Newbie with my first project car.

[DC_Maidens]

10 hours ago, Los_Control said:

Tony is a big fan of nitro racing .... He was a magazine writer for several car magazines, was a pit mechanic on nitro engines, built his first nitro dragster & made the cover of Hot Rod magazine .... His maiden voyage down the track was his last in that car. He made the roll bar too close to his head .... about 1/2 way down the track he almost lost consciousness. All the vibration smacking his head against the roll bar.

 

Tony explains why he prefers drum brakes, there is no drag on the shoes. Calipers always provide a very slight drag.

Drum brakes are lighter then a disk brake .... Tony is into 1/4 mile racing ... he prefers drum brakes.

Just suggesting, what is best for him may not be best for everyone.

That is a very clever way of saying he's hit his head too many times. I take most of YouTubers (unless it's Keith from here) comments as opinions not facts. He's, as Sniper alluded too, 'fun in small doses'. I don't want to build a drag car (I don't have the funds or expertise for that), I just want a daily driver. Which is becoming even more desirable as my truck just suddenly dropped to 10 mpg ?

Edited February 4, 2023 by DC_Maidens
grammar

[Sam Buchanan]

Ok...a classic 'apples to oranges' thing going on here that really has no relevance to installing modern disc brakes on our old Mopars. Thank you for the clarification.

[DC_Maidens]

Sorry for the confusion.

 

If I were to keep my drums... is there a inexpensive place to purchase new or nos drums? Or ones from a different car that fit?

 

If I were to go with disc swap... is it better to do the swap or spend a little more and do a full Mustang II conversion (I can weld).

 

I won't ask what disc swap is best as I have found a thread discussing this topic already. That's how I found out about ScareBird.

[Sam Buchanan]

The Mustang conversion would be cool, then since the front of the car is modern might as well bring the rear up-to-date with a modern disc-brake axle. Since the modern axle can handle a lot more power than the old Mopar piece, and there is now a Mustang front end on the car, it would be a shame not to drop a small-block Chevy in the hole with a modern automatic transmission. Of course the steering column needs to be replaced with a tilt unit so it looks better with the Vintage AC system and Toyota bucket seats.

 

Now you can really utilize your 'old' Mopar!   ?

 

Or......you could just install a disc kit and enjoy your vintage driver.  ?

 

The above scenario is what we call "mission creep". It occurs when we don't establish what we really want from the car and stick with that framework. We see it all the time in the custom-built aircraft community, the basic set of avionics ends up being $70K..........and rarely gets used to its full potential. But I respect everyone's right to decide what they want to do. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Sam Buchanan

[Sniper]

8 minutes ago, DC_Maidens said:

is there a inexpensive place to purchase new or nos drums?

 

Not that I know of.

 

You could get used.  But that's not what you asked for.

 

One thing you might think about doing is seeing if a newer model drum would work.  I know RockAuto gives dimension that might help you decide.  Probably need to convert to studs as well since anything newer isn't likely to have rivet holes in them.  I know my 87 Diplomat could be had with 10 or 11" drums, rear but the drum doesn't know that. 

[Los_Control]

I bought the rustyhope kit for a different project I no longer have. So I already have the kit on the shelf.

My current project was put out to the field with 3 new drums & 1 with slight wear.

 

The drums are the deciding factor for me, if I need to replace one or all, I will go with the conversion instead.

So I plan to stay drums for now .... I would not hesitate converting at all if my drums were worn.

 

I still may convert anyways down the road though.

[DC_Maidens]

35 minutes ago, Sam Buchanan said:

The above scenario is what we call "mission creep".

Great term... I feel that strongly. I think I'm going to write out what I want and stick to it... or I may end up with a 20 year $70K+ "project car".

 

32 minutes ago, Sniper said:

One thing you might think about doing is seeing if a newer model drum would work.  I know RockAuto gives dimension that might help you decide.

Great idea. I didn't know that RockAuto gave dimensions. This is what I was hoping to do. Find a modern affordable drum that fits.

 

25 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

The drums are the deciding factor for me, if I need to replace one or all, I will go with the conversion instead.

So I plan to stay drums for now .... I would not hesitate converting at all if my drums were worn.

 

I still may convert anyways down the road though.

This is my plan exactly. I only have the one drum off so far and it's in need of an entire overhaul. 

[Los_Control]

8 minutes ago, DC_Maidens said:

I only have the one drum off so far and it's in need of an entire overhaul. 

I have heard of others fitting different drums ... seems they were too wide and needed to be cut down in width on a brake lathe. ..... Thinking our shoes are 2" wide & common newer shoes were 2.5" .... just pulling those numbers out of a hat but you get the idea.

The shoes are not impossible to get for our old heaps, you will not buy them from the local parts store though.

Same with wheel cylinders, have to order them and they are all made over seas & questionable quality.

But we still are able to get by using drum brakes. .... sometimes with down time while waiting on parts or returning faulty parts .... learning to adjust mopar brakes is a skill all by itself .... goes with the hobby.

 

Price is always important to me, Am retired on disability on a fixed income .... I watch the pennies.

So in my case it is cheaper to just fix the stock brakes that are in good condition.

New drums at $400 each is not a option .... disk brakes are superior & cheaper.

 

I also figure the truck will be a lifetime project, quickest cheapest way to get it on the road safely is my plan.

Better to have a driving project 

 

Then a future disk brake swap over the weekend, maybe a rear end swap .... build a motor on the side to swap in later ....

My project will not be 100% finished when it hits the road .... or maybe ever.

 

 

[DC_Maidens]

27 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

I also figure the truck will be a lifetime project, quickest cheapest way to get it on the road safely is my plan.

Better to have a driving project 

 

Then a future disk brake swap over the weekend, maybe a rear end swap .... build a motor on the side to swap in later ....

My project will not be 100% finished when it hits the road .... or maybe ever.

 

 

I've never adjusted the brakes on an old Mopar sounds like I am in for fun.

 

My plan thus far is just to get it on the road. Whatever is the cheapest and barebone minimum. Unfortunately my provincial regulations are a bit tight. So there are a few added things I'll need to take care of first.

 

The price of the drums floored me, I wasn't expecting to have to drop major bucks just to keep stock. I was hoping to replace and/or rebuild the brakes for cheap, not drop nearly the same price as doing a full custom job, for a much better system... but I am getting ahead of myself as I don't know exactly what I am dealing with until I get the other drums off.