Brake Drums and Rotors 1967 Olds 98
July 21st, 2023, 03:57 AM
#2
Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 1,708
Sorry to report that these parts are now rare. The associated brake shoes & perhaps the brake pads are getting thin on the ground too.
From retrofitting dual master cylinders and front disc brakes on to both a ‘66 Starfire and ‘66 98 here’s what I know:
To find potentially good used parts, start with classic car junkyards like Desert Valley in AZ, French Lake Auto in MN, Turners in CA, and so on. Or consider getting a donor car. If you can get the parts checked for amount of braking material over minimum spec before purchase, great, otherwise used drums and rotors are a gamble.
Look out for online catalog parts sources, they’re often optimistic about what can swap into Big Olds cars from this era. Their optimism turns into parts you pay for that don’t fit.
Lesson 2 is nothing from Caddy, Chevy, Buick, Pontiac can be used as a bolt on substitute. In that era, Olds (and probably the other GM brands) each mostly went their own way with brakes and suspensions. The differentiation provided some brand-uniqueness for ride & braking power, but doesn’t help restorers 55 years later.
From 1965 to 1970, the large Oldsmobiles (88’s/98’s/Starfires) had a mostly similar suspension. Stuff like A-arms and bushings and rear ends mostly swap around. After 1970, Olds went to front steering on the big cars, so that capped the swap-ability at 1970 for 1965-1970 cars.
The 98’s had wider rear drums than the 88’s than 88’s. I think the 98 rears were 2.5” wide to the 2” wide drums for the 88’s. I believe disc brakes started as an option in 1967 but they used an Oldsmobile-unique 4 piston setup in ‘67 and ‘68, only going to more common single piston GM-wide calipers and pads in ‘69 and ‘70. Since they were an option in ‘67, you’ll need to find disc-equipped ‘67. I’m guessing drums were more common since discs were extra cost. Same logic for ‘68 parts, but I’d guess more 68’s were built with discs as it started to emerge in popular consciousness that they stopped better than drums.
Where you really want to aim is to retrofit the car with the more common ‘69 or 70 GM single piston caliper system since those calipers are somewhat more more available. However this does not get you out of the problem of rare rotors for ‘67 big cars. It’s not a simple tale, but see this thread for your 65-70 big car front disc options:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...e-cars-132879/
I have one car with good original factory rotors acquired from one of the guys here. I think it was Craig of Mobile Parts. Maybe he has what you need. My other car has modified late model Caddy rotors which work well, but I’m chasing a slight pad squeak I’m hoping to resolve soon.
As to the rears, it’s simpler, but still rare. Basically your first choice is 65-70 rear drums that have not been turned past minimum safety specification, or fall back to the narrower (less brake swept area - aka reduced stopping power) 88 brakes from a donor car. Ideally you’re aiming at NOS drums for a 65-70 98.
Avoid anything labeled “Jetstar 88” since those were A body (Cutlass/442) brakes on a big car body used as a cost measure. More generally Cutlass/442 parts won’t work on big cars, the big cars weighed more & had a different bolt pattern.
Since this is a safety system, either you or a pro should look at the rubber lines, steel lines, master cylinder and brake booster as part of the maintenance/repair.
Welcome to the challenge of keeping/restoring a mid-60’s big olds. It’s a lot of fun having something unusual, but this is not a click-go or catalog kind of thing. Very rewarding when you get it right though!
Cheers
Chris
From retrofitting dual master cylinders and front disc brakes on to both a ‘66 Starfire and ‘66 98 here’s what I know:
To find potentially good used parts, start with classic car junkyards like Desert Valley in AZ, French Lake Auto in MN, Turners in CA, and so on. Or consider getting a donor car. If you can get the parts checked for amount of braking material over minimum spec before purchase, great, otherwise used drums and rotors are a gamble.
Look out for online catalog parts sources, they’re often optimistic about what can swap into Big Olds cars from this era. Their optimism turns into parts you pay for that don’t fit.
Lesson 2 is nothing from Caddy, Chevy, Buick, Pontiac can be used as a bolt on substitute. In that era, Olds (and probably the other GM brands) each mostly went their own way with brakes and suspensions. The differentiation provided some brand-uniqueness for ride & braking power, but doesn’t help restorers 55 years later.
From 1965 to 1970, the large Oldsmobiles (88’s/98’s/Starfires) had a mostly similar suspension. Stuff like A-arms and bushings and rear ends mostly swap around. After 1970, Olds went to front steering on the big cars, so that capped the swap-ability at 1970 for 1965-1970 cars.
The 98’s had wider rear drums than the 88’s than 88’s. I think the 98 rears were 2.5” wide to the 2” wide drums for the 88’s. I believe disc brakes started as an option in 1967 but they used an Oldsmobile-unique 4 piston setup in ‘67 and ‘68, only going to more common single piston GM-wide calipers and pads in ‘69 and ‘70. Since they were an option in ‘67, you’ll need to find disc-equipped ‘67. I’m guessing drums were more common since discs were extra cost. Same logic for ‘68 parts, but I’d guess more 68’s were built with discs as it started to emerge in popular consciousness that they stopped better than drums.
Where you really want to aim is to retrofit the car with the more common ‘69 or 70 GM single piston caliper system since those calipers are somewhat more more available. However this does not get you out of the problem of rare rotors for ‘67 big cars. It’s not a simple tale, but see this thread for your 65-70 big car front disc options:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...e-cars-132879/
I have one car with good original factory rotors acquired from one of the guys here. I think it was Craig of Mobile Parts. Maybe he has what you need. My other car has modified late model Caddy rotors which work well, but I’m chasing a slight pad squeak I’m hoping to resolve soon.
As to the rears, it’s simpler, but still rare. Basically your first choice is 65-70 rear drums that have not been turned past minimum safety specification, or fall back to the narrower (less brake swept area - aka reduced stopping power) 88 brakes from a donor car. Ideally you’re aiming at NOS drums for a 65-70 98.
Avoid anything labeled “Jetstar 88” since those were A body (Cutlass/442) brakes on a big car body used as a cost measure. More generally Cutlass/442 parts won’t work on big cars, the big cars weighed more & had a different bolt pattern.
Since this is a safety system, either you or a pro should look at the rubber lines, steel lines, master cylinder and brake booster as part of the maintenance/repair.
Welcome to the challenge of keeping/restoring a mid-60’s big olds. It’s a lot of fun having something unusual, but this is not a click-go or catalog kind of thing. Very rewarding when you get it right though!
Cheers
Chris
July 21st, 2023, 09:42 PM
#3
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Posts: 940
I --- may --- have --- one last pair of those 1967 - 1968 Hub & Rotor Assemblies, I do have those *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos *** Brake Pads, for the softest, smooooooothest braking system known to mankind, and NOT ripping up those Rotors to smithereens.....
You need to check the size of the Rear Brake Drums for --- size --- . When those Oldsmobiles had Front Disc, they got the 11" x 2" Rear Drums, more often than not, and NOT the standard 11" x 2 1/2" Rear Drums, that Standard four (4) wheel Brake Drum 98s got.... I do have *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos *** Brake Shoes, at this moment in time for both applications....
Craig.....
You need to check the size of the Rear Brake Drums for --- size --- . When those Oldsmobiles had Front Disc, they got the 11" x 2" Rear Drums, more often than not, and NOT the standard 11" x 2 1/2" Rear Drums, that Standard four (4) wheel Brake Drum 98s got.... I do have *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos *** Brake Shoes, at this moment in time for both applications....
Craig.....
July 21st, 2023, 09:51 PM
#4
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Posts: 940
Incidentally, the 1969 - 1970 VERY DIFFERENT Hub & Rotor Assemblies are N O T more G M specific.......
the 1967 - 1968 Oldsmobile FULL SIZE Hub & Rotor Assemblies fit ONLY OLDSMOBILE ---- NO Buick, NO Caddy, NO Pontiac, and NO Chevy....
Similarly, the 1969 - 1970 Oldsmobile FULL SIZE Hub & Rotor Assemblies fit ONLY OLDSMOBILE--- NO Buick, NO Caddy, NO Pontiac, and NO Chevy.....
1971 - 1976 Hub & Rotor Assemblies became GM FULL Size ALL, except Caddy --- Olds, Pontiac, Buick, and Chevy were all the same.....
Craig.....
the 1967 - 1968 Oldsmobile FULL SIZE Hub & Rotor Assemblies fit ONLY OLDSMOBILE ---- NO Buick, NO Caddy, NO Pontiac, and NO Chevy....
Similarly, the 1969 - 1970 Oldsmobile FULL SIZE Hub & Rotor Assemblies fit ONLY OLDSMOBILE--- NO Buick, NO Caddy, NO Pontiac, and NO Chevy.....
1971 - 1976 Hub & Rotor Assemblies became GM FULL Size ALL, except Caddy --- Olds, Pontiac, Buick, and Chevy were all the same.....
Craig.....
July 22nd, 2023, 02:57 PM
#7
Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 1,708
Can vouch for Craig's stock, honesty & straightforwardness.
Also happy to volunteer that I've been running '71 calipers on my '70 rotors for a couple of decades.
They worked together for me, but as I recall the 71 calipers need a bit of clearancing (aka filing) at the top or bottom edge to work right. The basic deal is you have to use the pre-70 rotors to fit the disc brake bearings/spindles of the 65-70 big cars, but there's just a bit of flexibility to file the more common '71 single piston calipers to fit & work well with the earlier rotors and get to a good/great braking system.
The major rule this breaks is that 70 parts are not generally expected to work with '71 parts since Old/GM changed a ton of stuff on front ends between those 2 model years. Just passing along what I've done, I claim no expertise, just experience.
Cheers
Chris
Also happy to volunteer that I've been running '71 calipers on my '70 rotors for a couple of decades.
They worked together for me, but as I recall the 71 calipers need a bit of clearancing (aka filing) at the top or bottom edge to work right. The basic deal is you have to use the pre-70 rotors to fit the disc brake bearings/spindles of the 65-70 big cars, but there's just a bit of flexibility to file the more common '71 single piston calipers to fit & work well with the earlier rotors and get to a good/great braking system.
The major rule this breaks is that 70 parts are not generally expected to work with '71 parts since Old/GM changed a ton of stuff on front ends between those 2 model years. Just passing along what I've done, I claim no expertise, just experience.
Cheers
Chris
July 23rd, 2023, 07:53 AM
#8
BZZBRand
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 38
I completely restored my 1965 Jetstar 1 brake system (stock) this past year. master cylinder, brake shoes, wheel cylinders, hoses, and hardware kits are all still available at most parts stores. I purchased everything from NAPA, but the rear axle seals, those of all things I sourced on Amazon. Yes you have to find someone who can use a book not a computer. Drums are really rare and you'll have to go by what the guys earlier stated.
July 23rd, 2023, 08:48 AM
#9
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Posts: 940
Sadly, BZZBRand,
You went Chineseum across the board, as I am sure you noticed, and you did your car a supreme disservice…..
First of all, those Chineseum Brake Shoes are 50 times worse than *** N.O.S.
*** Asbestos —- and will rip up your Brake Drums to smithereens….
They have tried to duplicate the softest, smooooooothest braking system known to mankind in *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos without results, and now, have flat out quit trying…..
I have your Front & Rear Brake Shoes in *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos *** as well as the Original Poster’s Front Brake Pads & Rear Brake Shoes —- but at this point, he or she has not been back to this thread to see any of these responses….
Second of all, those Chineseum wheel cylinders have been known to leak in no time, as there is no Quality Control ….
Third of all, keep in mind what ‘ Napa ‘ stands for :
” Never American Parts Available “ ……
Fourth of all, since you are a newbie (37 posts), maybe you should avail yourself of the valuable resource this ‘ Classic Oldsmobile ‘ site is, chock full of us old school, knowledgeable people…. and Join Us in the knowledge !!! rather than jumping at the first pile of Chineseum garbage you find ……
Just sayin’ …… Craig….
You went Chineseum across the board, as I am sure you noticed, and you did your car a supreme disservice…..
First of all, those Chineseum Brake Shoes are 50 times worse than *** N.O.S.
*** Asbestos —- and will rip up your Brake Drums to smithereens….
They have tried to duplicate the softest, smooooooothest braking system known to mankind in *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos without results, and now, have flat out quit trying…..
I have your Front & Rear Brake Shoes in *** N.O.S. *** Asbestos *** as well as the Original Poster’s Front Brake Pads & Rear Brake Shoes —- but at this point, he or she has not been back to this thread to see any of these responses….
Second of all, those Chineseum wheel cylinders have been known to leak in no time, as there is no Quality Control ….
Third of all, keep in mind what ‘ Napa ‘ stands for :
” Never American Parts Available “ ……
Fourth of all, since you are a newbie (37 posts), maybe you should avail yourself of the valuable resource this ‘ Classic Oldsmobile ‘ site is, chock full of us old school, knowledgeable people…. and Join Us in the knowledge !!! rather than jumping at the first pile of Chineseum garbage you find ……
Just sayin’ …… Craig….
July 26th, 2023, 12:01 PM
#11
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Posts: 940
Typical one poster (or in this case, 3) ---- original poster puts out a request --- forgets where he requested --- and Never came back.....
All conversation in this regard is for us --- and not for him or her......
All conversation in this regard is for us --- and not for him or her......
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