I had the front rotors of the junkyard brake set I found off of a 69 El Camino cut at Kragen's Auto. They initially said that they were bad and would not turn them. The rotors were measured and were a little below the required depth. I convinced them to turn them, but they reccommended me to not use them.

Should this be a problem? I am sure that the rotors will do just fine. Any information would be great.

Thank

So-cal Jack

Rotors that are below spec (too thin) have two problems. First is the pedal travel to get the brakes to work. Because the pads have to go for a walk about, they meander over to the rotor, which has been moved further away by cutting it down; the fluid needed to fill that void comes from the pedal heading for the floor.

Second problem is heat dissipation. We all like disc brakes because they do not fade the way the old drum style brakes used too. That is because the castings are bigger (much heavier) with more metal to soak up the heat, and more surface area hanging out in the wind to cool them off. As you lighten the disc by whittling away on both sides to true them up you reduce the amount of metal that acts as a heat sink.

Big Dave

Jack new rotors would be an investment in your safety as well as that of others on the road. Another pitfall to avoid is cheap rotors. They are usually made to minimum specs and can't be resurfaced. Napa (and others) sells made in the USA rotors if you buy the premium line. These will turn out to be cheaper over the life of the part as they should out last 3 off shore made rotors.

Thank you for the information. I'll look around for some rotors. I do have one stuck caliper piston, and was wondering how to get it out. My goal is to rebuild it, and use it over again. I have tried compressed air, with no luck. It is frozen, and I just need to pop the piston out.

Please let me know of any handy tricks.

Thank you

So-Cal Jack

If it is rust in the caliper bore it may not be worth the effort to get it apart. Here is a procedure I have used with good results. Pry out the dust boot and spray the piston bore area heavily with PB Blaster. Next spray the inside bore as well thru the hose hole. Let it sit a few hours and do it again. After the PB Blaster has had time to penetrate you can try to move the piston very carefully. Using a C clamp with an old pad apply gentle pressure by snugging the clamp and tapping lightly on the casting of the caliper. Once you get it to start moving freely air pressure can be applied to the hose hole to blow it out of the bore. It will come out with a lot of force, DO NOT HAVE ANY BODY PARTS IN THE WAY!!!. Before trying to blow out the piston place some padding in the caliper to cushion the piston when it comes out.