simplifying front brakes?

[62rebelP23]

priced the parts (wheel cylinders and lines) to redo my '52 and WOW more than 340 bucks in parts, not including drums, shoes, seals...

had heard there was a way to use truck single cylinder front brakes on these?

[oldmopar]

There may be a way but it would cost more then the price of 2 wheel cylinders to change the system. $340 sounds like a good price I usually figure around $ 500.00 Brakes are the most important part of the car.

[Young Ed]

The truck cylinders cost pretty close to twice as much as the individual front ones on a car. So not really any savings to switching.

[Don Coatney]

For around five hundred bucks you can switch to disc brakes. Benefit being parts are redily available and no brake adjustment tools required.

[Norm's Coupe]

I agree with Don. There are several different places to get the disc brake setup and they will all run you about $500 or so for the complete setup. Then next time around the parts are much cheaper than what the old original parts cost. Plus you can go to any parts store and buy replacement parts when needed. Thats not to mention the greater benefit of having better brakes than the original drum brakes will ever be. Not only do you then not need adjusting tools for the disc brakes, but you never have to adjust them.

[falconvan]

If you check Fatman's Fabrications, I think they have a kit for less than that. Of course I found that out after I paid $500 for mine. On the one that I rebuilt the original brakes I paid $90 for all four front wheel cylinders and just bought rear cylinder kits for about $10 from Roberts motor parts.Then I paid $125 for a new master cylinder from Kanters, so if you shop around, you can get the stuff at a reasonable price.

[Normspeed]

62rebel, you might want to shop around for components if you decide to stay with original style. Unless you are replacing the drums, $500 sounds excessive. Recently on the bay I've seen 3-piece sets of stainless braided flex lines for very reasonable prices. Brake shoes are available from places like Roberts and others. RockAuto.com can probably provide wheel cylinders or kits for a surprisingly low cost. Grease seals are cheap, bearings can be repacked.

Suppliers can be pretty far off on prices. My local NAPA tried to tell me wheel cylinders for my 53 would be nearly $80 apiece. That's a bunch of baloney.

[Olddaddy]

I recommend you buy one of my disc brake kits, $225 including shipping to lower 48 addresses. If you shop carefully you can buy everything else you need to convert the car for under $200. I've had discs on my car for over eight years, and still on the same pads.......don't drive it daily, but never had to rebuild, repair, replace or worry since installing them.

[PatS....]

The nice thing about all of these disc kits is that they do not detract from the value of the car come resale time and if you keep all the stock parts, the next owner is able to return to stock if he wants.

So, you get trouble free modern brakes with parts at the corner parts store and the originality can be restored simply.

I have no intention of returning to stock OR tripping over parts...Fred has my stock parts...I'm not selling and I don't care what the next owner does 'cause I'll be ashes:p

[BloodyKnuckles]

I think your price isn't too bad. What I did was went into NAPA and told them I will be spending alot of money in here because I am restoring my vintage car and they have given me what I call "the friends and family" discount. It is well worth asking. They have saved me hundreds, if not into the thousands throughout the past four years and 6 cars.

I just replaced everything for my wife's '54 DeSoto, 3 brake hoses, all 6 cylinders, a case of brake cleaner, 2 quarts of brake fluid, 3 60" hard lines, 2 dust caps for the front spindles, a set of wiper blades, all for $423. Just the cyliders and hoses regular price was $490.

Ask and you may recieve!

BloodyKnuckles

[Tony WestOZ]

Replacing the car front brakes with a truck system decreases brake efficence.

The car (two cyl) is a twin leading shoe system, better braking than the truck (one cyl) one leading, one trailling shoe brake system.

[62rebelP23]

all good information and thanks for it!

off topic, i'm interviewing for a counterman position at a local Dodge dealer Monday..too bad Mother Mopar doesn't still support these cars!

i'll consider all these alternatives before actually starting on it. just keeping it running and air in the tires for now!