Corvette C6 Z06 Brembo Big Brake Installation

Corvette C6 Z06 Brembo Big Brake Installation

This is a fairly easy, though time-consuming do-it-yourself project…Installation is of the Corvette C6 Z06 Brembo Big Brake Kit. Plan on spending a full day if you work carefully and slowly. It’s a basic bolt-on project, though there is a little filing that needs to be done (5 minutes worth per corner), and the only challenging part is getting a good seal between the brake hard line and new SS brake line. And plan on getting brake fluid *everywhere*. Other than that, very straight-forward.The Brembo instructions are good, but I changed the order of the steps to minimize brake fluid spillage.

*** Standard disclaimers apply. I assume no responsibility for any damage. Please be careful – the consequences of a mistake or improper install could be disastrous ***

Pics below are from a 2007 Z06, and a 2007 Service Manual was used.

Tools

* 2 Bottles Brake Fluid Minimum – 3 Bottles Ideally

* Blue Loctite (#242)

* 11mm, 13mm, 17mm, & 5/8” Box-Wrenches

* 10mm Hex Socket

* 11mm, 13mm & 21mm Sockets

* Suitable 3/8” & 1/2″ Wrenches

* 3/8” to 1/2” Adapter as needed

* Pliers / Metal Snips

* Large Flat Blade Screwdriver

* Round Metal File

* Empty Plastic Bottle

* Turkey Baster

* Hammer – if changing brake pads (from what’s shipped installed in the calipers)

* Small Nail Punch – if changing brake pads (from what’s shipped installed in the calipers)

Step 1) Raise Car; Remove Wheels; Release Parking Brake

FRONT BRAKES

Pictures are of Passenger Side Front

Step 2) Remove Caliper

Turn Steering wheel to give more clearance

Use 21mm Socket and Remove Two Bolts.

Slide Caliper off and place to the side, supported by something, so the brake line is not stressed.

Back Side of Caliper, top bolt in place, bottom bolt removed:

Step 3) Remove Rotor

Use Pliers / Metal Snips to cut Rotor Retaining Washer off

Pull rotor straight off

Rotor removed with caliper on the side supported by a 2×4:

Step 4) Install Brembo Caliper Mounting Bracket

Use 21mm Socket with Stock Bolts

Service Manual says to use new bolts; if you choose to reuse your existing bolts, clean the bolts and apply Blue Loctite.

Torque to 129 ft-lbs (175 Nm)

Torque Wrench attached to top bolt:

Step 5) Clean Rust off the Hub

Step 6) Install Rotor

It just slides on the hub
If you are changing pads from what’s shipped installed in the calipers, do it now.

Step 7) Install Caliper

Use 10mm Hex socket and long Brembo Bolts. Thread these carefully… the threads on the bracket are easy to damage!

* Brembo Manual says that these are Self-Locking and do not require thread lock compound… so use it at your discretion *

Torque to 80 ft-lbs (115 Nm)

Step 8) Attach SS Brake Line to Caliper

Use 13mm socket

Torque to 15 ft-lbs (20 Nm) – I had to tighten a little more to get them leak-free.

The line should be attached just forward of vertical (15-30 degrees toward the front of the car)

Secure other end of SS Brake line out of the way for now.

*From Brembo Manual: Do not apply sealant or thread lock to any brake line connections *

Step 9) Remove Brake Hard Line Retaining Clip

Use Flat Blade Screwdriver and push up (vertically) on the Retaining Clip. It takes a moderate amount of force.

Screwdriver on Clip:

Clip half-way off:

Clip is reused; it fits on the Brembo supplied SS brake line perfectly:

Step 10) Disconnect Brake Hard Line from (flexible) Stock Brake Line

Pull assembly toward you a little, enough to get both box wrenches on your side of the mounting tab.

Use 5/8” box wrench on (outer) Flex Brake Line Nut. This nut does NOT move.

Use 13mm box wrench on (inner) Brake Hard Line Bolt. This ‘Bolt’ is threaded into the outer Nut. The threads for this nut face toward you. Unscrew this bolt.

Step 11) Cap Brake Hard Line

*Now you have to work fast, to minimize getting brake fluid everywhere*

Pull Hard line onto other side of mounting tab and out of the way.

Use Red plastic stopper from Brembo supplied SS brake lines, and insert over Hard Line.

Note: this slows, but does not stop brake fluid from leaking out.

Step 12) Enlarge Brake Line Mounting Tab

Use Metal File and make the ‘square’ hole in the Mounting Tab more circular

A minimal amount of filing is required. Maybe 5 minutes +/-.

Test Fit the Brembo supplied SS brake line as needed.

Step 13) Attached Brake Hard Line to Brembo supplied SS Brake Line

Use 17mm box wrench on (outer) Brembo-Supplied SS Brake Line Nut. This nut does NOT move.

Use 13mm box wrench on (inner) Brake Hard Line Bolt.

It should not take a lot of force to thread the brake lines together.

Torque to 13 lb ft (18Nm) – I had to tighten them very tight for them not to leak.

Step 14) Reinstall Brake Hard Line Retaining Clip

Use back of Flat Blade Screwdriver and lightly pound Retaining Clip back on.

That’s it for the Front!

REAR BRAKES

Pictures are of Driver Side Rear

Step 15) Install Rear Brakes

The procedure is identical to the front; Torque values are identical to the front. Summary Pictures:

Remove Caliper:

Remove Rotor; Install Brembo Caliper Mounting Bracket:

Disconnect Brake Hard Line;

File Brake Line Mounting Tab; Get Brake Fluid everywhere:

That’s it for the Rear!

FLUSH BRAKE FLUID

By the time I got all four corners installed… this is how much fluid I had left!

It didn’t cause any issues, just took a long time to get the system air free (2 full bottles).

Step 16) Flush Brake Fluid

Turkey Baster fluid from reservoir as needed

Use 11mm box wrench on bleed-screw

Use Brembo supplied tube

Use your own plastic bottle

Run at least 2 bottles through the system

Bleed order:

Right Rear Inner

Right Rear Outer

Left Front Inner

Left Front Outer

Left Rear Inner

Left Rear Outer

Right Front Inner

Right Front Outer

Make sure the person helping you bleed the brakes has something to do! (Because it takes a while to get the system air free and leak free)

Step 17) Verify that the brake line connections do not leak

Any leaks will become evident during the Brake flush/bleed.

The system should not leak… not even a little, tiny bit. There may be some ‘weeping’ from fluid caught between the threads… but have your helper press the brake pedal as hard as they can… no fluid should seep out anywhere.

If there is a leak, tighten the brake line connection. If it still leaks, open brake line connection, verify there is no debris caught in the threads and reconnect.

It took me quite a while to get one of the corners leak-free; no problems with the other three.
Step 18) Replace wheels, Lower Car
BED ROTORS / PADS

Follow the Brembo Supplied Instructions for this.
THAT’S IT

Now go enjoy your new Brembo Brakes… You’re going to love them!

Created and written by “Dreamin” from the Corvette Forum

Welcome To 101 Corvette Projects

Welcome to my collection of Corvette C5, C6 and Z06 Projects. The whole purpose of this blog is to accumulate 101 DIY Corvette projects that the average shade tree mechanic can complete in their garage. Some projects were personally performed by myself while others where donated by other Corvette enthusiasts.

If you have documented a Corvette project and would like to share it with the Corvette community, please shoot me an email or post here with your project information. I would love to post it on the site for you.

Thanks,

Jim

jevose@bellsouth.net