on the 2 sets together.

I may be going there tomorrow. I haven't seen them yet, but if they are the right ones, I'll try to get a deal on all three to lower both our costs a bit. They said they come with the hub assemblies. We'll see.

Great. I've been watching for these for about 6 months.

You should have checked the Garage Sales section then! I posted them in there a week or two ago.

This board is so slow that unless I subscribe to a thread, sometimes it takes forever to get someone else to post, and I forget to check it.

It just doesn't seem very active.

Turns out the place closed at 12:00 today. Hopefully, I'll get there on Monday.

Wonder what shipping would be to Virginia? I need the hubs only. I think I'll go with the 2" drop spindles. Use your best judgement. If you can help, I really appreciate it.

Thanks! :-D

Take care.

Hubs only couldn't be more than $20 in shipping. I don't know how heavy they are, but that should cover it through UPS. I just hope I don't have to buy the spindles and hubs if you just want the hubs. This place is a finicky like that. We'll see. I've been thinking I'd like some 2" drop spindles too, but I think my front is already too low for that. It would look so good though :twisted:

Thanks John,

I do not yet know what new hubs alone would cost. As I said in an earlier post, my Advance Auto guy told me S-10 spindles and their hubs would NOT accept slip-on rotors, but apparently he is wrong.

I will try again to specifically identify the hub and get a price. My suspicion is that used spindles and hubs may still be cheaper than just new hubs.

Take care.

Lowest price I found was a guy on ebay that said he would sell them for $100 each. I think list from GM is over $400, but they generally go for about $175-$200 each from what I found.

Yes, they do accept slip on rotors. Here are some pictures of pretty much exactly what I'm doing. Check out the bottom row (http://elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Supercharged-86&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php&page=2)

Curretnly I have a B body master cylinder & dual diaphram booster. I think the master cylinder is 1.25" bore, but I was told by BAER Brakes to use the factory Monte / G body master cylinder.

Scot

Bad news. I took the golf cart tour all around the yard and none of the spindles are the right ones. Back to the drawing board.

Hit the blazer and s-10 forums, i got my 2" drop spindles off there. They usually have some st6ockers or some drop ones hanging around for sale there.

I did. I got three responses. Non of which followed up or included the hubs :?

Damn, I knew it was too good to be true.

I have yet to see these listed anywhere. I'm still pretty convinced that these are GMC spindles and not Chevy ones, which makes them tough to find.

Please confirm exactly the spindles and hubs we are seeking to be G-body bolt-ons with slip-on rotors. My info is:

S-10, 1998-2003, 2WD

I have no info saying it matters whether from a pick-up, Blazer, etc. Correct?

Take care.

From what I saw in the junkyard today it looked like only the Blazers, Jimmies, and Bravadas had the right integrated hub/dual piston brake combo, but they were all 4wd there. I saw a bunch on work vehicle 98+ S10s/Sonomas with the exact same spindles we already have.

I'm getting ticked off here. I might have to hurry up ATS on aftermarket spindles that accept C5/C6 brakes and hubs. They'll probably cost a million bucks and take 2 years to come out if ever though :roll:

I'll be looking through the junkyards. Later

Well I'd just bite the bullet and buy the new hub/spindle assembly if I knew which vehicle to ask for.
It's hard to verify the right spindle without seeing it in the parts diagram.

I'd say any 98+ 2wd blazer, jimmy, bravada should have them. It wouldn't be too hard to get an answer from the parts guy if you explain it to him (I would think).

I am finally beginning to get a better handle on the specifics necessary to make this C5 conversion. I still have a few questions, but here is what I have learned and confirmed:

1. There is no spindle involved. We're using the wrong name. The part needed to replace the the El Camino Spindle is a knuckle. Specifically, the knuckles from a 1998-2003 S10 BLAZER, GMC Jimmy, or Olds Bravada. The part #'s are: Left #18060559, Right #18060560.

2. Then you need two bolt-on hubs, part # 15731627.

Then, you'll be ready to slip on C5 rotors and proceed with attaching calipers.

Good luck finding these knuckes and hubs. My last nationwide search found only two sets. The junk yard in NY wants $200 + $50 S&H for both sides with no warranty on the hubs.

Another point you need to know is that the bearing in the hub cannot be replaced and it'll cost you $200 each to replace the whole hub.

Lastly, I had illusions (delusions) about lowering the front-end by 2" along with the C5 upgrade. Well, no one makes 2" lower knuckles for the Blazer.

I'm almost back to square one. I can't drop 2", plus do the C5 upgrade with the S-10 approach. I would greatly appreciate if someone knows of a way to do it.

I hope this clarifies this thread a little.

Take care.

Spindle/knuckle, you are correct either way, maybe not technically but people will know what you mean. Just about everybody calls it a spindle.

Beltech make 2" drop spindles for 98+ blazer, i have some and they are on my elky, i got them used for $150. Belltech part #2102 made for a Blzer of Jimmy.

The spindles needed are off a 98 or new blazer with the 2 piston calipers. Yes it may be called an S-10 Blazer but forget the damn name S-10. That is what gets people confused. Just remember BLAZER 98+ with the 2 piston caliper. I dont know if they even came with a single piston caliper but if they did, dont get them, they will be the wrong ones. I heard the 4x4 blazer spindles will not work and you need the 2wd spindles.

98+ Blazer, 2wd, 2 piston calipers
Now write it in stone. 8)

You're better off lowering off of the springs and increasing the spring rate than just dropping with the spindles. It looks cool, but will never perform as well as a properly adjusted suspension.

I''ve got to get the new weight with the geniii in there and then find the spring rates required. There are plenty of stock springs with the required length and spring rate to drop the elky 2 inches, which is about all the travel I'm willing to give up.

Thanks for the part numbers. That really helps a lot!
Tony

$175.18 including shipping from gmpartsdirect.com

173.34 for the hub ......OUCH!!
408.84 for the left side alone.

I think I'd try to look for the hub at Kragen or Pep Boys.