Thread: 06+ Impala front brakes in and done!

After waiting wayyyy too long to replace the front brake setup on my 00 GPGT I finally had the chance to install my 07 Imp brakes today. We all know that the stockers suck, and it's not a GXP or Corvette upgrade but to me it's a vast improvement. No mushy pedal, no fade, just stop. I haven't tried pushing them to the point where the ABS may try to kick in, but I have a feeling it would take a bit more than normal. On the plus side it also got rid of an annoying clunk that I couldn't find. Apparently my old pads were flopping around in the bracket and hitting the rotor over bumps. Now everything is nice and quiet up front and no vibrations.

I ended up not going with the SS front lines (couldn't justify the extra $110 for 2 lines). Stock rotors from the Imp (for now- I will get some new E-line's when I have some extra $$), new front GP lines, and Wagner Thermo-Quiet Ceramic pads. I figured since I had some extra body color paint laying around that I'd shoot the rotor hats and calipers with it. I know it won't look good for too long, but it'll do for now.

I did clean up the brackets with a wire wheel and then clear them w/ some 500* clear I had laying around. Turned out decent I think.


A comparison of the brakcets after I cleaned and cleared the first one.




New Hardware On




Ready to go for a drive (yes, I know I need to clean my wheels, lol...)




All in all I think they turned out pretty good. Not too flashy, and the brackets blend in well with the wheels. Just need to get the car washed/waxed and then see how they look. Even if they look like junk, it will still stop better

Hey FordMan,

Thanks for posting this.

I'm looking to do the same on my 07 GP GT.

Did you have to bend the brake lines to give enough clearance?

And how does the pedal feel, still? No mush still?

Thanks

I didn't have to bend the lines, but I did have to bend the bracket that the line attaches to the body. I just pulled it out little by little and checked my tire clearance along the way to make sure I wasn't over-extending the line or making contact with the tire at lock to lock.

Pedal feels great. No mush that I can feel. I've had to stomp on them several times from 65mph to almost a dead stop and all was good.

Originally Posted by FordMan77

I didn't have to bend the lines, but I did have to bend the bracket that the line attaches to the body. I just pulled it out little by little and checked my tire clearance along the way to make sure I wasn't over-extending the line or making contact with the tire at lock to lock.

Pedal feels great. No mush that I can feel. I've had to stomp on them several times from 65mph to almost a dead stop and all was good.

Thanks for the update!