I have the spindles off my 74 with the rotors still on. They look as though they are rivoted on. although the rivot heads dont look very large. Do i need to drill them out or what method do I use to separate the rotors. I want to turn them down while it is apart, Also what type of brakes do most of you use on the front. Mine squeal so I want to get rid of the now. I dont know the quality of the brakes from the suppliers on line but I can do the napa or raybestis pads. Do they make a ceramic or just use the metallic? They noise drives me crazy>

YES - here is a good step by step TECH article:http://www.corvettemagazine.com/technical-articles/c3/85-disc-brake-overhaul.html Should really help

In May 0f 2008 I had Stainless Steel put all the way around my 1981.  New pads, hoses, master cylinder, at a total cost of 1598.52.  My mechanic wanted a certain kind of pad but had to settle on an inferior set.  Today, October 16 2009, I just had all reotors resurfaced, new pads and fron wheel bearings replaced and packed for 405.00.  They were Wagner Thermo-Quiet Semi Metallic pads.  They seem really quiet now and brake well, but I have only driven the car one day after having the work done.  And thats my story and I'm stickin to it !! 

The rivets are soft. Use the recommended size drill bits. Once all the rivet heads are off, the rotor should come right off. LukesVette2009-10-17 08:56:59

I agree with the Lukester for whatever that is worth !!

Well I am glad I kept the old drill press that I was going to give away last summer. I was able to drill them out in less than 10 minutes. Then I used 2 sockets over the back of the studs and knocked out the rivots from the hub. Now I'll put them on my brake lathe and turn them down. I still havent decided on what brake pads to use. I have manual brakes, and would like to get something that works better than what was on them. It has rivoted pads on now. NAPA has only organic pads, I was looking for a ceramic pad but havent found any yet. I will check in the summit catalog to see what they may offer. Do you know what the hawk pads are?

the front rotors are riveted to the hub, the only reason to drill out the rivets is to replace a unturnable rotor, brake shops turn front rotors with the hub attached for 10-20 bucks. 

Anips is right.  You should not drill out your rivets unless you are replacing the rotors.  If you replace the rotors, you should take out the studs and slightly turn the hub to be sure it is square, then rivet the new rotors on and turn the whole assembly.  We, along with many other suppliers, sell the hub & rotor assembly on an exchange basis.

Larry

I originally planned on turning the rotors off the hub on a normal brake lathe. Are you saying the hubs are out of round? And that is the reason the rotors are riveted and machined as a one piece unit? Has anyone here ever turned the rotors separate and if so did you have any issues. I wasnt planning on riveting them back together after they were machined either. I could actually turn the hubs on the brake lathe as well. Let me know your thoughts.

I'm a little late to this party, but it's true...you don't need to remove the rotors from the hub to resurface them, but if the rotors are shot(unserviceable), then you can drill the rivets. It's always best to turn rotors on the hub when they are made like that...it keeps everything aligned, and eliminates the chance of something getting between the rotor and the hub that will throw it out of whack once it's back on the car. You can have a rotor that measures perfectly for wobble, but gives you run-out when installed back onto the hub due to a small piece of doo-doo(tech term for rust) between it and the hub. Turning the rotor with the hub attached keeps the whole mess "true", spec-wise.
It's not the end of the world if you separate them, tho...it just leaves more room for a run-out problem.