I think I've got everything I need to get this going. Just need a weekend to do it.

-2nd Gen Neon Rotors
-Saturn Calipers with brackets and hardware (ordered online, waiting for arrival)
-Saturn Pads
-Brake Lines for both sides
-New copper washers
-5/8" Caliper mounting brackets (thank you Mr. Quick)
-E-brake cable holder things (thank you Mr. Quick)
-E-brake cable ends from Saturn
-Red Ricer Caliper Paint
-DOT3 Brake Fluid

I had debated on going to DOT4 brake fluid. I decided in the future I'd like to put on a big-brake kit, so I'll do DOT4 when I tackle that project. For now I think the rear disc conversion will be benefit enough, just to get a feel for things first. Here's also a "before" shot of the wheel before it's spaced out. I'll post more, updated pictures when I start this project.

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Jason,

Please keep the pics coming! I am awaiting my brackets from Mr. Quick and some of the pictures on our J-body forum are now dead links. What type of Saturn did you snag your parts from. Was it an SC2 or maybe an SL2. I am seeing lots of SL cars but the SC cars seem to be getting harder to come by in my locale.

Thanks,

Brian

The calipers and brackets fit a number of Saturns actually. I admit to eye-balling the parts online (actual pictures of the parts), but I doubt they're wrong. Even so, I'll measure it up and premount eveything once it gets here just to make sure I have no problems with clearance, etc. These are returnable, worst case scenario. They came from a '96 SW, though I understand it fits SL and SC as well. Like any Saturn coupe or sedan is any different from the next. :S

Great news! Life strikes again! I blew a front brake hose the other day. With my "luck," it broke while I was at the parts store. I was able to change it out with a rubber line right on the spot. Had to train the parts guy on how to bleed brakes all at the same time too, so it was a rather productive non-productive day! Still haven't finished the timing chain on that intrepid. This recent chain of events has me deciding to do a braided steel brake line all the way around. So now I'm waiting for those to come in before doing the job. But, I did get the calipers and brackets in today. Pics to come when I get home.

I have stainless lines for my Cav but will probably start with the stock rubber Saturn ends and then eventually upgrade to the braided ends.

My own brackets from Mr. Quick should be arriving soon.

Brian

Okay here's all the parts except the e-brake cables, steel lines, and a bunch of DOT3. Cleanup on the rotors is in order. These came off a PT Cruiser, but it's the same rotors from the Neons. Pads I pulled from a junker. The calipers on the junker were seized so I bought remans with brackets and pad-clips as you see in the pictures. Lines came from the junker. You'll notice I clipped the steel lines from the Saturn. I wanted the fittings so I could flare the hardlines on the Sunfire for a direct fit into the Saturn hose. I'll put pictures up as a sort of instructional if you want to do this on your own. Got impatient and decided not to wait for the steel lines on the rear.It will be a little cheaper. Just make sure if you do it this way that the hoses you get are in good shape. Flaring lines isn't difficult at all and most of you guys will know how to do this anyway, but for those who don't: here you go. E-brake brackets came stock on the Saturn, but I didn't know that and that's okay. I don't mind giving Mr. Quick a bit of extra cash for helping me out. Painted calipers soon. I'm tying up this timing chain job on my dad's Intrepid before going in deep here on the J-body. More pics on the way!

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Here's some more pics of the wheel before being stanced out. Monday I have a full day off for once, so I'm going to try to tackle this on the coming Monday. Then see if I have enough time for some body work too; fix up the blasphemous bumper.

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Looking in on the drum.

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The pre-assembly.

For real this time.

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Please keep them coming!

I am still trying to find my Saturn boneyard conquest. I visited one last weekend and there were SL2s in the correct year range but all were the cheapies with drum brakes.

No real hurry though because I am still awaiting the arrival of my parts from Mr. Quick.

Brian

I found the calipers new for pretty cheap when I did my swap.

Why mess with the boneyard when you can get new for a few bucks more and shipped to your front door?



I miss my Cavalier, even if it made 100 hp on a cold day and had more suspension then it deserved.

Blue2000,

I was planning on all new calipers and the parking brake cable holder springs but aren't the caliper holding brackets still needed from a Saturn donor car? If you can also buy the caliper holding brackets and their fasteners new then I would certainly be pleased to do that. What is the proper terminology to use when searching and where is a good outlet for scoring some of these?

thanks,

Brian

I bought mine from Rock Auto pretty cheap. I bought semi-loaded calipers, which included caliper brackets (official terminology) and pad clips, but no pads. Loaded calipers have pads.

And really, I spent a lot of time at the boneyard trying to find calipers for this beast, and nothing was of passable quality for me. I mean it's brakes, not engine mods. I started with the mentality of "be smart, and get hardware that works," but eventually, after about 4 months of bad luck, I transitioned my thoughts to "its probably best to get new/reman." I think of it as paying $150 for parts that likely won't fail vs $20 parts that CAN cause a lethal accident.

Jason those are excellent points and I did not know that the Saturn "brackets" were readily available like you indicate..

How about those rubber hoses that go from the hard brake lines to the caliper? I know that people have come up with some nice braided ones but I think that my best bet is to just snag the Saturn hoses for the short run and find the pretty ones later. Any additional thoughts on that?

It is very difficult to read the older threads on this as so many of the useful pictures are now gone and replaced by placeholders...

Thanks,

Brian

99LN2 Cavalier wrote:... I am awaiting my brackets from Mr. Quick ...

I'm just waiting on a hardware order that should be here any day, and then I'm shipping out the paid kits. Hopefully by the weekend.

Im going to use the Saturn rubber hoses for now and going to stainless as soon as I get them. That's what's in my pics. I also kept the hardline screw fittings just in case the Sunflowers fittings don't work. Strangely enough the front brake hose from the Flower and rear brake hose from the Saturn look exactly alike. They might even be interchangeable, albeit there is a different P/N on both...

Best not to risk it. I'm using the Saturn hose, Saturn screw fitting, and just flaring the Flower's brake hardline. If it so happens that the fittings ARE interchangeable on both sides, then I will order four SS lines for the Flower's front. Cheaper, bought in bulk. :S

Mr. Quick wrote:I'm just waiting on a hardware order that should be here any day, and then I'm shipping out the paid kits. Hopefully by the weekend.

Sorry there Mr. Quick, I did not intend for that to sound like I was calling you out. It is a dedicated and valuable service you have performed for our Cavs and Sunfires. Thank you! I know that you will send the brackets when they are complete.

Brian

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Replying to my own post. I have no idea how those calipers pics got attached to my reply to Mr. Quick. They look good though. Weird...

WTF? Those are my calipers! Here's the post I forgot to submit.

Here's some Riceronics for ya. Need one more pass on the passenger side bracket so this paint job doesn't look spotty. And I still haven't painted the front calipers. I did have the opportunity to last month when I installed new rotors and pads, but got lazy (also junkyard parts, but I found them on a wrecked sunflower and the rotors STILL had the wear-in pattern on them; as if the guy drove the car out of the brake shop into a truck). I was looking for a CV axle and saw how shiny they looked and had to have them. Love it when I can pay $30 for a whole new front brake set. And really, although this is my DD, this is more-or-less my IDGAF car, hence a fiberglass body, plastic wing, fat-ass 18" wheels and M3 mirrors. I don't make enough money to dedicate a car to race-only.

I forgot to answer your question about "new" brackets 99LN2. Yeah, you can buy them new. My HONEST opinion, and some are going to shake me for it, is that you should really buy the caliper and bracket together. They're wearing parts, so that means they wear together. So either buy "new/new," "reman/reman," or "used/used," and from the same vehicle. The parking brake holder springs... I'm thinking your referring to the e-brake holder bracket, the offset bracket with a big hole in it. The calipers have the springs on them. The e-brake brackets, I'll recommend Mr. Quick for those. You could probably find some on a boneyard junker, but Mr. Quick is an easy fix. Send him a message and get those from him with your caliper mounting brackets. Why you top-posting my pics, brah?

99LN2 Cavalier wrote:

Mr. Quick wrote:I'm just waiting on a hardware order that should be here any day, and then I'm shipping out the paid kits. Hopefully by the weekend.

Sorry there Mr. Quick, I did not intend for that to sound like I was calling you out. It is a dedicated and valuable service you have performed for our Cavs and Sunfires. Thank you! I know that you will send the brackets when they are complete.

Brian

I didn't think you were. I just came across this thread and figured I'd throw that out there.

Last piece of the puzzle! Cables. Now I need to find my grade 12.9 bolts Mr. quick sent me... Wherever the hell they are.

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I FINALLY have a weekend off! It had better not snow, or some other crazy atmospherical bull@!#$ to stop me. Pics and vids soon!

FINISHED IT!!

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Rear discs fully mounted and stuff.

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