Our 1975 Chevy Laguna S-3 project car is well on its way to becoming the ideal highway hauler, with suspension, tires, and brakes to handle most anything that comes its way on the street and the track. Our original intent was to do a NASCAR-themed tribute car with affordable, off-the-shelf parts, while retaining maximum drivability on the street. Early on, we decided to do 15-inch steel wheels from Bassett Wheel, which has really sold the look of this car. The move to the Bassett wheels also severely limited our braking options, as the huge drop center in the hoop effectively eliminates many killer brake systems (Wilwood and Baer to name two) that bolt right on when larger wheels are used.
Global West had helped us with our front and rear suspensions, and is also a dealer for many brake systems for the ’73 – 77 GM A-body. With our car already in the shop, they took a hard look at our brake/wheel fitment issues, and came to the conclusion that the best remaining solution was to retain the stock single-piston calipers, and upgrade the rotors and pads. In this case we went from the stock 11.75-inch rotor to a zinc-washed and slotted 12-inch rotor. Global West sells this brake kit pre-assembled with new calipers, rotors, pads, spindles, hoses, and bearings for $1,208. (We reused the stock calipers and hoses, saving about $230 off that price). We also upgraded to longer ½-inch ARP studs, which runs $20 extra.
Look for the complete installation in the August issue of PHR. In the meantime, you can check out all of Global West’s mid-’70s GM A-body parts at www.globalwest.net, or call them at 877-470-2975.