Hello I have a 1969 buick riviera GS with the front disk brakes. Well unfortunately the rotors are in horrible condition and are in desperate need of replacement. I have looked at auto stores for the part but I jst cant get ant. I also need a set of seals for the calipers because they leak. I am thinking bout going to the junkyard and looking for a set of rotors and calipers. Are there any cars out there with the same spindle size as I have I would plan on drilling new holes for the caliper. any tips are extremely appreciated thanks, will
I too need a set of rotors. I have had no luck finding them. So, I will be watching this thread. Can someone help us?
THE FRONT ROTORS FROM 1967 1968 1969 BUICK CENTURION ELECTRA LESABRE RIVIERA WILDCAT ESTATE WAGON WILL FIT, IF YOU CAN FIND THEM. THE SEALS FOR THE CALLIPERS YOU CAN FIND THEM SOMETIME ON EBAY FOR ABOUT $12. I was also looking for the rotors for about a year, and a month ago they where on eBay, so for now i'm the lucky one with new rotors. Hope you guy's are soon just as lucky as i am.
I am under the belief that nobody currently makes the front rotors for these Rivieras. Im currently restoring my 70 Riv GS with the factory discs up front. I found a place I believe CARS Inc in northern New Jersey that has NOS rotors, but they were almost $200 a piece. That was just unacceptable for me so it was time for trial end error. I ended up with a set of rotors from napa for about 45 dollars each. I used 71 Riv rotors, the same for many fullsize gm's. They are complete rotor/hub assemblies. The problem is that the rotor is offset from what our's are stock. By this I mean the rotors are a little bit more inbound than stock. To fix the problem, I machined a little off the inside pad. This is an ok fix, I only took maybe a 10th of an inch off or so, I forget. I also machined a few extra for the future. This is not an ideal solution, but is very acceptable. I only plan to drive my Riv when its nice out a few times a week, so a lesser life brake pad does not bother me. In the future I plan on making a different backing plate to solve the problem. Also, by the time the pads need to be changed, the rotor will also be worn, and will then get cut. With the wear on the rotor, there may not even be a need for a machined inner pad. I also bought new wheel bearings/seals for the 71, as well as the rubber brake lines. The part number for the rotor through napa is 4885537 The following link should bring you there: Napa Riv Rotor For about $250 you should be able to do rotors, bearings, seals, rubber lines, and pads. Not that bad. I also used the 70 calipers. I ordered a loaded pair from from Autozone.com for about 70 dollars, again a pretty good deal. Take a look at my ongoing restoration: My Riv Restoration Good luck with your brakes, and if you need some more help, hopefully I can help you out.
Hello I was wondering if the caliper you bought from auto zone was a 4 piston caliper. That price was for both sides wit pads? I will definately go that route for the rotors. thanks, will
Calipers were standard single piston. Both calipers, pads, and I think the pins also, for about 70 bucks. I used what they listed for a 70 Riv, the part numbers for 71 and 70 are different for the calipers, now what the difference is I dont really know. If I had to guess, most likely nothing, or maybe they are offset or something that would have worked better with the rotors I used. I got the calipers before I ran into the rotor problem, so maybe you could buy both and return a set if you have a store around - possibly solving the problem. I have not driven the car on the street yet, but I dont see any problems with the swap. The wheel turns fine, and everything looks ok. One other thing that I think I remember is the dust caps are different, but they may not be, but for 5 bucks, get a new set. The stock disc brakes upfront are good enough for me now, and eventually a Baer brake upgrade would be nice... obviously some sort of custom work involved. Before the front though, I want rear discs, to get rid of the huge drums back there. Thats next on the agenda once I get the car back together. Good luck
If you can get rotors for your Riviera for 200.00 a piece...buy them!!!. I have seem them for as much as 400.00 a piece. As far as rebuilding your 4 piston calipers, theres only one place that can rebuild them. I sent mine to www.applehydraulics.com. They stainless steel sleeve them for 265.00 each. They came out like new. Riviera disc brakes are a neat option to have on your car , but very expensive when it comes time to fix it. As far as substituting different year parts that may not be correct, I would be leery about that. Think about that the next time your 4600lb Riviera is approaching an intersection at 60 mph. Its expensive, but safety is first. Jason
I think the rotors should work. As far as I know, a 69/70 riv is almost the same car, and as such, the rotors should be the same. The new rotors I bought were very close to my original, so if I were you, I would go to a local parts store, and buy a 71 Riv rotor (which is not special, same as many fullsize gms for several years), and try it out. Worse case, you have to return it and keep looking. The caliper for a 70 might also work for your 69, but I am not sure. If buick switched from a 4 piston to a single, there surely must be a reason. Are you going to road race the Riv? Most likely not, so although there would be some benifits with the 4 piston, a single might work equally as well for your circumstance. Your best bet is just trial and error, unless you want to spend high dollar for NOS parts. www.Autozone.com actually sells a loaded pair of calipers for your car for $290, with a $144 core. If its almost that to rebuild one of them, why not just get new ones to begin with for half the cost. As far as safety is concerned, I trust my work. A rotor is a rotor (for the most part). The same wheel bearings are used for 69, 70, 71 - meaning the spindle is nearly the same or is the same - the shaft should be the same. As far as i could tell by closely examing the new rotors to my old ones, only thing different was the offset. A different backing plate would solve the problem, which eventually I will make. Paying $800 for 2 rotors is completely insane. 2nd, you have to find the rotors, when I talked to the people at CARS (www.buick-parts.com) months ago I think they only had two. Surely if you take your time, and verify everything as you go, and test the vehicle in a safe area, all will be well. If your going to spend the $1000 for front brakes, I would just buy some performance stuff for a full size gm and adapt it. That is entirely too much for stock brakes on a 30 year old car. Save your money and put it towards rear discs. But hey, thats my two cents and my life. As I said, I trust what I have done. If your really concerned about safety, ask yourself why there is no modern X frame vehicles (that I know of) and then think of a side impact when you drive through a green light and somebody runs the red and T Bones you. Buick64203 should know more than me about buicks because of the ones he owns, and his point about safety is very true. However the beauty about hotrodding is in custom fabrication and making things work that didnt before. If everything is done carefully and tested correctly it will be safe and reliable. Good luck with your project.
I am gonna go with the 71 rotor for my car and for the caliper I wont spend that much to have them rebuilt I will try something else. I did try to get the calipers for my car from autozone but once I had ordered it the warehouse said they cannot get that part for me anymore. Thanks for all the input. will
