O.K. Getting ready to purchase and install front disk brakes on my 53 3100 staight axle. I need all the advise I can gather. I believe I can install the kit (whichever one) to the front spindles but I'm confused and worried about the master cylinder replacement. I've seen a number of options and I guess I'm looking for the easiest swap. I'm not a welder or a cutter so the fewer mods the better for me. I also want to install a Remote Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir Kit. I guess I'm looking for the best front kit and master for a daily driver. No speed set up here. There are so many options out there that I am bogged down with what to purchase. I'm sure this has been discussed a lot on this and other forums so if anyone can point me in the right direction it is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Disc Brake Conversion I installed front disc brakes and power booster master cylinder on my 49-3100. No modifications were required. I did have to buy new wheels. No problems with installation and truck stops great. Purchased kit from CPP.
disc conversion I did this last winter and it was the single best upgrade I have done to my truck since I've owned it. I spent a LOT of time researching this and this is the way I went with it: I bought the front disc kit from Speedway. Here's the link http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deluxe-Disc-Brake-Kit-1947-1959-Chevy-Half-Ton-Pickup,4622.html. It was the least expensive, used common GM components for rotors, calipers and bearings (for ease of replacement in the future) and appeared to be easy to install. Seriously... a LOT less expensive than other kits. I bought mine as a five bolt, and I do NOT believe it is also available as a six bolt as well (you can check on that). If you want to keep it six bolt, the best and least expensive way to go is to get in touch with the guy from Buffalo Enterprises http://www.inliners.org/buffalo/. He makes a caliper conversion bracket for our trucks. He will also supply you with grade 8 hardware and a parts list that will let you go into your local auto parts store and buy off the shelf common GM rotors, calipers, hoses, etc. and those parts will keep you at six lugs in the front. The guy from Buffalo Enterprises is seriously old school. He has no website to speak of really, doesn't do email, etc. You have to get him on the phone, but he will send you an information sheet that will clearly outline his product. Great guy, great product, very knowledgable. If I was going to stay with 6 lug, I would have DEFINITELY used his product. Bill Hanlon used his setup on his old truck that got totaled by some idiot on the road. I bought the master cylinder conversion mounting bracket from our host http://www.classicparts.com/1947-54-Master-Cylinder-Adapter-Kit/productinfo/71-984/#.VK5pjtzF_1o and used a '67 Mustang master cylinder (same unit as pictured in the catalog to work with the conversion bracket but cheaper locally) WITHOUT a power booster on it. The Mustang master cylinder is already set up for front disc and rear drum so a proportioning valve is NOT needed. The power booster is also NOT needed as I can lock up all four wheels easily with the non-power boost master cylinder. It is also easier to install without having to worry how you're going to shoehorn the power booster under the floor in the stock location. The master cylinder conversion bracket allows you to use your stock pedals that came with the 1/2 ton truck which also makes the conversion easier. You may want to use residual pressure valves to prevent back siphoning of the brakes because the master is so low in the system. I bought these after the fact but have not installed them yet. They are made of brass, not aluminum. Aluminum ones are made for racing and have been known to fail. Use these brass ones http://ecihotrodbrakes.com/discbrake_kit_components.html they are cheap enough. I had to remove the steering stop on the right side as it was interfering with the caliper install. Overall a very straightforward install and I could NOT be happier with the results. I went with five bolt on the disc because I also put in a '72 Nova rear end (3.08:1 gear ratio for highway cruising) at the same time which was also 5 X 4 3/4" bolt pattern so I had to get new wheels all around. Finding the right wheels cheap was a real pain in the butt. Finally found some stock style steel wheels ('60's-'70's era) that would take early Chevy dog dish type caps. Bought them reconditioned from a local wheel guy at $60.00 a piece. I'm not married to the idea of keeping the original style hubcaps on the truck so this is what worked for me. I'm using '55 Chevy car hubcaps on these wheels and they look great. I have a 4-speed in my truck so I just swapped out the rear part of the trans for an open style instead of torque tube. That way I could keep MOST of the original driveline. Those parts are a little hard to find, but can be had if you look around a bit. I got those parts from Joe (mother trucker) but they can be found on eBay once in a while. I DID have to use 1 1/4" billet wheel spacers to get the wheels out enough in the REAR only because the Nova rear was a little narrower than stock and the backspacing on the wheels a little different than than stock as well as significantly wider. New wheels are 7" wide as opposed to the 4" stock width on these trucks. Holy crap but the wider wheels make these trucks handle so much better, especially if you have a front sway bar like I do. This entire conversion took me a while and I had help from a mechanic friend of mine at his shop as I don't work on these trucks all the time, work 6 days a week and am generally busy as hell otherwise. Most of the front disc conversion was done by me and most of the rear end install was done by my buddy. The front disc conversion was the easier part and took the least amount of time and was much more straightforward. You can easily do it in a weekend without even breaking a sweat. So that's the skinny on one way to do it as inexpensive as possible. Do a little research on the speedway kit to see if it's available as six bolt if you're intending to keep the original torque tube rear end in it. Without a doubt, the single best thing I have done to this truck since I have owned it. Andy
Andy that's huge. Exactly the kind of experience and information I'm looking for. I'm keeping the 6 lug config. as I just did a 3:55 rear end swap and kept the torque tube. I'm trying to stick to the original design but the brakes are a nessesary upgrade. I installed a sway bar also and significantly improved the ride. Again, I'm just looking to make it a safe handeling "geezer style" daily driver. I love taking it out and the looks it gets. I was 2 years old when this truck was made. Thanks
I'm the Bill Hanlon that Andy referred to in his post. As he said, the Buffalo Enterprises 6 lug kit was made up of brackets, attaching hardware, a list of parts to buy at FLAPS and instructions. You remove the front drums from the hubs and mount mid-70s GM 4wd front disk rotors. Most people upgrade to roller bearings in the front hubs, although I ran ball bearings for quite a while with no apparent problems. No machine work required, but you will need a sharp 1/2" drill bit to cut the heads off of the lug bolts so you can remove the lug bolts and install new longer ones. Refer to this page for info on how to remove the bolts. Contrary to the instructions, I did not re-install the oil shield. I don't remember where I purchased the master cylinder mounting bracket. It provided a new push rod to go between the stock pedal and the '71 Mustang disk front / drum rear master cylinder. I didn't use any external check valves and had no apparent problems. I did not use a power brake booster on my daily driver truck. I could lock up front and rear brakes without it, so why bother? My truck had mid-70s GM "4x4" 15"x7" rally wheels already installed when I bought it, so wheel clearance was not a problem. As Andy says, for the price this is the best upgrade you can do to your truck. Next best is the bear claw latches.
Yup The Mustang master cylinder you need is '67-'72 for front disc/rear drum. Be specific when ordering it from your FLAPS. You did the 3.55.1 ring and pinion swap on your torque tube rear end so you need to go with Buffalo Enterprises for the disc conversion. He did a REALLY good job on designing his conversion and like Bill Hanlon says, he uses mid-'70's BIG 4WD rotors which will provide plenty of stopping power for these front heavy trucks. Going the Buffalo way will likely save you hundreds of dollars over any other 6-lug disc conversion. Yeah, those bear claw latches are on my wish list for sure. I know that once I take the doors off, it will be a complete rebuild of the doors, weather-stripping, hinges, window glass, etc.. Not looking forward to opening that can of worms anytime soon. Andy
Like the rest say, It's a real nice upgrade. I bought the front disc kit from our host, http://www.classicparts.com/1947-59...Rotors/productinfo/71-975W6/558/#.VLLjgBs5DIU, with plain rotors, and used the adapter and 1970 Mustang master cylinder. Like the other Bill said, I didn't use residual valves, and have not experienced any problems. I can lock up all four with no trouble at all. I used the 6 lug kit, and my original hubs. Installation went very smoothly. BTW, I also installed a sway bar, and it stabilized well. Bill Brubaker
