Disc brakes and A/C info needed

[Richard Honeycutt]

I'm not getting any younger and I hope to leave my beloved "Blue Angel" 59 T-Bird to my grandsons, so I thought I'd best start getting disc brakes and and A/C system installed. Also since I have neither the time nor resources to experiment, I thought I'd turn to you members for information. I'm a paid up member and if you have information you'd care to share, I'll be most appreciative. I'd like to do the brakes myself, if possible and leave the A/C to the experts. If you have stories of things that worked, things that didn't and how well you like the results, I'd like to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your help, it's great to find people who love the Squarebirds as much as I.

[jopizz]

If you look in the Technical Resource Library there are a number of threads that deal with disc brake conversions. I recommend reading Marcelo's thread and following his instructions. It has very detailed info and great pictures.

John

[simplyconnected]

Richard, are you interested in saving money or do you want a 'bolt-on' kit?

Did your car come with a brake vacuum booster under the hood?

There are a few ways to do this conversion. - Dave

[Richard Honeycutt]

Dave I'd like the bolt-on system as I have no welding experence, and yes I have a vacuum boster uinder my hood.

[byersmtrco]

Just don't use Stainless Steel Brake Corp
(at least for the front.) Plus the master cyl they
give you is very generic.
The calipers mount fwd, making it nearly impossible
to mount a sway bar.

[simplyconnected]

...I recommend reading Marcelo's thread and following his instructions. It has very detailed info and great pictures...

Again, John is right on. Here is NYsquarebird58's (Marcelo's) thread: CLICK HERE.

Two more members come to mind. lnoska (Larry Noska) completed and is enjoying his power disk brake retrofit, and Randy Harsha is in the middle of his conversion. CLICK HERE for Larry's posts.

If you follow Marcelo's retrofit you will see he used Scarebird (yes, Scarebird) brackets that hold S-10 (or S-15) brake calipers. These calipers and pads are available across the nation at very reasonable prices and in a variety of brands and lining materials. We also use Mustang 11" rotors that can re-use your Squarebird bearings, races and seals.

If you use your original booster's firewall bracket, all the hardware back to the pedal remains stock. Fabrication includes cutting the rivets off the original booster and cutting two short 2"X2" square tubing. NO WELDING is necessary.

Harbor Freight sells an inexpensive 4-1/2" electric angle grinder and some cutoff wheels for it. That's what I use for ALL my cutting including my old (Michigan) hose connections and hard lines as well as new 3/16" brake line. A steady hand produces a clean square cut, not pinched closed from a tubing cutter.

You will need wheels because there is no room for a caliper in your originals. You can stay with 14" IF they are made for disk brakes. OEM full wheel Sunburst hubcaps will fit 14" wheels and they totally hide disk brakes.

You will have many questions. Because we have gone through this conversion many times, we have answers. Feel free to ask away... - Dave

[lexdownunder]

Hi Richard

I'm in Tasmania & have a '59 HT that I converted to front disc brakes 3 years ago.
This was a bolt on option.

Below is a summary that I posted on this forum after completing the job. It gives the part numbers & suppliers for the parts you will require.
I ended up purchasing all the parts from U.S.A. suppliers & all up it cost about Au$1000.00 for parts & shipping to Aus.
Some parts were available in Aus but I found it cheaper to order & ship from U.S.A.
Anyway, have a browse through the summary below & weigh up your options.
Good Luck Richard
Cheers
Lex


Hi Guys
Finally have the disc brake conversion completed & the bottom line is....it is just amazing the difference a decent brake system makes. I actually feel safe knowing I now have such improved stopping power.

Just to summarize the components I used:

ABS 8" booster & dual m/c (disc/drum) ABS Stock No 9787, Item No 270556931229.
This booster/m/c is designed for the '59 TBird with a/con. It comes complete with the bracket & is set to the correct angle so it clears the a/c unit etc. It also has the extended pedal rod so basically is a straight "bolt on" item.

Scarebird brackets Part No GXY.

Scarebird also supplied GM-S10 loaded calipers & brake hoses to suit

Rock Auto supplied '68 Mustang rotors. Part No 397 6006R.

By using the Scarebird brackets & Mustang rotors, I retained the OEM spindles & bearings.

As I said in an earlier thread, I was lucky & found suitable 14" disc brake ready rims at a local tyre fitting shop but I have no idea what vehicle they were off. They were just marked as Ford 14". The rims just touched the top of the caliper but a VERY small grind to the caliper fixed the problem. Rims fit perfect & I was able to have my existing tyres fitted to the new rims. Nice cost saver there!!

Had two pipes made for the new M/C & fitted a mechanical brake light switch to the pedal.

I can't take credit for any of this work. It was all done by my mechanic mate. He usually does Mustangs & has done many disc brake conversions on them but this was his first go with a Thunderbird.
An excellent job too!!!!

My thanks to all the members who have helped me with this conversion & given me priceless information that pointed me in the right direction.
I know there are many threads on this site re disc brake conversion & so many options & I hope that the info I have supplied here might be of assistance to other members.
Thanks again guys

Lex

[simplyconnected]

Lex, recently a couple of our members have had problems with 'wrong parts' shipped from ABS. Therefore, I steer clear of them until they get their problems straightened out.

...Unfortunately I live in OZ so communication with suppliers can be difficult with the time difference. But I had tried to tell them at ABS POWER BRAKE but they refused to listen.

Only more recently I stumbled on a photo on your site of the same kit and could clearly see the bracket was manufactured incorrectly. I sent them the photos and they basically agreed, and said they would send a new pair of brackets. This was all good until I gave them my address for delivery, in Australia. Not a single correspondence since.

I don’t like put down these companies that help out our fellow enthusiasts, but I thought I’d share my experience.
In this case they have failed on many fronts; No instructions, wrong brackets, very poor customer service...

Hello, I purchased my kit from ABS and it took them several attempts to send me the correct parts. They were very slow in sending the correct parts and I finally received the right parts after about a month. I ended up having to hold/dispute the charges with my credit card company until all of the correct parts were delivered.

If you can use your OEM firewall bracket this job will cost much less and no work under the dash is necessary aside from re-mounting your firewall bracket. This is the way to go.

I do my own work and I recommend you do too. The only job that requires a 'learning curve' is the brake line flare. I used my old lines to practice. After about five tries I was a pro, producing perfectly formed inverted flares. Bending was even easier with Brake Line Bending Pliers ($12 at Harbor Freight). They form those sharp, close bends you see on Marcelo's posts. I never kinked one line.

I bought all my parts at the cheapest prices. Some local auto parts stores beat the online prices because I didn't pay for shipping heavy cast iron calipers and rotors. I also picked out the exact pad hardness I wanted. (Ceramic pads are also available for S-10 calipers.) I suggest you do the same. If you buy a package deal you're stuck with what they send. - Dave

[lexdownunder]

That's fair comment Dave.
I wasn't aware there have been problems with ABS supplying incorrect items.
Nothing worse than receiving wrong parts.
Thanks for the "heads up".

Cheers
Lex

[simplyconnected]

...I wasn't aware there have been problems with ABS supplying incorrect items...

In my opinion, a fundamental purpose of our site is to inform our members when vendor difficulties arise.

You're not alone in not being aware of the situation. Of course, ABS won't tell...

I felt particularly bad for deviot because he is disadvantaged, being so far away from ABS. So, I called and spoke with one of the owners of ABS. At first he said ABS sent the correct replacement parts. I asked for a shipment date, then he said he had NO record of the original sale whatsoever. He put it back in our court, asking for an invoice number or a copy of same. It turns out Lincoln uses a similar but different firewall bracket and somehow ABS mixes them with Squarebird brackets. Nice...

Again in my opinion, that's no way to treat our members especially since we sent a lot of business to ABS over many years. Hopefully, they will come around so we can confidently send more business their way. When I hear our members enter a credit card dispute to stop payments until a sale is correct, I am not there yet.

Caveat Emptor [Latin, Let the buyer beware.] A warning that notifies a buyer that the goods he or she is buying are "as is," or subject to all defects. Nobody fears this more than you guys overseas simply because of prohibitive shipping and Customs costs.

I sincerely hope this helps our members make a more informed choice in their purchases. - Dave

[Richard Honeycutt]

Disc Brakes and A/C update

My thanks to all who took time to share their knowledge with me. I'll certainly keep everything you said in mind as I proceed with work on the "Blue Angel". My grandsons are already asking when they can drive her, and they're only 5 and 7 years old. LOL. They love the T-Bird and insist on having their pictures made with her every time they are in KC. Perhaps they'll become new VTCI members.

[simplyconnected]

Richard, where are you at in your restoration scheme? We also want your grandkids to be safe in your T-bird. So far, none of our members who completed their power disk brake retrofit have been disappointed in the results.

This retrofit isn't as hard as you might think. It can be done in one weekend although I did mine in one Saturday. Go slow and steady. The moment you start making mistakes, stop. Come back later when you're rested and refreshed.

None of my brake lines have 'curls' (to take up extra tubing length). They are cut to exact length and bent beautifully, using only a pair of bending pliers. The whole system is new. Well, it was new three years ago. Since then Robin & I have really enjoyed good stopping power.

The bottom line: With power disk brakes, your T-bird will stop just like a modern vehicle of the same weight. - Dave