John Burke Posted April 8, 2009 Report Posted April 8, 2009 Well I finally had a chance to take the 49'er out for an extended test drive and gave the new disc brakes a good workout.....quite a difference from the old drums....I put about 60 miles on her stopping at every intersection I new on the highways around here....now I can drive up to the intersection and stop...no more slowing down a 1/2 mile before the stop sign...all I have left is to get the turn signals working again and seal up a couple of small window seeps...summertime where are you....john Quote
1949P17BC Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 good to hear they work. I will be trying mine out pretty soon Quote
glendale Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 who did you buy your kit from? and congrats by the way. Quote
John Burke Posted April 9, 2009 Author Report Posted April 9, 2009 I bought my adaptor kit from scarebird and added over the counter hubs, rotors, bearings and hoses (about $250 from car quest)....very slick installation....john Quote
1949P17BC Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 I bought mine from Charlie, eZ fit, clear directions about the same cost Quote
55 Fargo Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 Hey glad to hae it went well John and the new Disc Brakes are worth it. Is it me or what, I don't have to start using my stock brakes 1/2mile ahead, I have hit the binders at 50+mph and they have responded well, nothing like modern power disc brakes, but not bad. I did not evn adjust mine with an Ammco brake tool either, just by feel, and they seem to be wearing well. Am I out to lunch on this one or what? Quote
Reg Evans Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 I have had the same results with my stock brake drums too Rockwood. As long as I get them adjusted correctly my cars stop just fine. It would be interesting to do a panic stop test with two identical cars. One with drums and one with discs. Anyone ever done this ? Quote
55 Fargo Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 I have had the same results with my stock brake drums too Rockwood. As long as I get them adjusted correctly my cars stop just fine.It would be interesting to do a panic stop test with two identical cars. One with drums and one with discs. Anyone ever done this ? Hi Reg, yes the stock brakes can work well, if adjusted and are in good shape. However, I do not think they would have the mechanical efficiency of disc brakes, the disc brakes cool faster, and are quite a bit stronger in the actual braking too. But this does not mean, you cannot use well maintained stock brakes, especially with a stock drivetrain and keeping your cruising at 55 to 60 MPH and under.If you add overdrive, go wioth V8 engines, it may be wise to get the disc brake conversion, especially if you travel at high speeds with huge volumes of traffic(Southern Cal), and there is hilly terrain. In my parts, it's flat, and plenty of highways where you can drive slow.........Fred Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 Isn't that what numerous people have said in the past----well maintained and adjusted original drum brakes will work OK??? It isn't really necessary to add disc. I'm sure the discs do some bit better, but are not absolutely needed. A side by side braking test would be interesting, however. Quote
55 Fargo Posted April 9, 2009 Report Posted April 9, 2009 Isn't that what numerous people have said in the past----well maintainedand adjusted original drum brakes will work OK??? It isn't really necessary to add disc. I'm sure the discs do some bit better, but are not absolutely needed. A side by side braking test would be interesting, however. Bob, the OEM brakes that are well set-up, and have excellent parts,drums etc, will work very well. They however need maintnenance for adjusting etc, they heat up after a few hard stops. the disc brakes cool well, do not require adjusting, easy to maintain, and parts are plentiful. Having said this, a side by side trial of Disc brakes versus OEM Drum Brakes would be interesting, I am betting on the Discs for better braking and shorter stops, but if the Drum Brakes are well maintained, they may not be far behind....... Quote
hkestes41 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Posted April 10, 2009 Even if the discs only improve stopping distance by 10 feet, someday that 10 feet may come in really handy. I'm just saying. Quote
55 Fargo Posted April 10, 2009 Report Posted April 10, 2009 Even if the discs only improve stopping distance by 10 feet, someday that 10 feet may come in really handy.I'm just saying. Yes this is true, 10 feet into the intersection, or not hitting a kid on a bike is well worth the disc conversion. Years ago I had a 1960 Pontiac, a real beater, I was only about 16 , this car had the worst brakes, mind you, there was not much left of the shoes, so mybe the owners fault, "if you know what I means". But just for curiosity sakes, it would be interesting to see a stopping test, with 2 P15s, 1 with a front disc brake conversion, and 1 with well maintained stock drum brakes, in a brake test. invoving certain speeds, stopping distance, vehicle control,etc. the disc brakes m,ay control the vehicle better in panic stops... Quote
greg g Posted April 10, 2009 Report Posted April 10, 2009 Discs have four major benefits over drums, easy maintainance, self adjusting properties and resistance to fade, and they work well in wet conditions. If would be interesting in this side by side comparison to see how much difference radial tires make in the situation. Seems to me that discs can easily over power the thin bias ply tires. I have what I consider pretty good drum brakes, seem to be well adjusted, have a high pedal, and offer quite a bit of feed back through my radials. So if we do a side by side test of p15's I volunteer to be the drum brake radial guy. This said, next time my brakes need work should I still be alive, I will likely swap to a disc set up. My Studebaker is set up for 4 wheel disc brakes. I wonder what that will act like with radials and a empty bed. Quote
rolliejoe Posted April 10, 2009 Report Posted April 10, 2009 The disc brakes on my '51 are overpowering my bias tires in braking "tests" by a long shot. Quote
Slick Steve Posted April 10, 2009 Report Posted April 10, 2009 The disc brakes on my '51 are overpowering my bias tires in braking "tests" by along shot. So....are you saying they to tend to lock up and skid on hard breaking? Do you think this would not happen if you had radials? I am interested in this becuase I have not test drove mine, but I have skinny (5.60-15) new Bias Ply's. Quote
rolliejoe Posted April 10, 2009 Report Posted April 10, 2009 Under a hard stop the tires are trying to skid and won't allow for me to fully use the brakes under an extreme condition. What I tend to forget though is that my bias tires are really old so that's probably a factor. Quote
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