Hi all, I am building a mild hot rod 230 flathead for my car and adding a 53 Plymouth overdrive manual trans. This will improve and likely result in faster easier freeway driving. I have two concerns as follow and am looking to stay with stock type brakes. Ie I want a stock looking machine that is safe and performs well without adding aftermarket disc brakes... Here are my concerns: 1 faster freeway driving....need better brakes 2 hills, hills and hills......need good brakes that don't fade and if single brake line breaks we are all dead. we live near hills in Calif and would like to cruise them on a nice day, but is it safe? My stock brake system has been completely rebuilt with new parts and adusted by me except.for the rubber hoses which looked ok. However these hoses could be 50 years old and I wouldnt know. If I have a wheel cyclinder leak or broken rubber line, I am afraid this would.be very very dangerous, especially at fwy speeds or more scrary if we were on the local so California hills. Each wheel has been adjusted and the wear pattern checked for full engegement of the shoe to the drum over a couple years of time and most importantly the car does stop straight and evenly.....a painstakenly long process. However, the brakes fade fast and then its hard unsafe to stop of in mountains.....thus I don't go there....but we want to! 1. One fix?.....I found that later drums have slight fins around the circumference of the drum and this should help? Haven't installed them yet.Thoughts? 2 . Is there a bolt on master cylinder that has a separate line for fronts and rears just in case we lose pressure in one or the other. Ie some brakes are better than none.?? Is there one from another year or model of mopar or are there direct replacements from aftermarket. I am not aware of any? 3. What are the easy modifications to drums or backing plate that people have done . Did you do them how and would you do such mods again? Ie did they work and was it worth it. Be descriptive because I I am somewhat beginner on this type of mod. 4. Would new replacment rubber brake lines be ok or not to be trusted.? What are possibilities here and recommendations.? 5. Are there different types of brake linings that are available for this type of car. Should I be asking for special type or brand of linings,.etc. So to clarify what safety and fade improvemnt recommendations do you have that I should consider? Remember too that I want to stay with stock type brakes, not discs, but maybe a two line master cylinder if avail. Thx for.any comments you have , Mike
Don't have much advice on these problems as my drums on my 47 have worked great and I have a late model mastercylinder w/ a proportioning valve, with ford drums on the rear! But I do know that I took my old rubber brake hoses to NAPA and they told me they didn't have a replacement hose, but they let me go behind the counter and dig through the boxes, and I found a set that was the exact same length, and exact same threads...I believe they ran the part numbers back and told me it was from an 80's chevy pick up...I will see if I still have the part number. I thought I had the part no. in my build thread, apparently not! They have been on there for a year and a half and seem to be working great!
I have a 1940 Dodge with 318 poly & 4 wheel disc brakes........it can be driven ANYWHERE..... up & down hills, mountains, freeways, back roads and it stops.....well..........I also have a 1941 Plymouth, it will have a hipo 230(pic attched)........at present it has 1941 Plymouth brakes...........I have rebuilt, adjusted, readjusted and adjusted again these 4 wheel drum brakes........I will NOT drive it up & down hills or mountains, its o/k on flat roads so long as I take my time........IT WILL GET 4wheel discs...........I want to be able to use it........my choice.......... and your choice is your choice, but drum brakes DO NOT work as well as disc brakes.......some work very well.......but I know what I'd choose......btw I'd be putting NEW brake hoses on at the very least, however stainless steel hoses will give a firmer brake pedal.......as your brakes still don't stop you and continue to fade.....wanna stop?......get disc brakes........lol.....regards,andyd
There are three differnt ones I know about for disc. brake upgrade. Olddaddy here on HAMB Web W.W.W.rustyhopecom he takes your spindle and drills it for disc brake bracket than has a lis of parts you can get at NAPA or whereever you shop for parts. than theres ECI kit its $625. ane AJJ Kit its $950. or so. Olddaddys cost less but you have to do the shopping yourself and have the spindles drilled. Good luck
Hi guys, thank you for the input and the pics. I really do feel like I am leary of hills with long grades that would require braking to control speed and then eventual brake feed. I will consider the disc conversion. Thanks, Mike
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