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I bought the C5 Corvette caliper on 14" C6 rotor hybrid bracket kit for W-body/ N-body cars from Kore3. It is zinc coated and comes with spacers and mounting bolts. Cost is $115. Tobin Knighton was my sales/tech rep and he is great to work with. 
The kit allows you to install C5 (or C6 base) calipers and JL9 abutment brackets on Grand Prix ( or other W-bodies) and use the 355MM C6 Z06 rotor.
The only hiccup for me was that the kit was originally designed for the N-body cars and has 12MM spindle mounting holes. Kore3 was willing to enlarge the holes to the W-body 14MM size and re-zinc the brackets for $20 more ($10 without re-zinc), but I opted to save the money and do the holes myself on a drill press. Also, Tobin swapped in the 14MM mounting hardware at no extra cost so there will be nothing I have to replace after the bolt hole modification.
 
I am pretty sure that I have Tobin convinced to produce future production runs with the 14MM holes because of more demand for W-body cars. We even talked about me waiting a few weeks for the next scheduled production run and getting them with the 14MM holes but I opted to buy the in-stock set.
 
I also did a lot of research and chose to order 14" Mustang Shelby GT500 rotors instead of the C6 Corvette version. They are much cheaper and don't have the retarded cross-drilled holes that only work with Asbestos pads of the 60's. I found them on eBay for $68 in a 2 pack set w/ free shipping.
 
Cheapest C5 caliper/w bracket set I found was the Power Stop rebuilds from Rock Auto. With core charges included,  I was only out about $160 total for the pair after shipping, and they still have the factory raised CORVETTE logo (unlike the AUTOZONE units which were much more expensive and had the lettering ground off).
 
I also got some shimmed semi metallic pads from Rock Auto for $8.50 + $6 shipping.
 
This puts me at $360 total so far for the upgrade and all I have left to deal with are the hoses.

For info about the big brakes, see that thread in this forum.

Here is what an Eldorado looks like with 14" front brakes:

0127181705b.jpg

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0127181704d.jpg

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

As mentioned in my wheels and tires thread, the inner beauty lip of the factory Ford Bullitt style wheels made the inner diameter too small to clear the new breaks..

0219181707a.jpg

My project was put on hold until I could get new 18" wheels that would clear them.

I was able to get a set of four 18X10's on clearance. All future pics in this thread that show a wheel are with the new wheels that have a 7.15" backspace. Any that include tires will be of 275/40ZR18's that I also got a good deal on.

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The inboard angel of the struts set by the increase in negative camber then offset by camber adjustment bolts in the upper hole helps the new wheels clear the strut without spacers.

0225181517c.jpg

 

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I made simple brackets for the wheel sensor wire and brake hose with some flat aluminum stock. They will blend in when painted.

0225181738b.jpg

0225181737b.jpg

I also trimmed the brackets as needed.

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To get the rear wheels to clear the rear suspension, I made a suspension limiter from wire rope to prevent the last inch of travel. That kept the upper A-Arm from contacting the inner lip of the rear wheel. I didn't take pics because its just temporary. The permanent fix will be to buy shorter rear shocks when they need replacing.

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Time to finish the strut modifications:

I didn't like the weak-looking 5/16" studs in the upper strut mounts and they were too short to reach through the strut tower brace plate, tower, and thick fender washers planned for the installation. I hammered out the studs and used a 3/8" bit, bought grade 8 bolts of the desired length and went to my dad's house for some tack welding.

0305181636_HDR.jpg

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Edited by CadVetteStang

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The 275/40ZR18 tires arrived. Time to get them mounted and check for any possible fitment issues, then adjust the suspension accordingly.

 

0308180921a-1.jpg

0308180928a-1.jpg

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Best I can tell with the car still on jackstands, the tires will not touch the inner fenders or the fender lip. I don't think the outboard sidewalls will rub against the inner fenders even on the lowered rear end. It's like the car was designed for this width and offset.

0308181636.jpg

0308181636d-1.jpg

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I shaved a little off of the new bumpstops with a bandsaw giving them slightly shorter height than the stock Caddy version to allow a bit more suspension travel. Then I reassembled the struts with the Cadillac billows in place. They fill up the narrower springs.

0320181736a-1.jpg

0320181820-1.jpg

 

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The strut brace plates have been built.

 

0320181655.jpg

 

Here's what they look like in place on a strut:

0320181822-1.jpg

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The brace plates will provide the strength that was lost by opening up the top of the strut towers for the camber/ caster improvement. However I can't deal with the ugly opening.

0314181902a-1-1.jpg

I found some scrap aluminum with a beveled edgeedge, and cut & shaped it to be a trim ring.

0314181902b.jpg

Edited by CadVetteStang

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I used SteelStick like bondo for the tower body work since it would be stronger.

0314181903a.jpg

I then filed it down and shot some touchup paint onto the towers.

0320181655b-1.jpg

It doesn't have to be perfect here. A "welded" look is fine.

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I modified the factory Monte Carlo Bar's openings as needed, and re-installed the struts.

0320181910-1.jpg

Looks good.

0320181917a-1.jpg

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The nominal rolling diameter of your 275/40ZR18 tires is 26.66 inches, which compares to the nominal rolling diameter of factory 225/60WR16 tires of 26.63 inches (actual published for factory Goodyears is 26.6 inches).  The difference is negligible, meaning that diameter won't cause  fitment issues and the standard gear rations for the 4T80E transmission (3.11, 3.4, 3.71) will work too.  Any interference issues will come from width or large negative camber at highest suspension travel.  Your new tires are about two inches wider than the stock tires.  With the proper offset (the axis of the strut passing through the center of the patch on the front), that's about an inch less clearance inboard and outboard, which may be tight but certainly doable with possible minor mods of the fender liners.

Nominal rolling diameter is width*(aspect/100)+(rim size), all converted to inches.  (275*(40/100))/25.4+18=26.66.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
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Thank you for the data, Jim. Yes, my two desired sizes are: 275/40ZR18 which is almost the same as the 225/60R16 and the 285/40ZR18 which is almost the same as the 235/60R16, and 255/45ZR16 that I had been using. I've heard that some of these cars came with the 235/60R16. I went with the 275mm wide version because of price and it would be easier to fit under the front fenders.

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More details about the new wheels and tires are covered in the thread dedicated to that subject. However, for those not following that forum, here are a few pics. 

1. New wheel 18X10 with 275/40ZR18 tires rated at 168 MPH pictured with the stock 16X7 wheel with 225/60R16 tire.

0308181202-1.jpg

2. In this picture, the stock tire is not inflated and was in a depression. It is not really shorter than the new tire except for tread depth.

0308181208a-1.jpg

3. New wheel/tire pictured with the 18X8.5 Bullitt wheel and 255/45ZR18 tire.

0308181228-1-1.jpg

Edited by CadVetteStang

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These Achilles ATR SPORT 2 tires have a published rolling diameter of 26.7 inches. 

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I forgot to publish the pic in this thread of the wheel-to-suspension contact in the rear suspension. Look where the upper A-Arm makes contact with the inside of the rim..

0225181543b.jpg

There is an unused hole on each side in the same location that I made larger for the bolts to mount my suspension limiter.

0306181839.jpg

There was a straight line down to the lower A-Arm and a good place to mount it down there.

Edited by CadVetteStang

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18X10 wheels and 275/40 ZR18 tires on a 2002 Cadillac Eldorado. 

0322181745a-1-1_edit_1521806084747.jpg

0322181741b.jpg

0322181756a-1.jpg

0322181741-1.jpg

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0322181736b-1-1.jpg

0322181736-1.jpg

Now I have to work on the alignment. 

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I made several unsuccessful attempts to get the alignment right. In troubleshooting, I diagnosed that the engine cradle was out of alignment. This had the driver's side wheel positioned closer to the inner fender and was the cause of some steering loss.

In my attempts, I slotted the lower holes of the strut the way the factory strut is slotted. I found that there was enough wheel-to-strut clearance that I didn't need the camber bolts so I opted to replace them with the stronger factory bolts..... Then the alignment process started all over.

I finally have it straight enough to drive for a few miles without chewing up the new tires.

Here is a shot up into the strut tower. After the shop does an alignment and I get the upper struts  placed in their permanent location, I'll drill and install two bolts in each brace plate to make sure everything stays where it is supposed to. This will allow the braces to remain in the towers when I replace struts and not need to get another alignment up there.

0323182115-1.jpg

 

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As it turns out, the Cadillac swaybar end links were closer to the length that I needed. However, because they have longer, tapered, mounting studs, and because the Pontiac strut tower mounting tab is at the inboard side of the strut tube, and because the improved caster moves the location of the upper ball joint of the mount to the rearward edge of the strut tower, I had a clearance issue in that area when turning the wheels.

The lack of taper in the Pontiac mounting stud created a lot more room, but the grease fittings on the back side still rubbed the back edge of the inner fender in a small area.

I marked that area and created the needed clearance with a 5 lb. sledge. Fortunately, I didn't have to relocate the hole where the speed sensor wire exits the engine bay.

0323181826.jpg

 

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The hammering of that area caused the undercoating to flake off at the impact area. You can see where cleancing was done because when I painted the area, it was left glossy whereas the paint over undercoat remained flat.

The Pontiac endlinks were 1/4" too long causing the swaybar to bottom out against the frame when the suspension is fully extended. However, the bar angle was good. Raising the strut assembly with a jack under the rotor to hook it up created a 1/4" suspension limiter . I'm okay with that.

I still had to rotate the grease fittings 90 degrees so that the poited sideways in order to clear the frame.

The upper endlinks now fit well within the pocket of the strut towers and all clearance issues with them have been resolved.

0326181913b.jpg

 

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Tell me about the Corvette brake calipers, are they a direct fit or is a much larger wheel required for clearance?

Are those Corvette rotors also?

Thanks

I am interested in how it handles when you are done

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2 hours ago, BodybyFisher said:

Tell me about the Corvette brake calipers, are they a direct fit or is a much larger wheel required for clearance?

Are those Corvette rotors also?

Thanks

I am interested in how it handles when you are done

Is this the same Bobby Fisher who is a Facebook friend?

I have explained indetail the components of the braking system and the clearace issues on previous pages, but this is a 9 page thread, so I will summarize:

1. The Corvette calipers will work on your stock 12" rotors if you use 98-02 F-body abutment brackets. And they MIGHT fit the stock wheels. However, the hole size is 14MM on the Cadillac spendles and 12MM on the F-body brackets so a minor modification has to be made where either a 1MM walled piece of tubing 1/2" long is used as an adapter or the brackets need to be re-tapped for a 14MM bolt.

2. The Corvette calipers - if used with the stock JL9 option Corvette abutment brackets will work with the 12.75" (AKA 13") rotors from the C5 Vette or late model DTS rotor (heavy duty brakes option). They SHOULD fit under 17" wheels, but I have not yet tried.

3. I am using the calipers andbrackets above with the KORE3 industries bracket adapter kit designed to put C5 Vette calipers on 14" C6 Vette rotors onto Grand Ams (bolt-on) or Grand Prixs (14MM bolt modification required.)

4. Through my research, I discovered that the 14" Shelby GT500 Mustang front rotors and the 14"CTS-V rotors have almost identical specs and will bolt up. The bolt pattern differences are no issue because the lug holes are large enough to work with no modifications. The hub center of the Mustang rotor is only .3MM larger... That's point three mm, so it will work as well.

5. I used the Mustang rotors because they were 1/2 price of the Vette rotors and less than 10% of the CTS-V rotors. Also there are no holes drilled into the Mustang rotors. Drilled rotors do not perform as well as solid rotors when you use semi-metalic or ceramic pads and they cause cracking during autocross use.

6. You MUST use 18" or larger wheels when C5 Vette calipers are placed on 14" rotors, but not all 18" wheels will work. The issue is the inside diameter where the caliper is.

Edited by CadVetteStang

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I'm basically at a stopping point for the re-design and rebuild of the front and rear racing suspension as well as the wheel and tire package. There are some minor things to do later like adapt a flat ball joint-style bushing to replace the front LCA polyurethane bushings and in the rear, replace all bushings with polyurethane units.

But I am far enough along to test and race it. I'll post pictures and videos as they become available.

This has been a very long adventure. I now have the world's only last generation Eldorado that has been tuned for racing.

0326181913a.jpg

Edited by CadVetteStang

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