C7 Z51 Brake Kit D.I.Y. Gets the Job Done Right

Hardest part of adding Z51 stoppers to your Corvette Stingray is bleeding the system.

The Corvette Stingray can be ordered with the optional Z51 package that greatly enhances the handling performance of the LT1-powered Chevy. This package adds unique suspension components; differential and transmission coolers; a dry sump engine oil system; an electronic limited-slip differential; Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and elaborate brake upgrade; and a handful of other items. Not everyone can make good use of the suspension and cooling gadgets, but the Z51 braking setup is an attractive upgrade over the standard Stingray stoppers.

Fortunately, it isn’t all that hard to swap from the C7 Stingray brakes to the items including in the Z51 package and “Fyreant” put together a great how-to write-up showing how easy it is to help your standard Chevy sports car stop a whole lot better.

When the OP first begins his thread on how to replace the standard Stingray brakes with the parts from the Z51 package, he includes a brief intro, followed by a detailed parts list. He also includes images showing the standard non-Z51 parts alongside the larger Z51 front rotors and calipers, as well as the slotted rear rotors. All in all, it’s a very comprehensive and thorough thread that makes a complex task very manageable.

We should also point something else out. Swapping the Z51 brake setup into your non-Z51 Stingray is almost the same process as replacing the rotors, except you will remove the front calipers altogether, including removing them from the brake lines. In other words, if you have changed your front rotors, you already know how to install the Z51 parts.

It should be noted that the OP also replaced the brake lines, so when reading through the full write-up, there are “extra” steps for removing the brake lines from the vehicle, but if you are only replacing the rotors, pads and calipers, you only need to remove the brake lines from the calipers.

The thread also covers the rear wheels and installing the rear Z51 brakes. To get the full details, it is best to read through the actual DIY write-up, which also has all of the torque specs for the bolts that hold the braking system together and in place.

In short, jack up the car, remove the wheels, remove the pads, unbolt the calipers, remove the rotors, bolt up the new parts and bleed the system. In fact, it is probably even easier than it sounds.