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Disk Brake Conversion Discussion

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  • Guest

    #31
    I think it was 67. As my 66 has a single

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    • tbirdave
      Apprentice
      • Jun 12 2006
      • 58

      #32
      Yes!!!! do the conversion it's amazing how much diference it makes. I got my bolt on kit from Larry's Thunderbird. As for the wheels, 14" Mustang wheels will fit and you can use your original wheel covers.
      Tbirdave

      Comment

      • JohnG
        John
        • Jul 28 2003
        • 2341

        #33
        What year(s) Mustang wheels would fit and also take TBird hubcaps??

        The hunt for wheels seems to be the trickiest part of this...
        1958 Hardtop
        #8452 TBird Registry
        http://tbird.info/registry/DataSheet...r~equals~8452)

        photo: http://www.squarebirds.org/users/joh...d_June2009.jpg
        history:
        http://www.squarebirds.org/users/johng/OCC.htm

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        • Guest

          #34
          I have both..Guapo's got disc (were on when I bought him)not shure what was used.And Chiquita has drums.I sincerly believe the disc conversion is well worth it.Both work well but the disc work far better and are better trusted.
          Chiquita's getting a 428 PI and theres nothing more important than brakes and tires.Though with a clutch and 5 speed I do have a bit of an advantage

          Comment

          • tbird430
            Super-Experienced
            • Jun 18 2007
            • 2648

            #35
            On the 1st page of this thread (And I read somewhere else on this site) the 14" steel wheels off a 1998 Ford Ranger work great and are very plentiful.
            sigpic
            The 1960 Ford Thunderbird. The WORLD'S most wanted car....

            VTCI Member#6287.

            Comment

            • Howard Prout
              Experienced
              • Feb 11 2009
              • 443

              #36
              I have read through the rheams and rheams of discussion on this issue and the more I read the more confused I get. Has anyone made the conversion using the exisiting spindles, tires and hubcaps? Can 14" x 6" rims be used or are 14" x 7" rims required? With the wider rims, is there a clearance problem with the upper control arms and the rear wheel wells?
              sigpic "Old Betsy" - my '59 convertible J9YJ116209 Thunderbird Registry #33341

              Comment

              • simplyconnected
                Administrator
                • May 26 2009
                • 8778

                #37
                Howard, I've been waiting for others to chime-in. As stated below, you should ask Lance Herrington, owner of Thunderbirds Southwest. His phone number is 1-800-722-8697 (La Grange, TX). I believe Ray Clark knows him, and everyone says Lance is a real nice guy. - Dave
                Last edited by simplyconnected; October 23, 2009, 06:55 PM. Reason: I got fat fingers
                Member, Sons of the American Revolution

                CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

                "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
                --Lee Iacocca

                From: Royal Oak, Michigan

                Comment

                • protourbird
                  Experienced
                  • Apr 29 2008
                  • 153

                  #38
                  You cannot run the original spindles on any of the conversions since the calipers bolt to the spindle and they have to be cast with those bosses already on them. There have been companies that have tried different ways to adapt the calipers to the original spindles but I have yet to see one that is successful. As for the 14X6 wheel the only one I know of for sure that will work is the Stainless Steel Brakes kit ssbrakes.com. Perhaps some out there can comment on the other styles.
                  sigpic
                  Jim

                  protourbird

                  Comment

                  • simplyconnected
                    Administrator
                    • May 26 2009
                    • 8778

                    #39


                    Originally posted by protourbird
                    You cannot run the original spindles on any of the conversions since the calipers bolt to the spindle and they have to be cast with those bosses already on them...
                    I never removed my original spindles, just cleaned them up a little and put disk brakes on them with 11" Mustang rotors. They work VERY well with no bad habits.

                    Jim, there are several companies that make brackets that bolt directly to your stock spindles. I bought mine from Scarebird (on eBay), and I am using my original spindles.
                    Check out my retrofit.
                    My car is a Galaxie, but they make brackets for Thunderbird as well.

                    I have not tried using 14" wheels because I really wanted 15" Cragar SS mags w/radial tires. I understand 14" Bronco and Mustang wheels work, but call Lance Herrington to verify.
                    Member, Sons of the American Revolution

                    CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

                    "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
                    --Lee Iacocca

                    From: Royal Oak, Michigan

                    Comment

                    • Howard Prout
                      Experienced
                      • Feb 11 2009
                      • 443

                      #40
                      Thanks Dave (SimplyConnected) for the link to the great photos. They really helped me understand what is involved in the changeover. I talked to "Dave" at DropNStop (www.dropnstop.com) a while ago. They have a kit for Squarebirds that retains axle height and uses stock wheels! He said that to do a proper job I need to install an external power brake booster and a dual chamber master cylinder which they can also supply.
                      sigpic "Old Betsy" - my '59 convertible J9YJ116209 Thunderbird Registry #33341

                      Comment

                      • simplyconnected
                        Administrator
                        • May 26 2009
                        • 8778

                        #41
                        Howard, first off, that is correct. We are completely changing an inferior stock brake system with a modern system that works FAR better. This brake system will put you through the windshield while it stops straight as an arrow.

                        You notice in the pictures, I cut my brake lines at the hose. That's because I replaced all my lines with rust-proof 3/16" tubing. The deal is, you install all your devices first, then plumb the car. The devices are:

                        * Three hoses (two front and one rear axle)
                        * Dual master cylinder and power booster
                        * Proportioning valve or combination valve (I assume you will keep your rear drum brakes, since the back tires don't do much stopping compared to the front.
                        * Rear wheel cylinders and tee

                        I used an MBM booster and M/C combination. The M/C is really a GM/Corvette. The booster combo was only $175 including the angle bracket for the firewall and the clevis rod for the brake pedal. The whole thing bolts together. The only hole you need to drill is the mounting hole for the proportioning valve. No sawing or cutting.

                        At first, I bought a system for my '55 Customline from "oldirishdave" on eBay. He's always available and easy to speak with. I liked the system so much, I bought a second booster/MasterCyl combo for my '59 Galaxie.

                        Just before I pulled my engine, I took a picture of my M/C and proportioning valve. Notice the tools on the engine, carb linkage is already disconnected, and so is the vac line for the power booster. Y-Blocks don't have much room at the booster because of the upswept 'ram's horn' manifold configuration. FE engines have more room:


                        On both cars, I kept the original drum rear brakes because they perform well. I replaced the front drums on both cars with disk brakes. The '55 got a Granada setup, but the '59 uses its original spindles. I don't find much difference in performance.

                        If you look at the 11" rotors, the calipers straddle the top. That is where wheel diameter is prohibitive. My original 15" X 5" Ford Customline wheels fit over the calipers just fine on the '55. The Galaxie came with 14" wheels that don't fit. Since I wanted to chage to 15" wheels, it was no problem for me.

                        I had a lot of fun (seriously) doing this conversion. The end result is a world of difference in brake performance because of the system.
                        * Two-stage power booster
                        * Dual M/C
                        * proportioning valve (from a 1990 Mustang)
                        * disk front brakes (on my un-disturbed original spindles, which means NO front-end alignment is necessary)
                        * 11" Mustang rotors

                        It took me a Saturday to do the wheels and booster. I finished plumbing and bleeding the lines on Sunday. BTW, I bent all my lines with a hand tool (Lisle #44150). I would recommend it to everyone. The lines were about $2/ft but they are soft copper-impregnated steel. My inverted-flares turned out real nice using a cheap flaring tool set. - Dave Dare
                        Member, Sons of the American Revolution

                        CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

                        "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
                        --Lee Iacocca

                        From: Royal Oak, Michigan

                        Comment

                        • protourbird
                          Experienced
                          • Apr 29 2008
                          • 153

                          #42
                          Originally posted by protourbird
                          You cannot run the original spindles on any of the conversions since the calipers bolt to the spindle and they have to be cast with those bosses already on them. There have been companies that have tried different ways to adapt the calipers to the original spindles but I have yet to see one that is successful. As for the 14X6 wheel the only one I know of for sure that will work is the Stainless Steel Brakes kit ssbrakes.com. Perhaps some out there can comment on the other styles.
                          Sorry, you guys are correct on the Ford applications. You do use the original spindles. For some reason my brain was on a GM conversion.
                          sigpic
                          Jim

                          protourbird

                          Comment

                          • Howard Prout
                            Experienced
                            • Feb 11 2009
                            • 443

                            #43
                            Originally posted by simplyconnected
                            *
                            If you look at the 11" rotors, the calipers straddle the top. That is where wheel diameter is prohibitive. My original 15" X 5" Ford Customline wheels fit over the calipers just fine on the '55. The Galaxie came with 14" wheels that don't fit. .
                            Very intersting. So the brackets supplied by Scarebird will not work with 14" wheels yet DropNStop insist there is no problem with 14" wheels using their brackets. Both setups use 11" Mustang rotors. Can there be that much difference between the brackets from the two suppliers?
                            sigpic "Old Betsy" - my '59 convertible J9YJ116209 Thunderbird Registry #33341

                            Comment

                            • simplyconnected
                              Administrator
                              • May 26 2009
                              • 8778

                              #44
                              Howard Prout, I owe you an apology. Sometimes I can be thick. I assume everyone wrenches on their car and they automatically know all the vendors and their products. Ok, I will admit, I’m old.

                              Used to be, power boosters were ~$300 w/core deposit. Master Cylinders were up there, too. There are American companies that manufacture new boosters like MBM, in Asheville, NC. They only sell in quantity to their dealers. For common applications (like for a ’57 Chevy), they offer power booster/Master Cylinder combinations. For ‘not so popular’ cars like ours, the dealers put parts together and sell them as kits that work just fine.

                              Check out MBM’s web site. Click on the TECH tab, then the PARTS tab. They make many components for our cars.

                              Dealers are in tough competition with their pricing. I mentioned, I bought from “Oldirishdave” on eBay. Pirate Jack also has great prices for many of the same components. There are others. Mind you, no core deposit because they only sell NEW parts. They are not rebuilders.

                              Scarebird (on eBay) sells bolt-on disk brake brackets for your '58-'60 Thunderbird spindles.

                              So to marry all these parts together, you might buy parts from a few vendors, or to be more 'safe' (if there is such a thing), you could buy from one dealer who puts a kit together for you. Maybe he can save on multiple shipping costs. - Dave Dare

                              Edit: My Scarebird brackets use (GMC & Chevy) S-10 calipers and pads. Maybe DropNStop uses something different. Ask them. These dealers get parts from all over, and put them together as a kit. Another consideration is your sway bar. Make sure this system doesn't interfere with a new beefier bar. If your calipers hang off the back side of the spindle, they're probably ok.

                              I forgot to mention, since my back brakes have no self-adjusters, I used a 10# residual valve in the rear brake line. It keeps the shoes from retracting all the way so when you hit your pedal, it is always at the top. Just make it a point to manually adjust your shoes every year or so. The pedal is not an indicator of a needed brake adjustment after installing the valve.

                              I made this conversion because it's really my wife's car. I want her to drive it anytime or anywhere she pleases. It doesn't act like an old car any more, but it's still very heavy.
                              Last edited by simplyconnected; October 26, 2009, 07:26 PM.
                              Member, Sons of the American Revolution

                              CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

                              "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
                              --Lee Iacocca

                              From: Royal Oak, Michigan

                              Comment

                              • YellowRose
                                Super-Experienced


                                • Jan 21 2008
                                • 17188

                                #45
                                14" Rims...

                                In all the discussions we have had regarding converting to disc brakes, I remember a post saying that you could use certain 14" rims IF they were stamped with certain letters by the stem hole. I KNEW I should have bookmarked that post! I remember looking at my 14" rims I got from Casey to see if they were stamped with those letters. They were not. There were, as I recall, three different letter groups of three letters each I think. Does anyone remember posting that, or seeing it and know where I can find it? I have been looking for the last couple of hours through many different threads and post until my eyeballs are going around in circles... Down the road, I want to convert to disc brakes, but I want to do it with the right 14" rims and the original spindles on the car. I have read that if you get the right 14" rims, and the right kit, with calipers to the rear, you can use 14" rims and the original spindles.. Unless I have that wrong.. Does anyone have this information on the 14" codes by the stem holes??

                                Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
                                The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
                                Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

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