Drum vs Disc Brakes

rollie

rollie

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My runner has 4 wheel manual drum brakes. I would like to change the front from drum to discs to make it safer to drive. The car has 15 inch rims. It's been recommended that I stay with manual and install 'common' discs in the front, common meaning parts from the early 70's that are easy to find and replace............. say like the disc brakes off a 74 Cordoba (single piston). A friend of mine has had this done and while they work fine, and the car stops in a straight line .........the car does not stop any shorter than it did before with manual drum brakes............so what's the point ???

There are lots of kits on the market with 3 and 4 piston calipers. Should I expect better stopping with multi piston disc brakes or is the problem that the system is manual rather than power? How much of a big deal is it to change to power if that's the only option?

Any information/opinion appreciated.
 
Matching the "WHOA!" pedal with the "GO!" pedal

I am a big fan of having the "WHOA!" pedal match the "GO!" pedal.
Our beloved cars had alot of go from the factory but not alot of whoa.
Overall, discs will give you better stopping over a longer period (like going down a long grade) or in wet conditions for certain.
Drums also have a tendency to pull one way or the other when wet or when they start getting out of adjusment.
I have used the master power brakes on most of my B-bodies and have really liked the improvement over the manual drums.
Their kits fit in my 15" wheels and use the readily available calipers, rotors and pads.
Another plus is that their front disc kits come as completely assembled on the spndle units with so all you have to do is change out your spindles.
Also, all of the parts are new so there is no guessing if the used parts you are getting are junk or good.
You can see their stuff for 69 runners here:
http://www.mpbrakes.com/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=
They also have complete rebuild kits for your stock drums if you are keeping those.
They also have stainless steel brake lines and braided SS flex hoses too.
I wasnt sure about going with the 4-wheel disc but now that I have them I am glad I spent the extra $$.
 
I put disc brakes on all four corners from stainless steel brakes. They bolted right on without changing any parts. I also changed from standard to power brakes.
 
I've been driving with four wheel manual drums since '84, and like them fine. just need to keep them adjusted.
 
Thanks for the info .................. I'll check out the website.

Mopar Friday.jpg

Mopar Friday.jpg
 
The pad material has a lot to do with where the brakes work best so I am asking if you did multi stops to build heat to see where they work best or fade?
 
There is nothing wrong with drum brakes, they work just fine. The advantage of disc brakes is that they resist fade much better. This would be important if you had occasion to hit the brakes hard on multiple occasions one after the other. Most stuff I see on forums today looks like many people have the idea that discs are vastly superior and that's really not the case if you do an apples to apples comparison. I don't see an advantage to multi-piston calipers for cars like ours and they add a lot of complexity and cost.
 
I have had my Runner since 1974 and it came with drums and it will stay that way.
I have know reason to change.:cents:

I have the power disc on the Mr.Norm's car and see no difference.
 
I have drums on my current runner and had drums on my first runner. As long as you keep them adjusted they work just as well as disc.
 
Brakes aren't the limiting factor in stopping. Tires are.

As long as the brakes can lock the tires, that is all the braking power you can really use.
 
I think allot depends on how you drive, what you expect out of your car... I have had both drum & discs, power & manual, many different types of disc too, YES they are more money... you can get most all the factory disc stuff from the local Napa parts store too, Satellite, Sport Sat., Charger, Belvedere, Coronet etc. disc equipped cars & many spindles out there that will swap, there's also a great tech article in Mopar Action, Mopar Muscle Mag tech archives also that has a pretty good list of what you will need, also quite a few threads over @ www.ForBbodiesOnly.com forum another of Joey's great sites, I'm a big contributor on also... try also www.doctordiff.com maybe or one of his E-bay sales even... I have a set of SSBC Force 10 manual discs on a couple of my RR's now {last 2 & will have them on my current one too}, I live in the Sierra mountains & the drums don't cut it for me anyway, especially going down hills allot & carving any corners, or 135mph+ passes down the 1/4 mile... I'm extremely happy with them... I'm sure there are cheaper & even better ones out there too... I go with someone I trust & deal with regularly... They're easy to install, but they are pricey too & if you don't like carving corners {I like my cars to stop quickly multiple time in a row & handle well too} or unless you live up in the sticks/mountains, carve corners, run high speeds & need brakes that won't fade, like I do, then they probably aren't really necessary, but sometimes it's about what you like & want, not just what you need... I guess it's different strokes for different folks, I prefer Discs & I'm going to put the SSBC Force 10's, drum/disc swap using the factory drum spindles on my current 68 RR too, just in case I sell {I highly doubt I will now thou} & the new buyer wants the original 11" drum stuff, I'll keep them too, stuff them in the shed with all the rest of the stuff, unless someone offers me good money for them...LOL... tires are still somewhat a limiting factor too, I have BFG Radial TA's 245/60/15/up front & 295/50/15 rear... I leave the drums on the rear usually, never had an issue there, but have swapped them out for discs also, on certain car, just depends on what kind of build it is, if it's a 100pt restoration use the stock drum stuff... good luck what ever you decide to go with...
 
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rollie said:
My runner has 4 wheel manual drum brakes. I would like to change the front from drum to discs to make it safer to drive. The car has 15 inch rims. It's been recommended that I stay with manual and install 'common' discs in the front, common meaning parts from the early 70's that are easy to find and replace............. say like the disc brakes off a 74 Cordoba (single piston). A friend of mine has had this done and while they work fine, and the car stops in a straight line .........the car does not stop any shorter than it did before with manual drum brakes............so what's the point ???

There are lots of kits on the market with 3 and 4 piston calipers. Should I expect better stopping with multi piston disc brakes or is the problem that the system is manual rather than power? How much of a big deal is it to change to power if that's the only option?

Any information/opinion appreciated.
Click to expand...

If you want your car to be "safer", then don't drive it. Modern cars offer things that vintage cars can't touch, and vice-versa! Part of the nostalgia of owning & operating these cars is embracing their arguable shortcomings. I've never understood how the much larger friction surface of the brake shoe is superior to that of a brake pad. Tractor trailers use 'em... It's not a matter of hydraulics either... The reason a hydraulic caliper has a much larger volume than that of a wheel cylinder, is that a caliper has to make up for the lack of fulcrum/leverage that exists in a drum set-up. The only real advantage to disc brakes in everyday use (not NASCAR, for example) is their basic simplicity & consistant balance between the wheels on a given axle, which means less adjusting & maintenance. If you drive it every day and use your brakes a lot (like mountain driving) then maybe there is an advantage.... Just an opinion...
 
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My opening sentence was meant in jest, I applogize if it sounded condescending. Good luck with the car whichever way you go!

:encouragement:
 
A31PKG said:
My opening sentence was meant in jest, I applogize if it sounded condescending. Good luck with the car whichever way you go!

:encouragement:
Click to expand...

Too late; you're now on Double Top Secret Probation and Dean Wormer is personally keeping an eye on you...:basketcase:
 
A31PKG said:
My opening sentence was meant in jest, I applogize if it sounded condescending. Good luck with the car whichever way you go!

:encouragement:
Click to expand...


well I'm offened and it's not even my car.......:jester:
 
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