My son has started our Scarebird conversation

[medium_jon]

Part of the reasoning to get my son an 'old car' for when he had his license was that he had to invest time in making it safer before he could drive it. So today, Jacob, now 15, is starting the process of converting the front brakes to discs (yeah, I know some are quite happy with drums and in all honesty, the drum brakes had been redone relatively recently in the car's life before we bought it).  But we are converting. So I'm going to try to get as many details as possible. 

Started by taking off the hubcaps and loosening the lug bolts (don't forget that the L on right side is left-hand thread). 

Made sure the back wheels were chocked on both sides and the parking brake (only functional for 2 days) was on. Left the car in gear. Started the jacking. I've got a pair of 6 ton combination jackstands up front and put another pair under the frame (one behind each wheel). You can see them in this photo.

 

Finished jacking up the car and took the wheels off. 

More to come. 

[50 coupe]

Scarebird kits make it easy. Way to go.

 

[medium_jon]

 

The head of the cotter pin in the bearing adjustment castle nut broke, so we drove it out with a nailset so we could pull the rest out with pliers. Easy going after that.

Bearing Adjustment Castle Nut, washer with alignment prong, bearings, then the drum. 

Now he is off to consult "The Blue Books" (Plymouth Service Manual && a Motors book) to figure out the next step. 

Question: Are those dual brake cylinders stock?

Edited July 9, 2017 by medium_jon
added 'bearing adjustment' to description

[thebeebe5]

12 minutes ago, medium_jon said:

 

The head of the cotter pin in the castle nut broke, so we drove it out with a nailset so we could pull the rest out with pliers. Easy going after that.  

Nut, washer, bearings, then the drum. 

Now he is off to consult "The Blue Books" (Plymouth Service Manual && a Motors book) to figure out the next step. 

Question: Are those dual brake cylinders stock?

Look stock to me....

[Flatie46]

Glad to see your teaching the boy about the car. I tried to let my son do as much as I could on his own. I believe in letting them think for themselves on projects and letting the make some mistakes along the way, part of the learning process. I think your son will appreciate the car more and if he's actually going to drive it He should know how to work on it. Thumbs up!

[DCurrent]

This will be a great story and one that I will follow.

[keithb7]

Great thread. I am following.

[58prostreet]

See he busted a knuckle.....builds character and the vocabulary.

[medium_jon]

1 hour ago, Flatie46 said:

Thumbs up!

Thanks @Flatie46

[medium_jon]

21 minutes ago, 58prostreet said:

See he busted a knuckle.....

Yeah, @58prostreet, I thought the same thing, but it was just the tacky red grease that I had used on the steering arms that he had bumped.

We had to take a break for other activities this afternoon. We'll be back on it tonight or tomorrow. 

Edited July 6, 2017 by medium_jon

[48ply1stcar]

His hands are still pretty clean.

[Don Coatney]

I have never broken a cotter pin. They are soft bendable material. I use dikes. Unbend the curved end and the grab the pin lightly with the dikes at the looped end close to the base. Squeeze just tight enough to make a slight indentation and push down on the handle end to effectively pull the pin upwards. This will take several bites to work the pin out but you will not have a broken pin. Cotter pins are a one time only use. But an assortment at the hardware store and always use a new one.

[medium_jon]

2 hours ago, Don Coatney said:

I have never broken a cotter pin.

The boy broke 2 today. The one pictured and another that holds one of the two castle nuts to attach the steering arm. He'd never seen them before -- didn't even know to look for them actually. I can see cutting method working. I've got side cutters for cutting heavy electrical cable that ought to work to cut those things. Thanks, @Don Coatney. Oh, I saw a long time ago that you moved to Indiana. I've got family in Fort Wayne. I grew up in Muncie, Indiana. Didn't you live near Murfreesboro, Tennessee before? My dad lived there for a while in the late '80s -- but then again, perhaps I'm thinking of someone else besides you that I saw live there. 

[medium_jon]

4 hours ago, medium_jon said:

We'll be back on it tonight or tomorrow

School work - summer assignments for AP classes in the fall - and then rain put a damper on any more work today. We don't have a garage to work in -- just a gravel driveway. 
He'll be out there again tomorrow. Thanks for all the comments. Thanks for all the encouragement. 

[Don Coatney]

2 hours ago, medium_jon said:

The boy broke 2 today. The one pictured and another that holds one of the two castle nuts to attach the steering arm. He'd never seen them before -- didn't even know to look for them actually. I can see cutting method working. I've got side cutters for cutting heavy electrical cable that ought to work to cut those things. Thanks, @Don Coatney. Oh, I saw a long time ago that you moved to Indiana. I've got family in Fort Wayne. I grew up in Muncie, Indiana. Didn't you live near Murfreesboro, Tennessee before? My dad lived there for a while in the late '80s -- but then again, perhaps I'm thinking of someone else besides you that I saw live there. 

Dikes and side cutters are the same thing. Yes to the Boro and the Fort.

[BigDaddyO]

33 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

Dikes and side cutters are the same thing. 

I have a pair of diagonals.

They work just as well.

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by BigDaddyO

[medium_jon]

Progress update: Things are going well this morning. @Don Coatney's trick on cutting the cotter pins worked well yesterday. He has the rotors and calipers all mounted now -- step-by-step photos to follow.

But I can't find the specifications for torquing the castle nuts on the end of the axels. I've looked in all the places I can think of looking in my service manual and my motor's manuals. It seems they aren't considered brakes nor suspension. Does anybody know how tight to torque them before my son installs the cotter pin and dust cap?

Edited July 8, 2017 by medium_jon
clarity

[medium_jon]

Nevermind. It doesn't get torqued. Son found the procedure 

[MackTheFinger]

@medium_jon Good on the kid for tackling the job!! Will he be installing residual pressure valves and a proportioning valve?

Edit to add.

Sometimes, if I can find it; I use a cotter pin puller like this one.. I grabbed the image from the Bay..

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by MackTheFinger
adding content

[medium_jon]

@MackTheFinger, neat tool. I've not seen one of those before. 

Yes, I have a dual master cylinder and a proportioning valve. Planning for all new lines too. I've got an inverted flaring tool and I practiced with it a couple of weeks ago. When that part gets started, we'll document it. 

[Dodgeb4ya]

I always cut/ rip out  the cotter pins. Easy peasy.

They should be replaced IMO.

[medium_jon]

16 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

rip out  the cotter pins

Interestingly, the Scarebird conversion replaces the two cotter pins that were used on the steering arm castle nuts on each side to just lock washers. The only two that remain in the assembly are the ones that hold the axle bearing adjustment nut. And Scarebird supplies replacement cotter pins. I'll eventually post photos of those details -- been working on the wife's new kitchen most of this weekend (oh, and finishing my work hours from last week -- I work at home, the company doesn't care when I work so long as I put in my hours)l.

Edited July 9, 2017 by medium_jon

[dale]

18 hours ago, medium_jon said:

Interestingly, the Scarebird conversion replaces the two cotter pins that were used on the steering arm castle nuts on each side to just lock washers. The only two that remain in the assembly are the ones that hold the axle bearing adjustment nut. And Scarebird supplies replacement cotter pins. I'll eventually post photos of those details -- been working on the wife's new kitchen most of this weekend (oh, and finishing my work hours from last week -- I work at home, the company doesn't care when I work so long as I put in my hours)l.

Have you been slipping out in the garage on company time medium  ?  lol

[medium_jon]

9 hours ago, dale said:

Have you been slipping out in the garage on company time medium  ?  lol

Actually, if I had done that I wouldn't have had to put in work time on Saturday and Sunday. All caught up (with respect to hours) at the moment. I really want to start the master cylinder part of the project, but my wife's kitchen is also getting in the way. Over the weekend installed a new range hood vent through the side of the house and tonight I was putting down baseboard. Countertops get installed on Friday, hopefully that project will be coming to and end soon. 

[medium_jon]

Sorry for the delay in updating the post.  

After removing the drums, the next step is the three nuts on the spindles. There are two at the bottom that have castle nuts and cotter pins. 

One will stay with the back of the drum, one will come out, but it isn't threaded, you will need to tap it loose from the back. 

Similarly, the top of the spindle has a long bolt -- and happily for my son, no castle nut.  He didn't like those things. 

Again, tap that bolt from the back and the back of the drum with all the mechanism will come loose and look similar to this:

That is the 2nd one we removed. We didn't realize that was all it took and we pretty much disassembled the entire mechanism on one side. It was a learning experience for my son and I. 

I've passed on the old drums and parts to another member here. I hope they will be useful to him. 

Edited July 11, 2017 by medium_jon
removed offer to send for shipping costs because they have been taken