I've been following a the comments on camaros.net because there are many common features between the bird and the camaro. There was quite a bit of discussion there concerning the SSBC brake kits. The rear parking brake doesn't install and work correctly for that kit. Those who have it working had to modify it to make it work. Each new purchaser complaining to SSBC is greated by tech support as though they are the first and only person ever to experience a problem.
Then, add to these Camaro SSBC customer's comments that there were a number of folks on the firstgenfirebird email list who installed the ssbc system and found it didn't give them good stopping power, it's hard to justify buying their kit. When one buys a kit, one expects the parts have been engineered to a working solution for their specific application.
SSBC never provided their customers a remedy for the brake problem. It was the other way around with customers telling ssbc what the remedy was. I don't know that this ever got incorporated into the SSBC product line. The pattern of customer support seems to leave you with the same level of support you get by pulling random parts from junkers and hanging it all together.
Brake choices are more complex if you don't want to increase wheel size. Then the choices become more limited. Wheels don't fit over the caliper assemblies from later model GM cars where the disc is larger, caliper larger and wheel offset different. Later generation Firebird brakes don't seem to swap in either.
I am still looking for the answer to the brake dilemma for my car. The drum brakes on my new 68 bird faded on the third stop and alternately pulled to one side or the other during high speed stops. In fact, with those brakes, you had to release them a second so they would hold again. You could stop faster by doing that then just pressing harder. The third stop from 45 to zero faded them pretty badly. Of course, back then, other cars had similar brakes. Mixed in with today's traffic, you need better brakes or you need to drive accordingly.
I've looked at the Corvette brake kits. There are kits with the c4 or c5 vette brakes. You can also buy the corvette parts from a gm dealer or online seller. Your wheel hubs need to be turned down at a machine shop to fit through the center of the rotors, but otherwise they go in pretty well. The trouble seems to be wheel fitment problems with even 16" and larger wheels for some brake kits. It is an interference issue between the caliper and the wheel that causes problems.
With the ssbc kit, the issue seems to be an improperly specified master cylinder. You could buy the kit and swap this part out with the one folks here found worked okay.
I've had disc front/drum rears on an Impala (B body?) and they were significantly better behaved than the bird's brakes but they don't compare to the newer ABS stuff. So, it's your call. I think the disc/drum is an okay setup. The four wheel kit costs quite a bit more. Many of the four wheel setups don't have the parking brake setup worked out correctly. Whatever you buy, be sure to get templates for them to check if your planned wheels will fit.
I'm wondering if the more expensive products like Wilwood or Baer have a better out of the box "bolt up and forget it" performance.
Maybe someone here has spent the extra $$ and knows?
