Originally Posted by 13thFlame

If you want Brembos but want to keep your stock wheels well there's an answer and it's pretty simple. I'm not going to explain how to change brakes but you can find all sorts of video's and howto's online so we'll skip all that. Basically, the ATS (J55)/Base Stingray Caliper Bolt Up to the LS1 Splinder once you drill out the holes to 9/16 which can be done with a drill. You use the stock Fbody Brake lines you just buy new banjo bolts. Bolt everything up and that's pretty much it. There's not much to it other than drilling the holes and doing a regular brake job. Pretty simple. They clear ZR1/SS by quite a lot without any griding. I haven't tried out other wheels but I'm sure with the right spacer they all fit. ZR1 wheels have pretty thick spokes so other wheels may require a thinner spacer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahTezJQbhSM&t=2s

For LT1 1993-1997 Cars Swap out the Spindle to the LS1 Style (V6 1998-2002 spindle works as well as all 98-02 cars use the same brakes.)

Brake Calipers (Off of a Base Model Stingray, ATS with performance brakes RPO J55 or Buick Regal GS with Brembo package)
Buick Regal GS Calipers - 172-2614 and 172-2615
C7 Stingray Calipers - 172-2619 or 22847796 and 172-2622 or 84089127 (C7 calipers came in many colors and have multiple part numbers for different colors. So pick out the color that suits your ride best!)
ATS J55 - 172-2777 and 172-2768

Pin/Caliper Kit:
GM Part #19264181

Banjo Bolt
Dorman 14100

Caliper Mounting Bolt
11611085

Brake Rotor
Centric Brake Rotor 120.62146 (Off a Base model C7 Corvette Stingray)

Hub Centric 15mm Spacer
Eibach 90.6.15.033.1

Brake Pads
Any that fit a base model C7 Corvette Stingray choose your favorite brand or whatever suits your budget!

Finally a ½" and 9/16" drill bit to drill out your original bolt holes for the caliper which you can get at home depot if you don’t already have them but that’s about it.

Originally Posted by 04palass

Great write up thanks! I did need to add some washers to the caliper bolts to make sure the clearance was good like @Chris Paveglio video said. I will also add I have C5 wheels and these calipers clear without spacers.

Originally Posted by 98cherrySS

Can anyone confirm whether or not the ZR1 style SS wheels will clear the Brembos without a spacer?

Originally Posted by 13thFlame

@@maroonls1z Stops much sooner, pedal feels way better! 4 piston is cheaper but if you want to do 6 pistons I suggest CTS-V Calipers and Rotors. You can check out my video I did on CTS-V 6 Pistons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCPfCS00q3M&t=

Originally Posted by handyandy

Good thread / write-up! I did this brake swap last winter and was in the process of doing a full write-up to post on here, but like most things didn't get it fully completed. I will add here what I had been writing up though, just to add what info I have to what everyone else has already posted. Some of it is duplicated but I think some of the part info and numbers might be helpful:

Parts Needed

Calipers -

There are several different GM / AC Delco part numbers that work for this swap, but all are the standard GM 4-piston Brembo’s with different paint jobs. And as far as I have learned, they are physically the same calipers as the 4-piston CTS-V / Camaro SS Brembo’s, just with shorter mounting ears to fit over the smaller diameter rotors. The ATS Brembo’s are generally the cheapest, just because they come with a less flashy matte grey paint job and say “Cadillac” on them – the C7 base Brembo’s are physically the same, but are generally pricier because they have gloss paint jobs and Corvette decals.

The following are GM part numbers for calipers that work for this swap, with the AC Delco PN in parentheses:

ATS J55 calipers:
84089034 (172-2777), 84089035 (172-2768)

C7 JL9 calipers:
22847783 (172-2606), 84089124 (172-2611) – Grey
22847784 (172-2607), 22847789 (172-2612) – Yellow
22847785 (172-2608), 84089126 (172-2613) – Red

There are likely other flavors of C7 calipers that work, but these are the options that I’m aware of. If you go aftermarket, just make sure you’re getting ATS option code J55 calipers, or C7 option code JL9. Also keep in mind the GM part numbers have been superceded a few times, so ‘older’ version part numbers might still exist out there, and there might be ‘new’ numbers in the future. These are current PN’s as of the GM EPC today.

Unless you shell out for the nicer finish and decals of the C7 calipers, you might also want to take the opportunity to paint these calipers while they are still fresh and new. I sprayed mine with Duplicolor caliper paint (I believe it was called “Real Red”) and applied a set of eBay Brembo decals in white. Do them up however you like and they will show very well – the OEM ATS calipers are a matte grey with raised white Cadillac lettering, so if you’re really **** you will want to remove or sand down the white lettering so it doesn’t show through your paint as a raised portion.

Caliper Pin / Hardware Kit –

The GM calipers do not come with the hardware, so you need to buy a hardware kit, unless your pad set comes with it (some do). The GM part number for this kit is 22813180, which comes with 2 pins and 1 spring, good for one side / caliper.

Caliper Bolts –

The caliper mounting bolts are larger than the stock F-Body ones, so you will also need to buy 4 of these. The GM part number is 11611085, which is an M14x2.0 thread, 45mm in length, grade 10.5 with threadlock. If you don’t want to buy the GM bolts, you can likely source these at your local hardware / fastener store.

Brake Pads –

This probably goes without saying, but you of course need the correct brake pads. The GM / OEM C7 pads are PN 84233021, but they are very pricey OEM Brembo pads that have great bite, but also a lot of dust. Pad choice is up to preference, and you can get anything from a standard replacement at NAPA up to more track oriented pads. Just make sure that whatever you get, they are compatible with current-gen ATS J55 or C7 JL9 brakes. And since the calipers are identical to the CTS-V / Camaro 4-pistons other than the mounting ears, the pads in most cases are the same as well. I used Power Stop pads, and they were the same PN that went on my Regal GS with 14” rotor Brembo’s.

Rotors –

These are again more of a personal preference as to brand, but in this case you need C7 JL9 rotors, the ATS J55 rotors will NOT work. Both are 12.6” in diameter, but the C7 JL9 rotors are the only ones that have the correct 71mm center bore and 5x4.75” bolt pattern. The ATS rotors have a difference center bore and bolt pattern and will not work on an F-Body.

GM PN for the rotors is 20981819 (AC Delco 177-1155), but again these are pricey OEM versions. I am using NAPA blanks, PN NDR 488821618, but you can use literally anything that fits a C7 JL9.

Steering Knuckle –

This is something that may be overlooked, but you do need to start with 98-02 “LS” style steering knuckles. The 93-97 “LT” style knuckles use a different caliper and thus a different bolt spacing for the caliper mounting ears. These ATS / C7 calipers mount up to the 98-02 knuckles (with drilling, will get to that later), so if you have a 93-97 F-Body you will need to source the newer style knuckles. Everything else on the knuckles is interchangeable, so they will bolt right up in place of your 93-97 ones.

*Brake Hoses –

I put an asterisk beside this one because you may not absolutely need new hoses, but I found that I did. Some others have said they’ve been able to make everything fit and reach with their stock hoses, but when I dry fit everything I didn’t like how tight the hoses were pulled with the steering at full lock.

The ATS and C7 hoses won’t work because the fittings that go to your hard lines are not the same as F-Body hoses. However, there are companies that make ‘custom’ lines specifically for the CTS-V in F-Body conversion, and these lines work just the same on this setup. I got my hoses from Kore3, and they were the CTS-V swap hoses, and I would highly recommend them. The hoses are built very strong, they have plenty of length, and the price was fairly reasonable. They’re not the only ones who make hoses like this, but after contacting others that I wasn’t so happy with, I’d definitely recommend going with the Kore3 hoses.

*Wheel Spacers –

This is another asterisk because you will have to dry fit and measure and estimate what or if you need spacers, but I did, and from what I’ve seen of others doing this swap most need at least some amount of spacer. The 12.6” rotors fit a 17” wheel perfectly fine around the outside of the rotor, but depending on the spoke design and offset of your wheels, they will likely contact the outboard side of the caliper on the back side of the spokes. Spacers will put the wheels further outboard from your hub and give you the clearance you need to fit the calipers.

For reference, I have OEM WS6 Sportline wheels on a Trans Am, and I needed 20mm spacers. That has given me about 5-6mm clearance to the calipers, and also set the wheels pretty well flush to the fenders – overall it has given me a good fit both for the brakes and aesthetically. Others I’ve read have only needed a 5mm spacer, so it really is something you will have to figure out as you dry fit everything.

Do your research on types and brands of spacers and what else you will need. Generally, anything 5-15mm is a ‘slide on’ type spacer that fits over your studs, while 20mm+ are the ‘bolt on’ style that bolts onto your studs, and has its own set of new studs. The ones that slide over your stock studs usually require longer studs so you get a safe amount of threads on your lug nuts, and both styles you should aim to get hub-centric spacers.

Originally Posted by MetallicBluews6

I went to the Kore3 website which brake lines did you get for the ATS brembo set up? I purchased all parts all I need is better brake lines.

Originally Posted by Chris Paveglio

The difference is 24mm or 1 inch so that sounds like the Buick has the Z51 size (larger) setup. Which don't fit on my 17" firehawk wheels. See my video for Z51 mistake I made on getting wrong caliper at first and sizing.

Originally Posted by VIP1

Those Torque Thrust wheels look a bit too close.

What size and backspacing? (Sig says 17x9.5 Front, are those them?)

Are you running spacers?