[FLYNAVY30]

So as I stated earlier, I decided that I wanted to do something to improve the brakes. The factory set up wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I also wanted something more serviceable than the rear drums. What I came up with was a set of Wilwood's D52 replacement calipers for the front and rear. They are dual piston calipers as opposed to the stock single piston, and have different piston area front to rear to maintain the front to rear brake bias of the stock system. The fronts are direct bolt on replacements for the stock calipers. For the rears, I ordered a mounting bracket kit from (now out of business) Blackbird Customs. The kit used a custom bracket, and the front rotor from a later '78-83 K20. The installation was simple and straight forward...the axels did need to be removed from the stock Dana 60 in order to mount the rear caliper bracket, but that was only a two beer job. I used a 1 1/16 Baer master cylinder and bent up all new stainless lines, using braided stainless flex lines at all 4 corners and at the transition to the rear end. When it was all said and done, the only component of the brake system that was original was the pedal itself. Needless to say, stops are now straight and predictable. The only thing I would do differently is not use DOT 5 fluid. For just a driver application, it was recommended as it doesn't retain water, and will not harm paint if spilled. I have however found it to provide a slightly spongy feel when compared to a similar system using DOT 3. Its not terrible, and not worth the effort to completely flush the system, but something to consider for anyone contemplating a brake system rebuild.