disc brake conversion

[kenneybert]

Im converting my 1959 thunderbird brakes from manual to disc ,, I have a 1977 ford grenada Im using for parts.. heres what I know .I got to drill out the lower ball joint hole in the spindle .I have all the parts off the grenada and ready to go .. heres what I dont know ,,will the vacume booster and M/C work from the grenada..If so what do I do ? just drill the 4 holes and mount it to the firewall or do I got to make a bracket of some sort ?has anyone used the grenada vacume booster and made this swap before ? any advise would be great ..

[jopizz]

The booster will be too low. You will have to fabricate some sort of a bracket to raise it. This has been covered in past threads if you do a search.

John

[kenneybert]

The booster will be too low. You will have to fabricate some sort of a bracket to raise it. This has been covered in past threads if you do a search.

John

yep Im not very computer savvy but i did see a bunch of pictures and info on mounting the booster and master cyl one time but i cant find it now .....just wondering if i have to make a bracket or if theres one available somewhere .....

[jopizz]

I don't know of anyone that has tried a Granada booster. Most of the members that have done the disc conversion have used the replacement booster/master cylinder combo that a number of vendors carry for squarebirds. Does your '59 have an under hood booster or the Kelsey Hayes one under the dash. If you have the under dash booster you will have a problem with the pedal linkage. You will have to use a hockey stick type of linkage to replace the original one. Check out Ray Clark's (yellowrose) thread about his '59 conversion.

http://squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=12588&highlight=disc&page=4

[kenneybert]

I don't know of anyone that has tried a Granada booster. Most of the members that have done the disc conversion have used the replacement booster/master cylinder combo that a number of vendors carry for squarebirds. Does your '59 have an under hood booster or the Kelsey Hayes one under the dash. If you have the under dash booster you will have a problem with the pedal linkage. You will have to use a hockey stick type of linkage to replace the original one. Check out Ray Clark's (yellowrose) thread about his '59 conversion.
http://squarebirds.org/vbulletin/sho...ht=disc&page=4

It dont have either ,,it has manual brakes and im trying to do a conversion to put power disc brakes ,,the granada stuff is suppose to interchange but heck ive check every part store in my area and they none have heard of the banjo bolts i need which is 7/16-24-1"..... maybe Ill change everything back to manual brakes ,,thinking maybe this was a bad idea,, sure is putting me on the edge ,,...

[KULTULZ]

Look for banjo bolts on the DISC BRAKE KIT VENDORS websites. Unless it is cataloged by direct application and is on a disc, you are hard put to find certain parts.

Is there a speed shop in your area?

[kenneybert]

Look for banjo bolts on the DISC BRAKE KIT VENDORS websites. Unless it is cataloged by direct application and is on a disc, you are hard put to find certain parts.

Is there a speed shop in your area?

there is a speed shop about 50 miles from me ,, ill call tomorrow and see what they have ..maybe they can hook me up with some kind of bracket to mount the booster on the firewall ..or at least some ideas ... ill figure it out if it takes every dime my wife has..(.....thanks for your help

[simplyconnected]

Kenneth, I sent you a Private Message. Did you read it?

[KULTULZ]

Here is a quick source- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-13936

I hope Dave's PM is regarding fabbing a mounting bracket for the GRANADA booster...

[kenneybert]

Here is a quick source- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-13936

I hope Dave's PM is regarding fabbing a mounting bracket for the GRANADA booster...

I called these guys yesterday but it must of been close to closing time he said he couldnt find 7/16-24---1" long .. he told me to call back today which Im getting ready to do.. thanks again for all your help ,,im really in the dark on this project ...if all else fails I can have all my old parts put back on ,,just a little hard to mash on the brake pedal with my game leg and thought the power disc brakes would be a lot better .. but i can do it with manual brakes if I have to.. ..

[jopizz]

I'm not sure where this misconception came about that all Granada parts are interchangeable. Yes the spindles will fit with some modification and the rotors will work but so will Mustang, Lincoln and others. Most people who have done the conversion use GM calipers. The booster was never a direct fit. You also have a problem with the push rod on your brake pedal not being compatible with an under hood booster. I know you want disc brakes but it's certainly not a one-day job. I have the under dash booster on my '59 which is basically like manual brakes. After replacing all the brake components on my car including the drums with stock items I am pleasantly surprised with how good my brakes are. I originally thought about disc brakes but don't see the need for them now.

John

[kenneybert]

I'm not sure where this misconception came about that all Granada parts are interchangeable. Yes the spindles will fit with some modification and the rotors will work but so will Mustang, Lincoln and others. Most people who have done the conversion use GM calipers. The booster was never a direct fit. You also have a problem with the push rod on your brake pedal not being compatible with an under hood booster. I know you want disc brakes but it's certainly not a one-day job. I have the under dash booster on my '59 which is basically like manual brakes. After replacing all the brake components on my car including the drums with stock items I am pleasantly surprised with how good my brakes are. I originally thought about disc brakes but don't see the need for them now.

John

being ive already went so far on it ..could i just use the stock master cyl and forget about a booster ,,still have disc brakes just not power ..?????or would that even make sense,, i have the granada spindles already on and bought all the hardware everything except a booster ,

[kenneybert]

Here is a quick source- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-13936

I hope Dave's PM is regarding fabbing a mounting bracket for the GRANADA booster...

ok i called summit racing ,,they have the banjo bolt 7/16-24 but instead of it being one inch long he says its 1 -1/8 " long ...will that work ????

[KULTULZ]

I don't know. Will the longer bolt bottom out before it seals? SUMMIT should offer a full selection.

Did the kit vendor recommend a banjo fitting or is this something that you have designed?

[jopizz]

You can't run disc brakes with just a master cylinder and no booster. Disc brakes need a lot more pressure to work correctly than drum brakes. Plus you need a dual master cylinder and prop valve to equalize the pressure.

John