Drum Brakes - they just ain't doing it anymore

[rollie]

After several near misses (since nobody these days leaves enough room between cars on the highway) ....... I'm going to switch to disc brakes. Can any members please advise the solutions that they would recommend that have worked for them in a similar situation. I currently have original 4 wheel stock 'manual drum brakes' on 15x7 rims with Magnum 500's.

I would appreciate any comments on the following options:
1) Upgrade to front manual disc brakes (perhaps from 72 Cordoba or similar)
2) Upgrade to new manual front disc brake conversion kit which includes spindles etc (eg Wilwood). Not sure if 3 or 4 piston calipers make a lot of difference on such a small rotor.
3) Upgrade to power assisted front disc brake conversion kit with booster. Note that I'm running a 383/496 stroker motor with Quickfuel 850. I've been told that stroker engines setups may not produce enough vacuum pressure?)

Any comments appreciated about your experience with your conversion from manual drum brakes to disc brakes. Thanks!

 

[69hemibeep]

Manual disc will make a difference. The old style mopar stuff is plentiful and inexpensive. Here is another thought, I had a Chrysler 300 with power drum brakes that would put you thru the windshield in town. They do give you problems when wet and I don't remember if there was any high speed fade. There will be more ideas coming along.

 

[Fred Zerk]

Hi folks. I haven't done a conversion, but did explore the CPP (Classic Performance Parts) disc brake conversion mentioned by others here. Available with power assist, and IIRC is about $600 for the whole kit. Sounds like a great solution (really a necessity) for any contemporary driver.

Another idea stuck in my mind is that Car and Driver tested a Nickey 427 Camaro back in the day which had drums, but the shoes had sintered metal linings. Again....IIRC, they helped close the gap between disc and drum performance a little. Not sure if something like that is even still available. Much cheaper than a dics conversion, but to me the discs are really essential on the road today!

I'll bet most any 4 wheel drum system will fade severely if pushed hard enough. I'll never forget getting my parents' '66 390 cid Galaxie up to 90mph and hitting the brakes.......slowed to maybe 60-70, and then not much braking after that......pretty scary!

Regards

 

[Fred Zerk]

Rollie, I don't see vacuum as a problem at all unless you need the brakes at WOT for some reason (just kidding). During normal operation when the brakes are applied with the driver's foot off the gas, there's more than enough vacuum. That's when it's the highest. Witness the '60's 302 Z/28 Camaro (with lots of valve overlap and a relatively small displacement): they came standard with power (vacuum assisted) front discs and didn't produce much manifold vacuum at idle. The brakes were fine!

 

[quikbird]

went with complete four wheel disc setup from stainless steel brakes about 10 years ago and have never looked back. with all the new stuff available today it just doesn't make sense to me to go chasing 40 year old parts. new stuff is designed to work with existing drum brake spindle and just bolts in. mine is a manual setup and I have had no problems with brake effort. plus if you buy the kit you get all the parts and no looking for the one piece you missed. I personally hate stopping in the middle of a job because I have to go get the piece I forgot.

also the kits which come with master cylinder etc. have solved the problems of bore size and stroke length for you. This can be tough with mix and match pieces.

 

[mahoney0_00_3]

I bought from the right stuff-500 bucks and they bolt right on -and they work great!go to napa and buy a brake booster/go to tonys In Delaware- to get the rod parts and you are goldenAL

 

[earlyrides]

The WHOA! pedal and the GO! pedal

I used the 4-wheel kit from master power brakes. The fronts had the spindles to the calipers all assembled so they went on very quickly.
Of course it took me a bit longer since I didnt see any reason to take the front end apart and not replace the worn out bushings and ball joints.
The kit from them is also nice because all of the replacement parts can be bought from the local parts store instead of having to wait like you would with the wilwood setup.
It comes with a smaller 8" power booster, master cylinder and proportioning valve.
I also upgraded all of my hard lines to stainless steel and got braided stainless flex hoses at the same time.

http://www.mpbrakes.com/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=&page=1

Wow! What a great feeling to have a WHOA! pedal that matches the GO! pedal.

 

[rollie]

Thanks guys. Will do some sleuthing and see what I can find. Anyone else wants to weigh-in.....be my guest.

 

[Big John]

My thoughts....

Disc brakes are great. They don't fade and they are cheap to make.

Stopping... well... I've said this before, the limitation is the tires. As soon as you lock the wheels, it doesn't matter if it's drums or discs that locked the wheels.

11 x 3 drums are pretty beefy. When working correctly, you will find they will stop (again, the limitation is the tires) as well as the discs. The key words are "working correctly". Remember NASCAR race cars were still running drum brakes for years after discs became common place.

I'm not saying that it's not a good conversion.... I'm just saying that maybe your issues are like many others I see talked about.... The original stuff is tossed just because it isn't understood how to make it right.

This is a personal rant of mine....

Again... if you want discs, go for it... It's your car and it isn't a bad thing at all. Just consider the alternative of fixing what is there.

 

[Basketcase]

couldn't agree more. I've been driving with manual drum brakes since I started to drive. Never had a problem with them. keep them adjusted, good condition, and they're fine. what I've been doing for 30+ years, no different than The Boss's Intrepid. They made these cars to go fast in a straight line and then stop. That they do well. If you're planning on road racing against a new car, than you may be in trouble as far as suspension/handling/braking.