Lock It Up

Similar to many cars currently in production, fourth-generation Camaros are equipped with antilock braking systems (ABS). That's great for making emergency stops, but the consensus among many Chevy enthusiasts is that ABS is a problem in cars being massaged for drag racing. The ABS system itself isn't the concern, rather it's the relationship between the antilock system and a Roll Control. Conventional wisdom has it that a Roll Control valve cannot be installed between the master cylinder and the ABS module. If it is, the front brakes will unlock when the rear wheels are spinning during a burnout.

Fortunately, conventional wisdom is way off the mark. The fact of the matter is that ABS is activated only when the brake pedal is depressed, so a Roll Control can be installed between the master cylinder and the ABS module. As long as the driver's foot isn't on the brake pedal during a burnout, the ABS controller doesn't know that the rear wheels are spinning while the front wheels are locked. Consequently, whether a vehicle is equipped with a standard braking system or ABS, the Roll Control function is identical.

However, there is a slight twist in the procedure for installing a Roll Control on late-model Chevys. During the 1980s, GM converted from standard to metric brake lines. Rather than a conventional inverted flare, these lines incorporate a metric "bubble" flare at tubing junctions. Consequently, either the ends of the stock brake lines have to be retained (and connected to the new lengths of tubing used to connect the Roll Control) or you have to locate a shop that can make up lines with the requisite bubble flare ends.

One such shop is Cody Motorsports in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Owner Chuck Leeper has developed a number of installation kits that eliminate most of the problems that normally accompany the installation of Roll Control in a vehicle equipped with metric brake lines. In the case of fourth-generation Camaros, the kit allows the Roll Control solenoid to be positioned on the inner fender where it's easy to mount and out of the way (see photo). One of the brake lines included in the kit connects the master cylinder to the Roll Control solenoid; the other runs from the solenoid to the ABS controller. The end result is a beautiful installation that looks as if it were done at the factory.

After the hydraulic lines are connected and the system is bled at the ABS controller, the only remaining task is to complete the electrical connections. This is accomplished by removing the console and shift boot and routing a wire beneath the boot and up to the Roll Control solenoid. A second wire can then be connected to any easily reached 12-volt power source. As a safety measure, the indicator light that's supplied with the Roll Control should be wired into the electrical circuit so that it illuminates whenever the activating button is depressed. CHP