A while ago, I mentioned that I was interested in converting my car to JL8 front brakes. My plan was to make the front caliper brackets, but luckily, I found a set on eBAY for $150. They should arrive in the next day or so. That takes care of the front, now for the rear. I found a Vette rear complete with brakes that I plan to pick up this weekend. However, reading through the archives, I am again a little confused. Several threads say the brakes bolt right up to a 12 bolt, using a bracket with 8 holes. Then, I read about a Guldstrand bracket that works without the parking brake. Can you guys help clear this up? I have a 12 bolt drum rear, and Corvette brakes. I want the parking brake. Do I need to cut off the bracket on the axle, and make a new one?

Thanks for helping me out.

Ken

The vette caliper bracket is a larger bolt pattern. It will not fit the drum brake rear flange holes.

You can cut it off and make a new one and weld it on.
The factory JL8 used two of the right hand vette brackets, not a left and a right.
The reason was the shock on the left side is close to the caliper.
I have a friend who used vette brackets both LH and RH on their proper sides and it worked fine.

A lot depends on how origonal you want it to be.

The Guldstrand bracket is just for the caliper and racing use. It's just a simple flat 3/8" plate that bolts to three of the backing plate holes coming from the diff side of the flange.
David

David,
Thank you for the reply. I am going to look at a complete Vette rear assembly tomorrow, and hopefully will pick it up. I'll update with any progress.

By the way, was the spring calculator helpful at all? I also found another suspension calculator I can share. I plugged your numbers in, and from what I can see, the output is very close to Perf Trends. Let me know if you're interested.

Ken

David,
Can you please gibe me some more detail on your friend's setup? I have the caliper brackets from the Vette and my 12 bolt. I can see that the bolt patterns are not the same as you said. I can figure out a new bracket for the axle. However, do you know if the new bracket should be welded on in the same position, with the outboard mounting surface the same distance from the end of the axle tube as the stock flange?

Thanks
Ken

I'll check on that for you and post back here.
David

I have the Guldstrand bracket which is a 3/8" thick plate bolted to the backside of the drum flange.
The vette caliper bolts to the backside of my Guldstrand bracket, it measures 3.375" from bracket inner (center of car) surface to where the rotor contacts the axle flange.
The drum flange measures .330 thick and if you removed it, and replaced it with a weld-on larger bolt pattern flange the same thickness, you would need to add a .189" thick spacer to move the corvette caliper bracket outboard, or increase the weld-on housing flange thickness to .519".

The Corvette left and right hand brackets make a really nice looking setup, the only problem is the right side caliper comes close to the shock but does clear by at least a half inch.
The JL8 uses two right hand vette brackets and twists them around to miss the shocks, but the left side is not very level and hard to bleed on the car.
If you are not after a perfect copy of a JL8, consider using left and right hand vette caliper brackets.
David

Dave,
Thank you very much for the information. For now, I am going to make up a Guldstrand type bracket so I can get the car on the road. After that, I will start making some new brackets. I have the two Vette brackets, and I agree, they look good. The only other option I can think of, is making/modifying Vette brackets to fit the 12 bolt flange.

Thanks
Ken

Some time ago I got started drawing up a separate bracket that would just mount the vette emergency brake parts. You would have to use the Guldstrand bracket to mount the caliper.
I haven't made that bracket but did make a crude version many years before that. I have them on my 67, but I didn't get around to hooking up the parking brake cables to them. I had to invert the whole assy so the cable attachment lever would clear the Guldstrand bracket.

Changing the axle flange is really the easiest way to do it.
David

You know Dave, the more I think about it, you're right. I was a little hesitant to weld on the axle, but I thought about it, and that is the least stressed area of the tube. Also, if the Vette bracket would have to be shimmed outboard, modifying it would not be easy. I want to avoid shims at all costs. I will take your measurements, and use a jig to position a new flange on the tube that the Vette bracket will bolt to.

Thanks
Ken