My car is in the shop now because it didn't pass inspection due to rear brakes. Needed a left rear caliper and pads which the mechanic says was from drag racing as he saw all the rubber in the wheel wells. Should I invest in a line lock? Saw an article in GMHTP February issue. Is SLP the best one to get? I only race a few times a year. Maybe 5 max. I plan on getting drag radials before the track opens this season too.

 

Nobody with comments on a line lock? Just got my car back for the shop. New rear brakes, new left rear caliper and hose pus labor $376.82. Ouch!! Feel like I got bent over, just didn't have time to do it myself.

 

There is a more appropriate forum for this post.

I don't have a line lock (yet), so my comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

SLP is rarely the best place to buy something. There's a pretty big markup just because of the name. There's no sense paying $160+ with shipping for the SLP when you can get the same thing for much less from somebody else.

B&M also makes a line lock kit for F-bodies, and I've seen it for as little as $50 for solenoid only (provide your own switch, wiring, etc) or $80 for a full kit, equivalent to the SLP kit.

 

You did get bent over, that probably costs 100 in parts. I had to replace my caliper (old age, not drag), and it costs 50 for the caliper, maybe 30 for the pads, idk about the hose.

 

Though I somewhat agree with JakeRobb, I do feel compelled to point out the difference in SLP parts and others. Every single SLP part I've ever used, fits like a glove! They are designed to fit our beloved F-Bodies, and don't require extra "tweaking" or "jerry-rigging" to get the component to work. Sure they cost (a bit) more, but the quality and engineering is certainly worth it.....IMHO.

~Tom

 

i dont know about "bent over". if you buy a part being just a guy on the street, of course there is a markup. its called capitalism. and as far as the job- without rotors i'm assuming, lets see- pads= 20 to whatever depending on grade, caliper- 50+ brake fluid and cleaner, and lets say they did the job for 2 hours labor @ 80 an hour. so at bare minimum it would be like 250 for the job. of course the markup, and it being customer pay, and shop supplies, thats totally with in reason. just think, i work at a Land Rover shop, and we get 2.5 hours per axle to just do pads and rotors (not to mention 1 rotor costs over a hundred, and each set of pads over 100) needless to say a 4-wheel brake job costs our customers over a grand. i just dont like it much when the public gets mad at what is normal operating procedures. it costs alot of money to run and maintain a dealership, and there is always costs. and the technician, who i assure you is not the one who decides how much it is going to cost you, has plenty of bills to pay. we all need to make a living and if you dont have the time or knowledge to complete the job, then you need a service done for you. at which you pay a fee, and the job gets done. its not bending you over if you take it there and ask for it, you ultimately decide if they do the work or not. if im not mistaken they give you the cost up front and you either approve or disapprove the work and it goes from there.

 

the slp probably consists of the same exact components as a generic summit one.

both of our buicks have b&m line locks. got them really cheap off of ebay.

 

Unlike the generic line-locks out there, the SLP line-lock, comes with pre-bent lines, for a clean look.

 

That's a fair point, and probably true of their line lock kit. However, it's not true of everything the sell. Longtube headers come to mind -- from what I've heard, SLP's headers have the worst fit (and the worst ground clearance) of pretty much any other F-body longtube header.

 

Agreed.
And when it comes to thinks like a line-lock, I'd prefer to have a kit that has everything pre-bent (I'm not great at duplicating perfect SLP bends) and comes with all the CORRECT and ACCURATE brake fittings.

I know when I installed a Hurst line-lock on my '69 Chevelle, it was a complete and utter night-mare.

Back and forth to the parts store for the correct size fittings, and multiple pieces of brake line, making brackets, etc. etc.-- it sucked!

I would have much preferred a "complete kit" - but no one offers that for a 39 year old vehicle! LOL

Oh well.....live & learn.