I have drums all the way around on my 55 Ford and stops fine . I had a 1969 Dodge Super Bee and it came with drums all the way around and never failed me at all ! I raced it !
The main difference between disks and drums is that disks are less effected by heat. Drums will work just about as good as a disks when they're cool and usually for the first couple of panic stops, but after that, the heat buildup causes the drums to expand causing brake fade and anything from just moderate lessening of braking ability, to a near complete loss of breaking power, depending on how hot the drums get. I used to be a long haul trucker and most 18 wheelers still use cast-iron drum brakes on all the wheels. Driving in the mountains you learned real quick to use the engine rpm, the Jake brake and the tranny to control your speed on the downgrades rather than the brake pedal. If you rode the brakas even lightly on a long downgrade to control your speed, the drums would heat up and expand to the point that you'd have absolutely no brakes at all and then you'd be in for one hell of ride! For a '54 Chevy, as long as the brakes have good linings and drums are still within specs and are properly adjusted - and you don't happen to do a bunch of back to back, high speed panic stops, you should be just fine. If you do have to do a high speed panic stop, you might want to sit for a few minutes and let the brakes cool a bit. mart ===================================================
My old Jag with 350 is about 2500lbs. It raced all it's life with drums...both with the XK6 and SBC power. These are 12 1/2" and quite deep..but if these cars raced this way..even won LeMans on drums..I think for what I do on the street they are OK. The problem though is rain..standing water..snow and ice. Wet drums are a serious issue. I have thought about disc brake conversion..but in Arizona..limited rain..and open roadster..no snow or ice..I'm good. I drive it hard..do mountains..never an issue. However..12" drums..2500 lbs..but 350 or so HP.. Depends on the actual drums used.
I drive my car to work. In traffic. I have manual disc/drum setup that stops in an instant, repeatedly. Wife's Desoto has power disc /drum. not as quick, but stops better than the completely worn out antique front drums. I use my wipers too.
I have to think with a '54 Chevy you're not going to purposely go out and do 5 panic stops in a row, drive through standing water taller than your tires on a regular basis, etc. That does remind me though - the ONE time I had problems with my drums in that old Pontiac. It was like February 2nd and I had to get back from college to home in it - it had thawed, like 60' overnight, then a front blew in and by the end of the next day it was in the teens again. So I had to drive through where water was rushing across the main road from the thaw, maybe 6" deep, enough to splash on my plug wires and ground some of them out, but not enough to move the car. I was fine at first but as I got closer to home and it got colder, what water was left in there must have frozen because I had a couple stops where I had to really stand on the pedal to slow down. I rode the brake for a bit in slow traffic and after I built some heat back up it went away.
My .02 worth... The master cylinder is probably the most important change anyone with a 49-54 should make. Unless you can't get it up thinking of a modern master cylinder hiding under the floor.
Hell, Ford was puttin' those dandy MC's on cars 'til at least the mid-60s... I totally agree with you, I'm WAY more concerned with the MC than I am with drums. IMO that really is a safety issue that needs addressing, if for nothing else peace of mind.
Still have Drums on my Tbird,soon to replace the single M/C for a dual. For those of us that run 4 drums.....
[QUOTE That's a load of bullshit.[/QUOTE] It's a joke man, and a good one. I'd love to have a poster of it. Put it in the shop with my drum brake Buick.
Good Morning guys and gals, this post came at a good time im running 63-67 econoline spindles up front and the drum brakes off of a stock mustang 8.8 in the rear, with a speedway adjustable proportioning valve. Having a problem when i put it in gear, the car pulls back even when the brakes are applied and the front brakes lock up completely, where do i start? Sorry if I high jacked the post.
do drums work? Sure. I prefer the cymbal myself. Tambourines are kinda Richard Simmons so stay away from those. What about the bass? Ever tried playin one?
I'm glad someone asked this question. Up until now I was going to convert my front drums to disc. However, after reading this thread, I'm going to stay with drums all around and just update the MC and the brake lines. Is there any benefit of power brakes over manual? I'm not trying to hijack the thread, I just figured since we are on the subject of brakes, why not ask. I have thought about adding a booster, but I want to make sure it is worth the time, money, and taking up space in the engine bay.
Not a problem. I run a 54 Chevy front end in my 38 Chevy Sedan with drums all around. I did add a power brake booster and it stops great.
My T has drums all around. You can lock them up with no problem. They have made me more aware of the other people on the road. I do drive the T differently than I drive my daily driver.
Drum brakes are not for idiots. They require maintenance. They heat up and loose effectiveness when pushed in a racing situation or when going down a mountain side. They loose effectiveness after fording a stream or in extremely heavy rain. These are the primary reasons for the manufacturers changing to discs. If you are old enough to have learned to drive before disc brakes you were taught how to use your drum brakes to prevent the above conditions. You were taught NOT to ride the brakes on long grades allowing some cooling time between each application. You were instructed to lightly apply the brakes if you went through large puddles or fording a creek. Checking and adjusting the brakes is more involved than looking through the holes in the rims. It's called maintenance. Look it up in the dictionary. It's a historic concept. I almost didn't go look at my 36 sedan when the seller told me he had changed it back to mechanical brakes to be more original. (late 70s- 55 265 with an adapter) I had heard all the horror stories too. He told me I can put 4 black marks on any highway in the county. Can you stop any better than that with hydraulics? He had restored them to new as they left Dearborn in the 30s. He took me for a test drive and almost put me through the windshield when he locked up the brakes unexpectedly to demonstrate their effectiveness. I bought it and drove the car across country with no problems. Hydraulics don't stop any better than properly maintained mechanical brakes but they do not need the maintenance that mechanicals do. Worn out mecanicals reduce the amount of usable pressure between the pedal and the shoes and scared a lot of people that pulled them out of the woods in the 50s. Hydraulics don't waste that pressure trying to move rusty worn ill fitting parts. Properly adjusted 4 wheel drum brakes should be able to lock up all 4 wheels assuming the tires are not monster mudders. Most of us probably have smaller front tires than the car came with and will loose traction long before the drums loose effectiveness. If you are road racing then the heat will build up and your braking will diminish. If you can not lock up all 4 wheels under normal circumstances in an emergency then your brakes need attention. They should be able to. We want to build the cars but doing maintenance is a PITA. If an idiot pulls out in front of me I will be able to lock them up and scare anybody in a 1/4 mile from the screeching tires. I just can't do it over and over again. Once they cool down everything is back to normal.
I have 4 wheel manual drum brakes on a 67 Chevrolet truck I used to drive every day. They always stopped fine just don't tailgate people and you should be alright. As far as people saying they stop as well as disc brakes, I don't agree, but I guess thats all opinion...
Have all drums on both my rides for 14 years now, driving every day. Also original suspension and steering. First couple of years I drove around Austin than mostly navigated through Los Angeles traffic, freeways and city, including the infamous rush hours! Drove in flooding rains, snow, severe winds, etc... and many times with a loaded truck. I always leave plenty of stopping distance, still had to slam the brakes a few times, but never added one scratch to my bumpers in all the years.
Aside from hydraulic issues, the two most important necessities for an effective drum brake system are: 1. Correct and consistent adjustment, including e-brake. 2. Quality brake shoe linings and drums that are within factory specifications for ID. AND...for the driver: Always be aware and leave plenty of room for stopping taking notice of road conditions and having a good set of mirrors to enable you to always see what is around you and coming up on you.
I went from drums to discs on my 49 and it stopped way better. disc brakes are good. smacking some car because you needed another 5 feet to stop is bad.
Obviously my Humor went WAY over your head..... Did you read the top of my post or just look at the picture and ASSUME I'm anti-drums up front??? I HAVE DRUMS FRONT AND REAR ON MY THUNDERBIRD! The main reason I haven't changed to discs up front is cost. $800 for the "kit" that doesn't include a Booster and M/C. THEN,I can't run 14" wheels,so I need to switch to 15" and buy 5 new tires. Total investment is going to be in the $1500-$2000 range. As long as you keep them adjusted properly,buy quality parts and have your drums turned by a shop that knows what they're doing,you'll be fine. I've had the Tbird for 2 years now and I don't have any problems. I ran 4 drums on my '68 Malibu for the 6 years I drove it and had NO problems.
Sure, my wife can come kick me in the nuts but why? Kinda the same thing. Disk brakes are so much more efficient than drums with better stopping power.
Read all the replies saying they work great but don't do this and don't do that with them. Once again you have to ask the person giving the advise what they drive besides the Hot Rod that they are comparing the brakes to. If someone drives a BMW M5 they aren't going to tell you that there drums are up to par plain and simple. Can they work??? Of course they can and their are upgrades that can be done. But when you are done doing the upgrades and rebuild it is usually cheaper to switch over to discs. To all those who are saying they can lock their tires that simply means that you aren't stopping you are sliding. Speed ratings have nothing to do with stopping power. To the guys saying they can stop quicker than a anti lock brake equipped car you have a bigger problem than your brakes. I have used Praise Dyno brakes products and can say the friction compound they use with the larger wheel cylinders and master work night and day compared to stock. But again it isn't a cheap deal either. One thing to remember if you hit someone from behind you are 100% at fault no matter what they were doing in front of you except if they were in reverse. Open car where they show go for it, closed car where you really want to drive without all the be careful of this or that switch over.
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