Whats works well on 28-34 Ford cars. A 32 is hopefully in my future and I'm planning what I want to use on it. All of these models are about the same weight and should have about the same braking needs. I definitely will be using discs on the front and most likely drums on the rear. The rear is still up for grabs as I might just go discs all the way around. The question in my mind is whether I need to use a power booster or not on a light car like this..........and if I do use a booster, what is working well for those who have one?
On my 32 sedan I used 53-56 F-250 backing plates and guts and Wilson Welding drums on the front, and 46-48 Ford with NORS guts and drums on the rear. No booster.
Juice fronts, converted to self-adjusting by @Bass and Pontiac drum rears, with later backing plates, again for self-adjusters. 60-62 Chevy truck master cyl.
I have never installed power brakes on prewar rides for a customer. Nothing looks better than fords juice drums, especially if used with Buick finned drums.
F1 in front 47-8 ford on back on my A. my totaly stock 53 ford could put your forehead into the dash it stopped so fast.
Buick drum brakes. '62 drums and guts with '58 backing plates, '46 Ford hubs. I would like to switch the backing plates to early Ford like Brian Bass does not sure of all the steps required.
46-48 Drums front and rear with stock master cylinder using 39 Ford pedal assembly.. Stops pretty good considering the age of technology that we are dealing with. I like the look of the big 12" Ford drums.
No one mentioned anything about disc brakes and boosters. What kind of forum is this? Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
My '28 has '40 front brakes. My '29 has '40 front with Buick drums. And my '32 has '48 fronts. They all have drum brake rears.
Using repro Lincoln brakes on all four corners on my 33 coupe - bought from Hotrod Works in Idaho. Using Buick finned drums on the front and Ford drums on the rear.
A few things to consider. 1: that car weighs nearly nothing, the discs will likely not stop it any better than the old drums. Your not trying to stop a freight train your trying to stop a shopping cart. 2: if your going to have any sort of snotty cam in the motor it’s likely that your booster won’t get enough vacuum to really be of any help and you’d be better served and get a better pedal feel from a non power set up. just thought I’d add information towards your initial question which leaned towards discs etc
'31 Model A with a rowdy flathead... drums all around, F1 up front, '40 Ford out back. Stops just fine (goes even better).
Disc brakes and power assisted brakes were both available on American production cars before 1965. While A 32 is a much smaller and lighter vehicle, It still needs to stop when needed. There are plenty of disc brake kits available for them and other kits which conceal the rotors if nostalgia is the owners desire. Other pre65 vehicles like the 57 Chevy in my Avataur are much heavier and would benefit from better brakes. I have a 56 Chevy pickup which we are building for my son. He was about 35 years old when we bought it. He had never driven a non-power brake vehicle with drums all around. He drove it across our back yard and when it came time to stop, he thought something was wrong with the brakes. Lot more ooomph than he ever expected. Now my son has arthritus in his knee and pushing hard on anything......especially over and over is a problem. He has had surgery on it already and a knee replacement is expected in the future.......just trying to hold off as long as possible. Since I'm no spring chicken, the 32 will eventually become his. I'm simply trying to determine if the 32 can stop without too much effort or if a lot of guys use the brakes with the small vacuum assist. The chart below is a timeline on brake development and it shows that both power brakes and disc brakes were avaiable on domestic vehicles prior to 1965. I saw somewhere that they actually were standard issue on 1965 Falcons.
The Jalopy Journal
