Matt D

iTrader: (49)

Alright guys, I have been receiving numerous PMs from people worried that if they grind their calipers they will suffer the same fate as I did on early Saturday morning. From what I can gather from witnesses of my car from that morning, and looking over the car today, I can see that the front driver's side caliper blew completely off the car. This caused the loss of pressure and no braking power. The car is in the hands of the insurance company now, and they will decide if it is totaled or not. I think it isn't but there is pretty bad body damage on the driver's side, both front and rear, and the passenger side front. All parts that are on it seem to be salvageable except for the rims, tires, and rear lower control arms and the obvious body panels/bumpers & headlights. Both the lower control arm and the relocation bracket on the driver side was ripped off and are dragging on the ground. I will keep everyone posted on the status of it as well as the insurance. Thanks for everyone who has expressed concern. I am physically fine, but it hurts on the inside seeing my pride and joy that I have been building for over three years sitting there severly wounded. Like everyone said, the car can be replaced but I can not. I am thankful I am still alive. Take care everyone and be safe!

gettinthere

iTrader: (3)

Do you think it was from grinding or just a freak failure?

ibanez7

iTrader: (7)

ouch... you state the drivers side calliper just blow off the drivers side.

does that mean someone didnt tighten the calliper, or did the floating shafts give out?

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

I think it was due to the sudden heating of the line lock, then the cooling factor the outside 50* temp had on it. Any type of metal going from hot to cold super fast does not hold up well especially after it had been altered. The caliper blew apart and was a mechanical issue, not a matter of tightening it down or not. I had just out the new wheels on thee day before and checked to make sure all the bolts were tightened.

ibanez7

iTrader: (7)

i didnt know your setup..

I agree the heating to cooling definitely did it or atleast contributed.

I could run it through solidworks and cosmo and actually do an analysis of it. Showing the breaking point.. LOL

monsterls1

iTrader: (8)

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can get back on the road soon, but like you said, at least you are fine. Good luck with everything!

BADSZ28

iTrader: (39)

I would like to see pics of the calliper. Where did they break at? What location on the caliper itself?

TS6

iTrader: (41)

I don't understand how the line lock had anything to do with heating the caliper. When you use a line lock, you lock the front brakes, which creates no heat. Heat comes from when you slow down from speed, the friction from the pads rubbing the rotor creates heat. I highly doubt the temperature change caused the failure. Think about it: You drive a vehicle on the highway at 70 mph in freezing cold temps, then hit the brakes for an off ramp. The brakes rise in temp pretty drastically. I'm sure GM has considered that in their design.

Is it possible the caliper came apart on impact, and you're problem is elsewhere?

Either way, glad you came out OK. The car being damaged does suck, but it could be worse. If the ins. co. gives you a check and doesn't total it, you might be ahead to buy a roller and swap your stuff into it. All that body work can't be cheap....

NBM2001z28

iTrader: (43)

its more likely that the brakes were low because of vacuum from putting it in neutral after the pass then the caliper breaking after driving it for how long after grinding? Even if it was grinding, i think you're the first after 1000's to have a caliper fail. I'm not saying you're wrong at all, we're all just going off your post. Its just unlikely after you've had them ground for more then a year i believe?
Mike

BADSZ28

iTrader: (39)

I'm going to have to agree with Mike here. But a picture is worth 1000 words. I am sure you have many many guys on here worried about their callipers from this insident (including myself) and would like to know what failed, when and why. As I am sure you do too. We are all glad you are OK but would like to learn from this to prevent future incidents like yours.

ibanez7: That would be cool to see the COSMOS sim of that. I am trained on solidworks but do not have the full COSMOS software.

baddogz28

iTrader: (6)

I went to the scene yesterday, there were no skid marks for what that's worth.

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

I don't know what EXACTLY caused the caliper to break, I was just trying to put two and two together. All I know is that the caliper did bust before the crash and that the caliper was definitely the cause of the brake failure. Yes, Mikey, I have had the calipers ground for almost two years without a single problem. I only put it in neutral after the fact that I had no brakes. So I know the lack of brakes was not caused by that.

Cephiros

wow...i had a callipur fall off once on the way home from corners, but it stayed hanging by the line and didnt come off, that is messed up, i hope they repair her and get her back, you put too much work into that car to get a new one and start over.

Outlaw Motorsports

iTrader: (4)

It that were the case the car would of died out, his cam isnt that big where it would of done that at Which you still have "Manual Brakes" like the good old days.

Really there is nothing that it could be pointed too because it could be a million things, a bolt could of not got tightend enough and finally came loose, a pad could of been worn down and finally gave out inside causing that side to lock, the list goes on and on.

88monte

iTrader: (10)

the caliper didnt just fall off. a part of the caliper was laying there.i actually picked the peice up off the street. it was just a side of the caliper about a 1/4" thick.

mzoomora

iTrader: (36)

Anytime you compress a fluid or gas it will genertae heat. The longer you hold it compressed the more heat it will transfer. I dont think that was the cause, probably just degradation of the material over time from the increased flex, plus slowing that thing down from 130+ repeatedly. I know my rotors have stress cracks in them, and my car isnt nearly that fast.

Cephiros

its been awhile since i was in school, but if memory suits me correctly, you cant compress fluids, only gasses, displacement of a fluid is constant, push all you want tour nto going to get the same amoutn of liquit to fill in a smaller space like a gas could.

NBM2001z28

iTrader: (43)

+2 points for you, fluids indeed do not compress.

88monte

iTrader: (10)

your a nerd

mzoomora

iTrader: (36)

I stand corrected. You guys sure are edjumacated.