Jamco Disc Conversion on Shoebox w/Dropped Spindles?

Anyone done the Jamco front disc brake conversion on a 49-53 ford with dropped spindles? Their website says it works, but I can't get it to, calipers won't clear the upper A-arm. Talked to Jamco and apparently my kit was missing the instructions for dropped spindle applications, but they said you just reverse the installation and put the calipers on the front. The clearance is even worse when I do that. Any ideas?

 

i have the jamco disc conversion and dropped uprights not sure if they are jamco's or fatman's. but to make mine work i had to put the main caliper adaptor bracket in the mill and open up the lower recess to let it rotate far enough up to mount the upper bracket. if that makes any sense.

ck

 

Not quite sure what you mean by "lower recess", but overall it sounds like the same problem I'm having. Need to rotate the caliper bracket, but the way the bracket was cut won't allow it.

 

lower recess..... i mean where the lower bolt goes through the bracket. it has the piece welded to it to create a recess in the bracket..... it was too close a tolerance to let the bracket rotate up far enough

 

Bump for the daytime crowd, anyone else attempted this?

 

Aw crap.....The instructions I was provided have the caliper on the back half of the wheel as opposed to the front. I just completed the Jamco disk brake conversion, dual M/C swap with Jamco dropped uprights. Had to grind caliper bracket (looks like a funky boomerang) 1/4 inch the get the bolt holes to line up.
It would not line up (too close to the spindle bracket) Had to also notch the cradle portion of the same bracket 1/8th inch so it would let the backside brake pad slide back and forth without catching. After all that, it works fine. I have a little bit less turning radius, but figured its cause I have 225/75-15 wheels with drop spindles, 1 1/2 coils cut out. Not to mention my alignment is wayyyyy off right now.

Cafekid, are your calipers on the front half or back half of the wheel?

 

If I have heard this complaint once I've heard it 20 or more times. I don't understand how people spend $$$ on parts as important as Brake are then be willing to adjust for pore quality and just make do. Is just kind of close really good enough? I'm just constantly amazed at what people are willing to put up with.
The Wizzard

 

Sometimes you gotta make do... Afterall, these are parts supplied by an alliance vendor. Who hasnt cut a bolt that was a tick too long, or clearanced something here and there. I definatley wasnt happy with the product and I am still ten kinds of pissed about the money but I have enough brains (barely) to make it function properly.

I will tell you though, if I had to do over again, aside from the dropped uprights, I would have taken alot more time (something I dont have, pending a deployment) to figure out a OEM type application and not have to rely on someone else's "close enough" mass production fabrication skills.

 

any pics, cause i have dropped spindles on my 54, and if they look at all similar I might be able to help. ( i know that you have king pins and i dont, but maybe the spindles are similar?)

 

I understand the home hobby guy adjusting and working things out. By the time you hang out a shingle and start taking peoples $$$ that should all be history. It's just a Pisser that by the time you find out how Crappy some engienering is your in to deep to send the Junk back. Generally your Stuck making it work because you thought a minor adjustment would do the job. By the time your done, often you would have been better off not buying the Kit to start with. We can all Bumble our way through something and sooner or latter get there.
The Wizzard

 

Now thats the daggone truth Wizzard. Wish I would have kept the cash in my pocket!!

 

Have you tried to contact them in regards to your dissatisfaction with thier kit ? I think JC from Jamco is on here "Hotweelz" or something like that. You should PM him with your concerns. If something they sell is jacked up Im sure they would want to know about it. At least I hope they would!

 

Sure did, I was on the phone almost daily. What I got was alot of "we've never had that problem" type of stuff. Jim was professional, polite and courteous every step of the way, shipping me the missing parts, missing instructions etc, over the phone measurements for missing parts, but it in no way detracts from problem. Whomever is fabricating their kits for them has production quality issues.

 

are you taking about the dropped kind pin spindle? cause i was thinking about the ball joint conversion kit for my 49, i think that kit gives you a bigger drop thank the king pins. but it sure is pricey!!!!!

 

Big Creep, its the King pin style. Was thinking about ball joints one day. Let me know how it works out if you do it.

 

this is interesting info as i had been thinking of going this route on my 50 but I seem to read more and more about issues. I guess the questions should be who has bought the kit and it worked without adjustments.

 

is their any problems using the factory 15" 1951 wheels with rotors they provide?

 

I am running 15" stockers on my coupe with the jamco conversion.

 

Hard to believe this, this topic has been covered several times. They need to re-engineer their kit or come up with a better solution for anyone using anything other than stock parts. Wizzard is absolutely right if you're manufacturing parts for sale they need to be right on, specially brakes and steering components. And if only fits with stock components let the buyer know. Its your freakin' life you're putting at risk, if that doesn't concern you remember it could be your kids or wifes life your gambling with.

 

cool, thanks for the input
M.

 

Had the same problem on my Merc. Go here to see what was done to correct it----
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=349439

 

I don't remember off the top of my head, but I know I had to grind about 1/4 inch off of part of the caliper bracket when I did mine, that was in '92 though... Custom Rodder had an install article on mine that I heard became the instructions you get with the kit. I never saw it, but I kept hearing that-

 

weez your shoebox rules!

 

Why would anyone drop so much coin to go thru the hell to install this kit? I will not pay for poor engineering sorry jamco. it would not be hard for you too change this. U would sell more and it would pay off for you. I deal with engineering every day. There always right no matter how wrong they are.

 

a good friend just finished intalling the high dollar jamco kit on my shoe, he said poor quality control, lots of missing and wrong parts. They also claim it a total bolt on kit thats not true you have to drillout the frame to hang the power booster and MC, he decided to weld it on instead?

 

I had to weld Jamco's kit on my shoebox.It was almost impossible to get the brake pedal in correct place without doing that.And it sits too low too,thats another reason for welding it.
Everything else seems to be ok,but it just need that extra fabricating.
Few pics in my build thread..

 

wow, nice build thread! yeah we where suprised how low that booster hung down under the car

 

i did the disc conversion on my 52 about 2 years ago... im going to admit i was drunk when i did it and remember having to grind down one of the caliper plates to make em fit... i think. like i said i was drunk. lol