The Supercar Registry - Do not overlook your Brake system!

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- - Do not overlook your Brake system! (https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=164009)

Do not overlook your Brake system!

Wow, no doubt that's one unhappy owner.

I'd also remind classic car owners to replace their tires based on age and regardless of how they appear or how many miles they have on them. I had two Radial TA's fail recently. They were about 10 years old and looked virtually new.

Wow, that sucks. Appreciate the reality reminders.

ive never seen disc brakes fail like that

Ouch! That was painful.

JP

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Crashing a classic car must be heartbreaking. A regular crash is no fun, but to realize you’ve seriously damaged a vehicle you absolutely cherish and that’s worth a bundle of cash just has to feel awful. Even worse is when you do it with someone you’re trying to impress in the passenger seat, and even worse than that is when the whole thing is caught on camera, then uploaded to the internet for everyone to see. That’s what a man in Fayetteville, Georgia experienced and it’s painful to watch. Even worse, he did it all to impress his daughter’s boyfriend.

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As the guy tells the story, once he backed out to the driveway from his basement garage, he decided to spin the ‘Vette’s tires on the way to the upstairs garage – mistake two. Without trying out the brakes before going down the slope of his front driveway – mistake three – he realized there was no brake pressure. The man pulled the emergency brake, which also didn’t work.

According to this guy, after making these three big mistakes, he had a quick choice to make: hit the Nissan 350Z and Dodge Challenger parked in his driveway, go through the fence and probably end up in the lake behind his house, or hit the house. He chose option three, crunching the front passenger fender on the brick. It’s enough to turn our stomach.

https://www.motorious.com/articles/n...1966-corvette/

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Originally Posted by purple panther (Post 1521669)

ive never seen disc brakes fail like that

The Corvette 4 piston design was really bad for bore corrosion. Hence the stainless steel sleeves solution.

Yes... It is called a "brake check" for a reason. It was the very first thing my dad taught me when I got behind the wheel for the first time.

It is always the first thing you do with a collector vehicle and even with that you should always drive to anticipate things like sudden and unexpected vacuum leaks which can and do affect brake response.

Make sure the emergency brake actually works too.

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Originally Posted by BCreekDave (Post 1521706)

The Corvette 4 piston design was really bad for bore corrosion. Hence the stainless steel sleeves solution.

Exactly!

I did my whole system 20 years ago, used dot 5, but you got me thinking.
I just had a rear caliper just hung up on my ‘95. It started smoking on the way home from cars and coffee. I sent both rears out.

Yikes ! That sucks, but that is a good reminder to check your brakes constantly before moving your collector car or anything BTW.
When I worked at the local Corvette shop in Calgary, we used to stock about 80 stainless calipers at any 1 time, I constantly was booking cars for brake work, we had a few customers ram our overhead door through out the years.
Let’s face it brakes are a very overlooked item, and seeing as DOT 3,4,& 5.1 brake fluids are hygroscopic and absorb moisture & humidity it causes lots of corrosion & rust, especially on Corvette fixed type calipers. Hardly anyone changes & flushes their brake system and this video is a great reminder not to ignore maintenance. How many reading this can honestly say they have flushed their brake system periodically?

BTW the Emergency brakes should also be used periodically to avoid seizing up.

Comin' in a little hot, don't you think!

I know many of you "meat servos" out there will know that when you start to taxi one of the first things ya' do is tap the brakes ...

Wouldn’t shutting it off in 1st gear with the clutch out slowed it down a bit? I guess maybe because I race, I tend to react to catastrophic situations a little quicker. Losing the brakes in anything is nerve racking, but losing them going through the traps is in the back of every drag racers mind and I think we are subconsciously prepared for it. I run a stick and have thought out the sequence of events should it ever happen. I also check the brakes at every oil change. And, I have an operating emergency brake that I always use in the pits and during transport. The video shows the driver coming in hot and, I’m guessing went into shock when the brake pedal went to the floor. I don’t understand how the driver didn’t at least put his foot on the brake when he started the car? Who DOESN’T put their foot on the brake when they start a vehicle?

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Originally Posted by DW31S (Post 1522299)

Wouldn’t shutting it off in 1st gear with the clutch out slowed it down a bit?

I don’t understand how the driver didn’t at least put his foot on the brake when he started the car? Who DOESN’T put their foot on the brake when they start a vehicle?

These were exactly my thoughts!!