Big Bad Baer Brakes
The seventh stop on the Pickup Fix-up Tour finally gave us a destination to drive to that was more than a few hours from home. Until now, we'd made short trips to various shops within the borders of California and it really didn't feel like we'd gone that far because we were able to sleep at home most nights. Finally though, we got the big part of our journey underway as we he hit the road for Phoenix, Arizona, for a 6 a.m. appointment with Baer Brakes' Todd Gartshore the following morning.
The plan was to meet Todd early in the morning before the oppressive heat of the Phoenix summer would skew our pre-install brake testing results. We met up and took the truck and his test equipment to a remote location in the desert and flogged the truck, laying into the stock brakes from 60 to 0 mph and from almost 100 to 0 mph. The problem was that his equipment was on the fritz and we weren't getting any data about the truck's stopping distance. So, we gave up and headed for the shop to do the install.
Up front, the stock 11-inch rotors and single piston calipers were replaced with Baer two-piece 14-inch rotors and the 6P six-piston calipers. The two-piece 6P calipers are easier for Baer to manufacture, so this is a very affordable caliper for the high level of performance it provides. The calipers are extremely rigid and have six stainless steel pistons stuffed inside of an aluminum housing. The calipers also feature internal crossover tubes, which makes them a little more compact to fit in smaller wheels. Baer uses CPP's new modular drop spindle for '60-'87 Chevy pickups. The one-piece nodular iron design allows early-model trucks to update to larger bearings and it also lowers the truck two inches without moving the wheels out.
Out back, the factory old-school drums will be replaced with a single piston PBR caliper and a 12-inch rotor. The PBR caliper is used on Corvettes and some Trailblazers and features an integrated parking brake. Instead of a small, drum assembly like other brake systems, this caliper has an arm assembly that will mechanically engage the pads.
The complete brake swap took a day and a half to finish and required brake flaring tools along with typical handtools. The only reason you need to flare a brake line is to install the new adjustable proportioning valve on the rear line. Everything else is pretty straightforward and just bolts on, so this is definitely a job the do-it-at-home guy can accomplish.
We've already showed the front...
We've already showed the front suspension of the '73 being blown apart several times during this road trip, so we'll just skip to the part where the 3-inch Belltech drop spindles were swapped for 2-inch CPP drop spindles. Although we really liked the raked stance the 3-inch spindles gave the truck, the bolt-on nature of the CPP/Baer marriage of parts was worth the ride height adjustment.
After assembling the balljoints...
After assembling the balljoints onto the new spindle and reinstalling the cotter pins, the Baer aluminum caliper mount was bolted in place.
New brake hubs were included...
New brake hubs were included in the kit, as were new wheel bearings. The bearings were liberally packed with grease and the spindle spud was coated as well before the hub was slid in place.
The stock 11-inch rotors were...
The stock 11-inch rotors were dwarfed by the 14-inch Baer brakes and amazingly, these brakes did fit inside of our 17x9-inch Vintage Wheelworks V48 wheels when a 1/4-inch spacer was employed between the wheel and hub.
It was now time to install...
It was now time to install the new cross-drilled and vented Baer rotor onto the wheel studs.
Baer's rotors are a two-piece...
Baer's rotors are a two-piece design, featuring an aluminum hat center and beefy cross-drilled and slotted rotor outer surface for great heat dissipation and even wearing.
Baer's six-piston mono-block...
Baer's six-piston mono-block calipers were installed next. Each bolt was coated in thread locking compound prior to installation. The 6P uses the same brake pads that the C5 and C6 Corvette use, so you can get pads at your local parts store, or you can order different compounds for either race or street use from Baer.
The last upgrade at the framerail...
The last upgrade at the framerail was replacing the factory rubber line with this steel-braided Teflon brake line. It connected to the bulkhead fitting in the framerail and offers better brake pedal feel because it doesn't swell under pressure like the soft rubber line does.
Our finished installation...
Our finished installation was ready for the wheel and tire combo to be reinstalled. Time to move on to the rear brake upgrades.