I finally got around to installing disc brakes in my 56. The Ford is my mostly daily driver and I put about 200 miles a week on it. Although the original drum brakes worked fine, sometimes I need the OT Dodge when I travel leaving my wife driving the Ford when our daughter needs her car, and my wife is not a fan of the old manual drums. I looked at several options including this one from Wilwood, https://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/B...ear=1956&make=Ford&model=Fairlane&option=Base before buying this kit, https://www.autocityclassic.com/ful...ford-disc-brake-conversion-granada-fdpwr5556/ The Wilwood kit would have cost twice as much by the time I got a master cylinder and my right front spindle had gouges and beat up threads from what looks like a frozen wheel bearing sometime in the past, the Granada kit includes spindles. The installation was easy, the kit came with everything needed except a bit of 3/16" brake line and some replacement ball joint boots. The only modification needed was I had to grind a small notch in the brake booster bracket to clear a screw in the firewall. The spindles were already reamed for the lower ball joints and the kit came with spacers so the original castle nut worked. The car sits about an inch lower now, I already have the Aerostar springs in it with 1" spacers and the right front tires rub on the fenders before full lock so I will go back in and install an adjustable spacer like this, https://www.speedwaymotors.com/AFCO-Adjustable-Spring-Spacer,49203.html to get the clearance I need. So far the car stops on a dime and I have no complaints.
Congrats - the Granada conversion is a good one - any idea why there is a height difference - did not know about the adjustable coil spring spacers - front tires look a little large and rears a little small for the openings - nice looking ride
Good going. I’ve read where Granada spindles and Aerostar springs made it too low for most. My son had the adjustable spacers in his first dirt car. I needed two different size urethane spacers above my Aerostar’s to make mine level.
Good points made so far....those front tires look really big for fronts. What size are you running? Ditto what Jimmy said about the combination of Aerostars and dropped spindles. I know for sure that won't work on '57's, even with a light weight drive train. Aside from the tire rub you're having, you'll probably have issues with the car bottoming out easily. Don't drive it too much til you get the ride height finalized and realigned! I love the car, btw. Are the wheels Rocket Igniters? 312?
I knew it would be low, that's why I put the 1" spacer in with the springs but I think the disk brakes have widened the front track 1/4 to 1/2". That along with the wheels being 6 " rather than the 5 1/2" of the steel wheels is why I'm in the fenders. I'll get it right before long. I'm going to order the adjustable spacers and measure from the ground to the wheel well opening, then jack up at the front crossmember a little at a time until the tires don't hit then measure again. Whatever the difference is I will add a 1/4 inch and set the spacers to that distance, tack them at that spacing, then tack them to the top of the springs.
The front tires are 205/75's and the rears are 215/75's. The original tires would have been a 710-15 for a V8 with Ford-o-matic and the cross reference chart comes to a 205/75 but a 195/75 probably wouldn't look wrong. For now though I only have about 10,000 miles on these tires so I'll keep running them till I get my money's worth. Rocket Igniter wheels 6" with 3 1/2" backspacing. I can't go any bigger on the back tires, I had to replace the 2" blocks in the rear with 1" to run these tires and wheels. No problems with bottoming out, I live on an Army base and before I did this I would bottom out on the active barrier at the gate and anything more than a crawl and now I can go right through. Originally a six cylinder car, stock 292 now.
Sounds like you're headed in the right direction.........if those adjustable spacers will fit the aerostars. Thank you for your service. You are appreciated.
This one got 205's front, 215's rear, 6" x15" wheels and the Wilwood conversion on stock spindles and no power. 8.8 rear with F-150 11x2.25 drums. To me all the 56 Fairlane models look good especially today when you see so few of them with over 400k manufactured.
Are you going to add a brake warning light? I don't see a wire attached to the switch on the proportioning valve.
To tell you the truth I have no idea what that switch is. It does have a brake light pressure switch, you can see it at the bottom, below the front brake line. I have that wired through a relay and it's worked fine for over a year now. So what is the switch in the proportioning valve?
The disc brake kit on my '59 shoots the tires out at least a 1/2" per side. I run 215/75-15 tires up front and it will rub now and then going up steep driveways. I had Aerostar coils up front... too low. There is another BETTER spring, the number is CC851, IIRC.
The item below your nice '56s master cylinder is an OE combination valve that includes rear proportioning, pressure differential and metering. The "mystery" switch controls a dash warning light (if wired) and lights when there is a primary or secondary pressure differential of about 300 psi, indicating a mechanical or hydraulic brake problem. The metering valve, obvious because of the rubber covered push button needed to bypass the valve during low pressure bleeding, holds off the fronts discs pressure for about 100 psi to allow the rear drum shoes to overcome their return springs and apply the same time. You have your stop light switch in one of the front ports which results in your brake lights coming on later (delayed) than they should. If you intend to keep this combo valve, you should move the hydraulic switch location between the master cylinder and combo valve, or much better yet install a mechanical switch. All you really need IMO is an adjustable proportioning valve, to better compliment your custom brake disc/drum system vs the present fixed value combo valve, along with a 10 lb. residual for the rear drums. (pretty sure your Corvette-style aftermarket master does not have an internal residual) Metering is not necessary and was not used on all disc/drum systems, and the pressure differential valve is useless if you don't intend to wire a warning light.
It is a grounding type switch that would light a light if one of the brake systems, front or rear, failed. There is a valve in the block that is normally centered. If the front or rear brake hydraulic system should develop a leak, the valve will move over during braking and ground the switch which typically lights a red light on the dash. This is to let you know you have a problem.
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