Disc brake swap is it worth it

[R Pope]

I have owned many Fords with factory disc brakes and was never all that impressed with the stopping power they have. My '66 stops every bit as good with drums.

[Trav_450R]

disc brakes make for lazy drivers. lol.
i wish everyone had drum brakes and no power steering. the road would be a much different place.

YES!!! Powersteering is for wussies... My mothers Mustang hasn't ever had powersteering on it... Besides you don't need PS to run 12's

[1965 stepside]

Wow thanks for all the comments this sounds
Like a decision to make on what I would prefer.
Some say yes some say drums are just as good
So I will hv to do some thinking on this one
Before I get parts or start the work. Thanks again
For all the comments

[bmcgc]

I bought a 76 parts truck to get all teh goodies I wanted.

For now Im rebuilding the drums and replacing the single pot MC and adding the booster.

Im going to pull the discs off the parts truck and sandblast, paint, and rebuild them this winter.

At the same time Im going to get the power steering column and steering box rebuilt and ready to go and do a disc/power steering swap next spring.

I like the 3 speed column shift, Im pretty excited about the power steering conversion.

[Uncle Skip]

All those Norman Einsteins who say drums are just as good as disks are politely invited to come drive in Houston traffic. Notice most of them live in places like Iowa where more than two cars at a stoplight constitute a traffic jam?

[ICEMAN6166]

All those Norman Einsteins who say drums are just as good as disks are politely invited to come drive in Houston traffic. Notice most of them live in places like Iowa where more than two cars at a stoplight constitute a traffic jam?

i accept if you buy the fuel.

[62galxe]

All those Norman Einsteins who say drums are just as good as disks are politely invited to come drive in Houston traffic. Notice most of them live in places like Iowa where more than two cars at a stoplight constitute a traffic jam?

I drive mine in houston traffic with drums.

[BarnieTrk]

All those Norman Einsteins who say drums are just as good as disks are politely invited to come drive in Houston traffic. Notice most of them live in places like Iowa where more than two cars at a stoplight constitute a traffic jam?

I drive mine in houston traffic with drums.

I also drove my (all drums) '65 F100 in "Houston traffic"....from Airline Dr (northside of the 610 loop), around the east side, over the bridge, down through Pasadena, and on to work in LaPorte, TX....... when I lived there 20+ years ago!

BarnieTrk

[Jerry D]

Here's my

I just put discs on my truck this summer, and wish I had done so sooner. Decided to keep them manual instead of power. I've found that it does stop shorter, and, it stops straighter. Not that I had to adjust the drums often, but once out of adjustment, I got really tired of it pulling to one side. Won't happen anymore. I did have it happen, where I drove through some standing water (it was dark and I couldn't see it), and ended up driving right on by my buddy's house at the bottom of a hill, all the while standing on the brake pedal. Disc brakes typically aren't affected by moisture like drums. Not saying well maintained drum brakes won't do an okay job, but there's a reason Ford went to disc brakes.

[bmcgc]

If the brakes went put of adjustment, then your adjusters were not working properly.

A properly operating set of drums work fine in most applications.

The auto makers went to discs because they were cheaper me thinks.

My 66 GTX, 440, manual steering and drum brakes was a hoot to drive. A couple times I had both feet on the brake pedal pushing as hard as I could while bracing for impact.

Like everything else I drive/ride I consider how much room I need in front of me and make the necessary adjustments.

[charliemccraney]

Like everything else I drive/ride I consider how much room I need in front of me and make the necessary adjustments.

One complication with this is the perception of other drivers. Something I've noticed is that other drivers don't seem to judge the speed at which an older vehicle is moving. They see old and to them old equals slow. So they just mosey on out there in front of you oblivious to the fact that you're doing the speed limit, maybe even a little faster (80 ) and have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them. This is when you need the better brakes.
Here in the Atlanta area, you just can't get the required car lengths between yours and another vehicle for safety if traffic is moderate or heavy (and it's often moderate or heavy). As soon as someone can squeeze in, they're going to do it. Drums don't really cut it.

[bmcgc]

I avoid Atlanta like I avoid herpes.

[LM14]

Disc brakes are simply better and safer. No fade, no water problems, no adjusting, shorter stopping distance, more sweep area. There is a better reason discs are on everything now-a-days then "they are cheaper me thinks".

http://www.edmunds.com/car-technology/b ... -disc.html

Face the music, drums went the way of dinasaurs for a reason.

I will be putting discs on mine this winter but they will not be power assisted.

My opinion,
SPark

[Bill W]

money well spent when i did my disc upgrade....

[douglloyd]

How many times has this topic resurfaced? We should probably make it a tips piece, let everyone edit it, then store it.

Both brake types work fine. But single master cylinder setups MUST be maintained. Not everyone is this dedicated. And drums retain heat and will fade on long hills if that is all you are using to slow down with. If you puddlejump, wet drums will fail altogether. That is real pucker factor at the wrong time.

I did not see the wheel problem mentioned, but IIRC the stock front wheels cannot be used with a disk brake conversion from a later Ford, correct? Also the front wheel spacing will be wider than the backs, something to remember when you are lining up the ramps for your trailer. So these are good reasons to keep your drum/single pot system if you really are determined to stay stock.

I have all single pot/drums in my five slicks, but my trucks are unrestored POS drivers, and I don't have the traffic and high speeds to deal with either.

Times have changed, drivers have definitely gotten either dumber or luckier to have survived, with the dumb stunts you see daily. If you drive a show truck, it would be prudent to improve your brakes, even though it might cost you 'stock' points in a contest. When that kid with the 1500lb rice rocket cuts you off then pops his 4 wheel disk brakes while texting his best girlfriend, you won't have to redo your entire front clip.

Doug in east TN

[charliemccraney]

I did not see the wheel problem mentioned, but IIRC the stock front wheels cannot be used with a disk brake conversion from a later Ford, correct

The stock wheels work fine for 61-64 solid axle trucks.
Edit: You know what, let me take that back. Mine front wheels are steel Ford wheels but I don't know if they are stock.

[BiffTirkle]

the disc brakes were "rebuilt" when i got the truck, i found out later that the last guy to work on it only did brake hardware and no master cylinders. so i put new ones in and got a dual reservoir power booster at cost, and will put that on as soon as i have motivation. but for now the brakes work fine. i figure ill put a power booster on then wait until i can do a disc swap at a later date, also when/if i have motivation to do a disc swap.

[ICEMAN6166]

If the brakes went put of adjustment, then your adjusters were not working properly.

all slicks brakes do not have self adjusters from the factory. if you have manual adjusters like the ones on my truck you need to be checking them in relation to your brake use. i do very little city or stop and go driving so 2x a year has been sufficient.

[bmcgc]

Heres the thing about buying a parts truck to get brakes, steering ect.

Not everyone has the $ for a parts truck, or a way to get it home, or a place to park it, or the tools and knowledge to do this kind of job, or a way to get rid of it once its gutted.

I drive maybe 3,000 miles a year, the other 10,000 is on my bike. I probably will never have to pull a wheel for brakes on this truck again, so although the discs are nice, for me the drums are fine.

[Uncle Skip]

My brand new '64 GTO had a 389 tri-power, a 4-speed transmission and drum brakes.
My first trip out to Hwy. 19 South from Albany, Georgia to Tallahassie, Florida (then under construction) to "contest speed" had my butt eating little tiny holes in my brand new seats. From over 100 mph down to 70 wasn't any problem. Then, somebody started putting grease under my wheels and I damn near went thru a bridge under construction before I shut the motor off and cogged the gears down enough to get stopped. I blew up two mufflers when I tried to restart the car......
I kept that car for 3 more months before I sold it to a friend that worked at the Pontiac house who was going to put the big finned aluminum Bonneville drums on it. He wiped out the entire right side of the car on that new bridge trying to stop before he got them on the car.
Fast is cool.
Stopping is a necessity.