Conference vmsnet::car$note:carbuffs

    I have an interesting problem with my 92 Chev Cav w/ABS. When I bought
    the car about 50k miles ago, they rebuilt the front calipers as part of
    the purchase deal because it shuddered upon stopping.
    
    For a while now it has been shuddering on and off. Sometimes it feels
    like the rotors are warpped about an inch, and other times it is almost
    imperceivable. How can this be, or is it something to do with the ABS
    or what? All above conditions are on dry pavement.
    
    Ideas...?

    I had a car once that was doing this intermittantly.  It turned out to
    be a combination of a worn tie rod end and a slightly warped rotor. 
    The rotor itself probably would not have been too noticable, but
    combined with the slop in the steering linkage, it was causing the
    wheel to wobble back and forth considerably. At certain speeds, it
    would oscillate much more than others.  Check for play in the steering
    linkage, and check the runout of the rotors.
    
    Dave

    RE .430
    
    That might explain the high speed problem, but sometimes slowing to a
    stop, you can feel the warpage/out of roundness as it finally comes to
     a stop. Again, sometimes it is there, sometimes not.

Does anyone know of a source that will take the Bendix brake pistons from my
Volvo caliers and rebuild them?  I don't have a source for new ones and I 
prefer to do my own rebuild jobs on the calipers.  Rebuilding the pistons
should involve plating to cover over the pits, re-grinding, and re-plating
with chrome.

Jim

    Can anybody recommend a particular brand-name of aftermarket disc brake
    pads for domestic applications (Ford Windstar) that is reasonably quiet
    and smooth. The OEM pads are very hard and have very high metallic
    content; they have always sounded like metal-to-metal grinding and 
    had a rough churning feel under hard braking.
    
    I've had good luck with Repco pads for import applications, but no luck 
    finding the same for domestic.

    Bendix makes disk brake pads and are considered among the best available.
    
    I believe all brake pads are "fully metalic" these days. At one time,
    brake pads had asbestos in them, but manufacturers were required to
    eliminate the asbestos. They went to "semi-metalic" years ago, and
    now are "fully metalic" meaning they have no esbestos in them at all.
    (Then again, I could be completely wet about this!)
    
    
    Mark
    
    
    
    

    Metalic brake pads work the best but there are also organic pads
    available thru many auto parts stores. I believe that semi metalic
    brake pads are a mixture of metal and/or esbestos/organic compounds.
    The esbestos is rarely used any more but is still available in certain
    brake pads for specific applications. ( I think!)
    
    						Jack