If you want discs, look around for a set of Maverick or Granada spindles and brakes. They should be a bolt on using factory parts. Use a dual master cylinder from the same car, Mavericks had manual disc standard after 1974, power was optional. And they will be 5 x 4.5" small Ford bolt pattern wheels, but early wheels won't fit due to the larger hub on the discs. They are getting harder to find due to age and the Mustang guys doing he same swap, but there are still some out there to be had.
Not to argue with you, but thank you for making my point. That's the main reason why discs are better than drums. No, we all don't do that. If you practiced emergency braking, as I advised the OP to do, you wouldn't either. Sorry, I know that probably sounds elitist or something. It's not, it's just that is how I was trained, and I think it's what every driver should do. Practice making emergency stops, so when it happens you have some experience at it, and some muscle memory that kicks in automatically.
For $300 and a Saturday afternoon "IF" you already have a 5 lug car can change to Disc up front using Grenader parts INC NEW master cylinder parts bought at your local box store parts house... Little more cost effective Online... UGH And that's CHEAP Insurance for safety SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PARTS GUY (Even if he/her works at a box store)
I live in the land of 85mph, no "back way" to get there, and supercars, the likes of which I cannot carry enough insurance to cover, driven by owners who could financially destroy the next 7-generations of my family, with ease. Drum brakes here are pure lunacy.
the more electronic wizardry based safety nincompupery they stick on a vehicle the more dangerous conditions can be created. For example, drive a ABS equipped silverado with just a little rust under the wheel speed sensor. The thing will slow down great to about 3 MPH and then trigger the ABS and you CAN NOT stop it. 3 mph rear end collision, skoot thru the stop sign into cross traffic at 3 mph, tag the garage door,,,, shitty design flaw for sure. My wifes car will disable the ABS, traction control, and variable rate steering effort entirely if there is anything the slightest bit askew. I can do without ABS, not everyone can.
Don't drive like an animal, and keep all 4 wheels nicely adjusted, and you'll learn how 4 wheel drums react. Nothing wrong with them. Sent from my F3113 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This is a 6 cylinder Falcon yes they had small brakes but it weighs less than 2500 lbs compared to a late 60s big block GM intermediate with drums it has more sweeped area per pound. In college I had a 9" drum Falcon and later a 70 C 10 chevy. Compared to the pick up the Falcon had great brakes.
@Rusty O'Toole & @57 Fargo, At the risk of getting this thread shut down and suffering a warning for OT post, I feel the need to clear the air on ABS braking and provide some facts. The results of extensive testing of ABS systems by the OEM automakers is as follows: 1- On clean dry pavement, threshold braking gives shorter stopping distance than ABS or locking the wheels. 2- On a road with a loose surface such as gravel or hard pack snow, locking the wheels so as to build up a wedge of loose material in front of the tires results in a shorter stopping distance than ABS or threshold braking. 3- On a wet or icy road where there is little or no traction available, ABS gives the shortest stopping distance, as opposed to threshold or locking the wheels.
That is not my experience but thanks for your input. Anyone could find out for themselves if they have a car with ABS by trying it on an icy lake or parking lot then pulling the fuse for the ABS and trying it again.
Metallic linings are what you want... Learn how to adjust the anchor pins. Manual adjusters. I can adjust them perfectly especially with a standard rear end, run the rear wheels and see what side is spinning and either tighten or loosen it till they both spin..
One thing that has been omitted about drum brakes is that when doing a brake job, the linings must have 100% contact with the drum. If everything is not new, that may entail arc grinding the shoes! Bones
Shoe-arcing has been outlawed in shops for many decades, in NY it was late 1976. Those old linings were mainly asbestos, today's are organic and don't stop as well as the old shoes. Getting that 100% contact was key to having drum brakes work so well.
The instant I feel less deceleration than my foot's pressure on the pedal tells me I should be feeling, I back off the brakes, even when I'm 95% asleep.
I fully agree, the only thing about threshold braking is not many people can accomplish it every single time. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I have drum brakes on all three- but live in rural area- two lane roads- not a problem here- But usually driving 55 mph- these are not freeway friendly but have driven on them-
I agree with the 100% shoe contact but that is under braking not at rest. A brake shoe will flex under load a hard stop upwards to a 1000 lbs of force is applied to the ends of the shoe. I worked as a brake and front end mechanic for Sears went to their schools. Sears used unfitted shoes that you arced to a smaller circle than the drum the shoe would rock a little in the drum so when the shoe flexed you were at 100%. Your driving style will finally wear the shoe to the right arc.
I recall in the old days sending the drums and shoes out to have the shoes arced was standard practice. We even had an old machine in the shop that I never saw used, it just sat there taking up space, was cheaper to send them out to be done rather than doing them ourselves.
Not sure anyone can argue that discs do not stop better than drums? Let's just say for now that discs stop 20% better than drums. Or drums stop 80% as good as discs. That means driving your drum brake car you have to be driving further back and watching further ahead by that 20% to be on equal stopping distance. Maybe it's 12% or maybe it's 50% but whatever it is you'll need to be hyper vigilant
when I read things like we had drum brakes for 60 years and they worked just fine, they worked just fine in the old days blah blah blah. I really have to wonder where it is you live where there are no late model cars that have 4 wheel anti lock disc brakes? on my 16 mile (one way) commute there is a wreck of some sort 3 out of 5 days a week. every one of these wrecks a car hit another car in front of them who stopped faster than they could. last week I saw 4 cars all lined up nice and neat...BAM BAM BAM. I bet 90% of the cars I see are less than 10 years old. disc brakes good. drum brakes bad. on the rare occasion I do my commute in my 61 Dodge I leave a good 50 feet between me and the car ahead. these brakes work as they should which is not good enough.
Grab 2 sheets of paper and a pencil. On one sheet, list and price everything you're going to need to make the existing brakes the best they can be (don't forget new hoses). On the other, price out different disc conversion options. I remember when I was young and cash was scarce. Nothing pissed me off more than spending more and more on the existing hardware thinking I was "saving" money only to find plan "B" would have been cheaper and/or better. Good luck and welcome to the addiction.....
Kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight. When everyone had just drum brakes and knifes it was fair. Drum brakes work, they work well and especially oversized drums that stop a fully loaded pick up do a fine job of stopping a lightweight hot rod. We've just got be extra careful and know the limitations without being complacent and forgetting
As someone previously pointed out, fender-less cars are an exception, looks still count! I have old Ford brakes and Buick drums on the front, however I bought and installed a John' Industries repro Buick/big Ford rear brake kit. Price wasn't bad, and it fit great. Besides the piece of mind, not to mention the look was worth it. I figure my front pizza cutter tires won't be so hot anyway. Guess it's up to me to compensate for this setup! I think John's Industries might have a brake kit for the 9" in your car!
So, no offense intended, and I wouldn't dare criticize out of the blue, but since you offered this up as an example, when I see that what stands out to me is severe positive scrub radius. That's not an impressive look to me, it says the builder doesn't understand front end or steering geometry. Again, not trying to be a dick, I don't think it's cool to criticize other's cars when mine have so many flaws I'm well aware of. But that's simply not a great example of drum brakes being a good look on a fenderless car.
My '48 Ply has a 331 hemi & 70s GM drum brakes all the way around. Didn't have any problem stopping, even with the heavy Hemi in it. At one point the brake booster went out. replaced it & the M/C. Still no problems. Eventually I noticed a problem stopping. after a while it got very marginal & had to put it in neutral to keep from moving forward on wet or sandy pavement. Turned out when the new booster & M/C was installed the operating arm was too long & the proportioning valve had shut off the rear brakes so I had been driving for quite a while with only the front 2 drums working. Only starting having difficulties when the right front wheel cyl went out leaving only the left front working. One drum brake is inadequate.....
The pic is of the car under construction, so it might be fixed, the other thing is: are there brake linings inside the drums or is that a mockup? It sure don't have any room for a buick lining.
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