Matthew91-Z28

Oh boy....hope no one shoots me for bringing this up again.
I think there is more than a strong possibility of this happening in a thirdgen. It would take lots of PITA work and a good donor car though.

Read this (frickin cool link, anyway) and see what I mean:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/anti-lock-brake.htm


Someone prev mentioned that an early 90's S-10 rotor could be shaved into a hat and used in the numerous brake projects going on presently. ANyway, these s-10's were equipped with antilock brakes. So, the ABS hardware is already on the hub. If you used that as a hat and grabbed all the other ABS parts from the car (as per GMparts direct):

ABS PRESSURE LIMIT/ DUMP VALVE
All application models 15661378

ABS SPEED SENSOR
4WD 15693490
RWD 15693489

DCMB SIGNAL RELAY
All application models 25097359

ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC &/OR CONTROL MODULE
15976820

PRESSURE MODULATION ABS VALVE
All application models 15661378

As well as the M/C from the S-10, you could wire this thing up.


Only question is, is it 3-, 4-, or single channel ABS system (if you don't know what I'm talking about, read the article in the link above).


And to finish off this post, here is some saftey info about ABS:

"Do cars with ABS stop more quickly than cars without? ABS is designed to help the driver maintain control of the vehicle during emergency braking situations, not make the car stop more quickly. ABS may shorten stopping distances on wet or slippery roads and many systems will shorten stopping distances on dry roads. On very soft surfaces, such as loose gravel or unpacked snow, an ABS system may actually lengthen stopping distances. In wet or slippery conditions, you should still make sure you drive carefully, always keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you, and maintain a speed consistent with the road conditions."

And

"The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has conducted several studies trying to determine if cars equipped with ABS are involved in more or fewer fatal accidents. It turns out that in a 1996 study, vehicles equipped with ABS were overall no less likely to be involved in fatal accidents than vehicles without. The study actually stated that although cars with ABS were less likely to be involved in accidents fatal to the occupants of other cars, they are more likely to be involved in accidents fatal to the occupants of the ABS car, especially single-vehicle accidents"

SO....whether this ABS 'retrofit' would make braking better or worse is moot (too many arguments for and against)...this post is just to add evidence to the thought that ABS can be retrofitted into 3rd gen f-bodies.

19doug90

you can do anything if you set your mind to it the question is how much is it going to cost?

Matthew91-Z28

actually...the rotors and M/C would cost the most, whatever you think you can get them for. But the small computer crap and sensors and lines? Whats some shmuck behind the counter at a bone-yard going to know about whether your buying an ABS motor versus a seat motor? To them its just a bunch of small plactic pieces (at least the guys at my local yards). You could easily disguse it as something else that sounds really cheap.


If you bought the parts new, you'd be set back quite a bit of $$. One of those motors cost $170 + SH.

RJR99SS

seems like a lot of work for what you can accomplish by just pumping the brake. But bravo for going out and trying new things.

When i was in school, we did a bunch of tests to see if abs actually made a car stop sooner and we found out basically what that article says. In adverse conditions: yes. But in normal conditions: no.

We had two crown vics of the same year, and abs is an option on them. On a regular road on a panic stop, the one without abs stopped about 6 feet sooner than the abs one. Both of them had a brand new ford brake system installed.

The wet road test was kind of neat. The abs and non abs car stopped almost the same distances. However the abs car made a much straigher stop. The non abs car kind of swerved all over the place. The driver was very good though, we figured a normal idiot driver probably would of lost control of the vehicle.

Personally i'm not a huge fan of abs. But i love the fact that it's out there, and keeping maniac drivers for plowing into me cause they dont know you have to slow down when it rains.

Matthew91-Z28

Yes its alot of work when you can pump your own brakes. But, can you pulse your brakes 15 times per second? And be able to do this at each wheel individually and simultaneously? Ideally, there would be an on/off toggle switch in the car to turn ABS off during certain driving situations.


ABS was designed for control during braking (I suppose) versus shorter stopping distances.

19doug90

theres obvously debates from both sides as to wether its good or not but i have a funny feeling youre not going to get too much response?!? The majority of the people on this board love their third gens and most of us do everything possible to keep our cars out of "adverse weather conditions". Hence abs being of absolutely no interest to most of us.

RJR99SS

well if you're going for an abs system, why not go for a traction control system as well? just to be that much cooler.

Traction control works by just sensing differences in wheel speeds at the rear wheels, such as a burnout or the rear end sliding out.

Later models 4th gens have it. It's controlled by a switch on the dash. Personally i just leave it off, because i've never really found any use for it, and trust me i've tested it.

Matthew91-Z28

19doug90:
I'll tell you something; you're right about most of us loving our thirdgens. I even risk my own safety by taking out the airbag so I could intall a removable steering wheel so it won't get stolen. Mine really keeps me going (and vice versa . So I'd be more than happy to add an extra piece of safety equipment. I am pretty careful in the rain etc, but other drivers are not always and if I have to brake very quickly b/c some butt-wipe in front of me did somethign stupid, I'd like to have the most control possible.

And if someone developed an ABS kit for thirdgens that was a reasonable price, I guarantee it would sell (if not for safety than for being the first kid on your block with an ABS retrofit).


RJR99SS:
I had TCS in my 00' TA. Not good if you want to peel out, but great for all around traction. I plan on shoving a 4th gen disc rear in in late december. TCS would be simple, I think, although I have not really looked into it as much as ABS.