1969 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD LIMO FRONT DISCS - WILL 1972 DISCS FIT !

[1969cadillac]

Hello out there !

I have mentioned this topic before on the forum :

I would like to fit cross drilled and slotted rotors to my 69 limo to reduce brake fade

I cant find any 69 rotors

but have found ones to fit a 1972

they are 4mm less in diameter

4 mm less in height

and are nearly 1mm thicker !

my question is :

will they fit the spindles and backing plates ?

do I need to change the dust shields ? ( I have heard this ?)

I have later - 72 calipers to fit as well - these have slightly larger pistons

any other parts needed ?

Murray Mules

[TJ Hopland]

I'm not an expert on these but wasn't there a change to the style of bearings somewhere in that era?

[Gene Beaird]

It's the mass that keeps them from fading, so 4mm smaller in just about every direction will only make matters worse.  Additionally, slotting and cross-drilling further reduces mass, and surface area for the pads to grab on to, so, strike two against helping fade. 

Verify your rear brakes are adjusted properly, and in good working order.  The more they work, the less the fronts have to.  You might also want to try a different compound on the pads.  Semi-metallic will help a lot here, and pad manufacturers like Hawk, EBC and Porterfield have racing compounds that work even better when they get hot.  You might want to try these.  And make sure the brake fluid is fresh.  Old fluid has a much lower boiling point, which can lead to a hard pedal and fade.

Oh, and slow down!!   

[Scot Minesinger]

I agree with Gene, there is another problem.  If anything the thicker rotors on the 69-70 were better than later rotors and over designed.  My 1970 suffers no brake fade ever and I drive the Cadillac on the highway all the time (5k miles per year).  Granted knowing my car is not equal to modern car braking abilities and due to horrible drivers I do assure a safe distance whenever possible. 

This happens to me from time to time where something is not working right and I mistakenly blame an inferior original design, when actually something else is wrong.  As an example thought I was suffering vapor lock and as Greg S. has said, many of his fuel problems are electrical and it was the ignition.  The great thing was I drove the car to the shop for a valve job and it would not start as the ignition finally failed entirely, so got both issues done in one trip with no towing.