Part 1: Getting Started Early Econolines are receiving renewed interest lately, as are Gassers (which frequently used Econoline front axles). I originally had plans to develop this as an article for sale to a traditional print media magazine. The deal fell through, so I'm making the info available as a tech feature for HAMBers. When my teenage son bought a 1965 Econoline for his first set of wheels, I knew that rebuilding the van's spongy brakes would be our first project. Adding disk brakes to these axles was impractical "back in the day." But like so many other modern upgrades, you can save time and leverage someone else's busted knuckles by using a conversion kit. Although the van sports the cool retro "Mystery Machine" look, it's no '56 F100: you won't find ten different vendors offering a variety of custom brake upgrades. Sure, you rarely see Econolines at the local cruise-in, but those rock-solid van axles are appearing under more and more cars as the Gasser revival chases the rat rod movement as the latest new old thing. The bracket kit I used was designed by D&D Brakes in Oregon (http://www.dddiscbrakes.com). Dennis, the owner, is a great guy -- tell him Richard from Atlanta says Hello. Dennis isn't paying me for the plug -- I used his kit and know it works. The folks at Streetrod Manufacturing (http://www.tsmmfg.com/1190.htm) also sell a kit. I don't have hands-on experience with the Streetrod Manufacturing kit, so if you do, post your experience here. Dennis's caliper mounting brackets are laser cut and ready to bolt in place. Bonuses include allowing you to use 14-inch wheels (some original wheels may not work, though -- check with Dennis if you plan to run gennie rims), avoiding additional machine work, and use commonly available parts. Some early Econoline disk brake kits used AMC (groan!) caliper brackets that also had to be machined to fit. One option with the D&D kit are relocation brackets for factory sway bars. Without the brackets, the calipers will hit the factory sway bar links. The entire conversion is a Saturday project for an experienced "brake guy." If you've never done this sort of thing before, allow extra time for the learning curve or find someone to help. I bought the D&D basic bracket kit -- I work at NAPA, so I got the rest of "the good stuff" on my own. Unless you have a good deal on parts, go ahead and pop for the deluxe package and be done with it. He isn't getting rich on these kits: he buys the parts in bulk from the best source he can find to hold down the cost. The basic kit will set you back about $300, and the full-blown kit will set you back about $600, and probably figure another $100 for the proportioning valves and miscellaneous brake hardware. The results? Just last weekend, I had a woman pull out in front of me and I had to lock 'em down on dry pavement: tires screaming, 4-wheel drift -- helluva few seconds. I could never had got that sort of serious braking performance from the old drum setup.
Part 2: Installing the Hardware Begin by removing the wheels, old brake assembly, and backing plates (duh!). I'm not going to remind you to use jack stands for safety, because you already know better, RIGHT? Pull the hubs and remove the old wheel studs. I suggest pressing them out, instead of wailing on those hubs with a hammer. Press in the new wheel studs. Notice the beefier shoulders on the new studs. Every little bit helps! Mount the caliper brackets (don't forget to loctite the threads). Remember: This is a front-mounted caliper setup, so don't try mounting the caliper brackets backwards, and then cuss a blue streak because they won't fit.
Part 3: Master Cylinder and Brake Line Upgrades If you're using a dual-bowl MC, you're already a step ahead. In my case, fitting a different MC or power booster in the Econoline would be a project unto itself so I kept the original setup (trying to avoid "mission creep" and just get the disk conversion done and working). NAPA still lists a few mid-'60s Econoline single bowl MCs in some of their warehouses. If you do business with NAPA, tell them to "check all the DCs" for remaining stock. The last time I spoke to Dennis, he was working on some kind of bracket to let you use a power MC from a Lincoln. I've heard of some other MC adaptations -- for now, you're pretty much on your own if you don't use original parts. Don't skip the proportioning valves. I added a 10 lb. prop valve for the rear drum brakes; a Wilwood adjustable valve handles the front disk brakes. On my single-bowl setup, the original MC had two outlets, one for the front and one for the back brakes. I removed the stock valve from inside the MC, and ran the front line up into the cab and through the Wildwood, then back down and into a T-block that feeds both front brakes. I mounted the Wilwood valve on the side of the engine cover, under the front seat, so I could dial in the brakes while driving. I plumbed the 10 lb. residual valve close to the MC, and then ran the line to the rear axle. Last step: Bleed system, check for brake fluid leaks, test the brakes, and enjoy. That's it. The new brake system has worked flawlessly since I finished it last year. I hope this tech feature helps anyone who's considering this type of conversion and I look foward to comments, suggestions for improvements, and most of all, pictures of your own disk brake conversions!
Thanks! I'll probably be doing this to my 65 Econo this spring. FWIW, someone at the OldEconolines Yahoo group sent me the plans for building a bracket to add a dual MC. It seemed pretty simple. Also, a friend of mine added a drop axle to his 64 van and is in the process of fitting a hot rod booster/pedal assembly sold for use in a mid-30s Ford. The booster is tiny and it looks like the whole thing will fit with minor modifications. I'll post his tech when he's done.
Nice tech piece. I have a question: The wilwood valve - shouldn't it be plumbed into the line for the rear brakes? I thought you had all the braking going to the front, and then limited pressure to the back to prevent the rear locking. Thanks, Mart.
Maybe it's the way Econolines are built (with that 300-pound weight in the back), or maybe I screwed up something, but my front brakes were locking up before the rear brakes. I used the adjustable to balance them out.
I fabbed one up that uses an early camaro dual MC without too much trouble. You just need to do a lot of test fitting as the MC, shift rods, E-brake, and in my case, the throttle linkage all occupy the same 6 square inches of space under the floor board there. It stops well now, and the best part is if I ever have to replace the MC, it's $15, not $100+++! Cool tech, deepsouthrick!
I have never converted from drum to disc, but from everything I've read, the proportioning valve is used to limit pressure to the rear brakes. I am by no means a brake expert, but having owned a Club Wagon for awhile, I can see why it might make sense to limit the pressure to the front discs. The van has almost no weight in the rear, and quick stops with the original drum set-up would pitch the van forward quite a bit. I had installed all new brake equipment to my van and had the drums turned, and after that, my van would stop very quickly. I think the drum brakes are great -- EXCEPT in wet weather. We'll need an expert opinion on that proportioning valve. Also, how do you remove the original valve from the OEM master cylinder? I've never done it.
Same here. I first tried the setup straight from the MC, just for the heck of it, and expected the back brakes to lock. Nope, front ones locked first. I had rebuilt the back brakes, and I double-checked everything there, and all was working as designed. I put the adjustable in the front lines and dialed it back and everything balanced out. The van now stops easily. But yes, I would love to hear from an expert about this. Easy enough: On the single bowl MC, remove the rubber boot, pushrod, plunger snap ring, then remove the plunger from the bore. Take out the spring and residual valve, remove the valve from the spring, then put it all back together.
Fair enuff, I think we all expected the rear brakes to lock, hence the assumption the limiting valve would go in the rear. There must be hardly any weight on the rear in a panic stop. I bet the rear wheel cylinders are really small. Might be possible to increase the diameter of the rear cylinders until balance is achieved without limiting it to the front. However, you do state the brakes are great now so If it aint broke why try fixin it. One last thing - does the econoline have an adjustable valve linked to the rear suspension like on more modern vans etc.? If it does, that would explain why the rears don't lock up. My 58 f100, on the other hand, locks the rears really easily, I have to come off the brakes to straighten it up in a panic. Mart.
Right -- I might have to change things around if I switched to a power booster in the future, but for now, the before-n-after difference is incredible. And yeah, the rear is light. Ford even added a 300-pound block of steel between the frame rails in the rear, to try and balance things out. Being front-heavy was always an issue. Hmmmm... I don't know, but I'll try to find out. Oh yeah... I have 56 F100 that I converted to power front disk brakes & had the same issues.
In fairness would like to post some information on my AMC brake conversion. Firstly,, need to clarify that firstly, the pads and rebuild parts for the Bendix calipers fit at least two dozen other vehicles to include as common a vehicle as a Ford F-150 truck, same parts, same pads, same stainless steel pistons, and very easy and inexpensive to get. Also, the calipers are listed as a rebuilt unit available from auto parts suppliers, cost at roughtly $39. Secondly,, I offer custom rotors in my kit as standard, cross drilled, slotted, dimpled and plated. Otherwise a common Mazda RX7 front rotor, available the same as any other disc conversion, as the standard inexpensive rotor at any auto parts store for $22. Also, included are as standard stainless steel brake lines to increase pedal firmness, as recomended by any quality brake conversion. In regards to machining the Econoline hub,, I also include in the kit guranteed replacement Econoline hubs, NO spun race supports, and STANDARD in my conversion the only kits THAT HAVE HAD THE MOUNTING SURFACE FACE CUT TO INSURE NO ROTOR WOBBLE,, this is standard on my kits, no one else does it,, unless you want to take yours in and have them machined,, HIGHLY RECOMENDED, as they are warped when staked as a turned unit wth the stock drums. I provide the service for you in my kits,as well as all new AMERICAN BEARINGS AND RACES..Also, I machine the OD of the hub to fit the rotors. I also offer any part of the conversion to include the mounting plates by themselves if you have the Bendix calipers already. Any good auto parts store, can surface cut your econoline hubs on an AAMCO brake drum lathe if you choose to face cut your Econoline hubs. In my kit, I ALSO PROVIDE MY LAZER CUT mounting brackets, the same as D&D or anyone else.. All of my parts to include the Rotor, are zinc plated from the beginning, to prevent any rust. Having sold many of my kits, WITH NO COMPLAINTS EVER, they are a bolt on kit, no fuss no muss, and need NO adapters to clear anything, They will fit some steel 14" rims, but mostly will not, and recomend only 15" wheels to be safe. Note: I found the rear circuit to need the adjustable proportioning valve as in most conversions to "fine tune" the brake bias. In any preset OEM proporioning valve it is setup for a specific vehicle, and very hard to "match" to your vehicle, fine tuning allows for it to be done exactly to yours, and mounting it under the seat, lets you adjust it without stopping to do it.. vic
Thanks for the tech post. I plan on doing a similar conversion to my GMC van in the near future. It has no servo and single circuit brakes to drums all round.
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