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Classic Performance Products |
1967-1972 Chevrolet Trucks - Project Get Shorty
- Tech Part 3: Just Stop It |
By Dakota Wentz |
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So far, things are going pretty quick and smooth on Project
Get Shorty. The frame is down to its rightful length, and the Air Ride Technologies
suspension, sans electric work, is installed. It only seems logical to keep
things moving in the forward direction. Without missing a beat, the next
step is to finish up at each corner.
Now sure, the suspension has been brought up to par, but
the truck is still missing one key component-brakes. Granted, the truck
did come stock with discs up front and drums out back, which really aren't
too shabby, but in the roundabout world of Los Angeles, I think I'd rather
bet on four-wheel discs to keep my truck from looking like Stromboli's accordion. |
On top of that, by the time I rebuilt the factory brakes,
I'd still be looking at a solid chunk of man-hours and a stack of cash.
On the other hand, I could install four-wheel discs, which will take about
the same amount of time, won't cost a whole heck of a lot more, and will
be a much better setup. Therefore, I might as well ante up and bring Shorty
to the level of modern-day vehicles. |
In the world of Chevy trucks, there are more aftermarket companies
than there are options at a Vegas buffet. One company you are sure to stumble
across when looking for aftermarket performance parts and accessories is
Classic Performance Products (CPP) in Fullerton, California. One could say
CPP is a one-stop shop when it comes to rebuilding a classic Chevy truck,
which made them the perfect candidate for this install. |
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The key to stopping, the Classic Performance Products four-wheel
disc deluxe brake kit. |
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I decided to start the install at the truck's rear. The new
CPP rear disc brake kit comes with its own mounting brackets for the calipers,
therefore the factory drum backing plates need to be removed. In order to
do this, the axles must be pulled from the rearend by removing the C-clips
in the rearend. |
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With the backing plates removed, I then took a wire brush
and cleaned up the area. Once clean, I rattle-canned the flanges black to
match the rest of the rearend. |
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Before I installed the brakes, I decided to spruce things
up a bit. Using a can of hi-temp semi-gloss black spray paint and a quickie
cardboard stencil, I cut out the shape of the rotor hat and painted the
rotor hats and calipers. The new look of the rotors gives off a hi-tech
road race feel, which is way cool. |
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The next step was to bolt up the CPP caliper bracket to the
rearend flange. |
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With the brackets on, I could then slide the axles back into
place and reassemble the rear differential. |
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Next up, I slid the new cross-drilled and slotted rotor on
the axle. |
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CPP makes things easy when bolting up the calipers to the
bracket due to the fact that only two bolts are used. |
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Once the calipers are bolted up, I could then install the
new CPP e-brake cables to the calipers. |
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Up front, the Air Ride Technologies control arms were already
installed. However, the ART arms utilize the old-style ball joints, so I
had to take them off and head down to have the new ball joints pressed in. |
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Next we pressed the new CPP ball joints into the arms. |
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Once back at the tech center, I reinstalled the arms and dropped
the new CPP drop spindle into place, which was also spray painted black
for a clean look. |
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Before the front rotors can be installed, I had to grease
the new bearings and install them using the new seals as well. |
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CPP gives you all the necessary hardware to mount the new
front rotors, so it was a breeze mounting everything up. |
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The new calipers bolt directly to the spindles instead of
using a separate mounting plate. My next step was to bolt the calipers to
the spindles. |
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Instead of using rubber flex hoses, we are going to use these
sick-looking stainless hoses that will also add some performance to the
system. |
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When bolting the stainless hoses to the calipers, be sure
to use the provided copper washers for a secure fit. |
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The deluxe kit comes with an entire tie rod setup. Using the
appropriate jamb nuts, the tie rod ends were screwed into the CPP adjusting
sleeves. |
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The new CPP tie rods were assembled to the length of the stock
tie rods; that way the front end will track as straight as possible until
we can get to the alignment center. |
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Then I installed the tie rod to the spindle and center link. |
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Dig the new dual master cylinder, dual-diaphragm 8-inch booster,
and proportioning valve. Instead of going with a zinc-plated setup, CPP
hooked us up with a chromed master cylinder, polished stainless booster,
and polished proportioning valve. |
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Before I installed the setup on the firewall, I had to determine
the proper length for the power booster push rod, which attaches to the
brake pedal. Once I determined the correct length, I tightened the jamb
nuts. |
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The last step for now was to install the setup on the firewall. |
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