Treadle-Vac Sucks!!!

[Russ Thurber]

Just removed my trashed booster. Need to up grade to 59 or 60 system. Any suggestions?? I would run the car without power brakes if I could get away with it. They sure didn't work with it.

[Deanj]

ABS has the booster part # 9787. It,s everything but the porportion valve. Designed for Squarebird.

Dean

[simplyconnected]

Russ, this is an area where many of our members went the extra mile and they converted to power disk brakes. The retrofit is not cheap because you need new wheels as well BUT the reward is a brake system that works every bit as well as a modern car. The difference in brake performance is astounding.

To keep cost to a minimum I suggest you get all the parts together first, then plumb the whole car at once. If you break this job up in 'stages' you will also need to re-plumb a few times. It's easier, cheaper and faster to do the whole job at once. You can do this job on a Saturday in your driveway.

The ABS #9787 is a good choice for this conversion. It should come with a two-stage 8" vacuum booster, a dual-piston 1" bore master cylinder and a firewall bracket with all the hardware to bolt directly from the supplied firewall bracket to your bake pedal.

We use Scarebird (yep, Scarebird.com) spindle brackets. They use common 11" Mustang rotors and S-10 calipers that bolt to your stock spindles.

This system should have a combination proportioning valve to mechanically tie the front and rear hydraulic circuits together, not only for proportioning but in case one system fails.

Some of the guys left the OEM booster in place when they added the firewall booster. Then they realized, when the original booster was removed, it made NO difference. So, you really don't need the original booster because it is far too small for power disk brakes and they leak when old. - Dave

[lexdownunder]

Hi Russ

Below is a post that I did after I converted my 59 HT to front disc brakes.
Hope it will help you with your decision.

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]

Many members repeat this story Lex posted as he's telling it straight. I might add, S-10 calipers and pads are very available everywhere.

The pads come in a wide variety ranging from soft to semi-metallic to ceramic. Rockauto offers 48 different pads of the same fitment for these cars:
AVANTI II 1979-1991
BUICK CENTURY 1978-1981
BUICK LESABRE 1979
BUICK REGAL 1978-1987
BUICK RIVIERA 1979-1985
CADILLAC COMMERCIAL CHASSIS 1979-1984
CADILLAC DEVILLE 1979-1984
CADILLAC ELDORADO 1979-1985
CADILLAC FLEETWOOD 1979-1984
CADILLAC SEVILLE 1979-1985
CHEVROLET BLAZER 1995-1997
CHEVROLET CAMARO 1982-1992
CHEVROLET EL CAMINO 1978-1987
CHEVROLET LLV 1987-1995
CHEVROLET MALIBU 1978-1983
CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 1978-1988
CHEVROLET S10 BLAZER 1983-1994
CHEVROLET S10 PICKUP 1982-2002
GMC CABALLERO 1978-1987
GMC JIMMY 1992-1997
GMC S15 JIMMY 1983-1991
GMC S15 PICKUP 1982-1990
GMC SONOMA 1991-2002
GMC SYCLONE 1991
GMC TYPHOON 1992-1993
ISUZU HOMBRE 1996-2000
OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1991-1996
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS 1979-1981
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CALAIS 1978-1984
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA 1987
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CRUISER 1980-1983
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SALON 1978-1987
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME 1978-1988
OLDSMOBILE TORONADO 1979-1985
PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1982-1986
PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1979-1992
PONTIAC GRAND AM 1978-1980
PONTIAC GRAND LEMANS 1978-1983
PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 1978-1987
PONTIAC LEMANS 1978-1981

I prefer the softest pad material I can find, but that's strictly my preference. They never squeal, they bed-in the soonest and they stop in the shortest distance but they wear out the fastest. If friction erodes anything, I want it to be the pads because they are so easy to change and they are very inexpensive.

Ok, why all the fuss over all this? because there are brake systems out there with multiple pistons. I always ask my self, 'what do the OEMs use?' We can plainly see.

The more complicated a system is, the more 'things can go wrong'. I look for parts that are mass-produced (because they tend to be cost efficient) over the counter availability, and bolt-on (with no modifications) parts.

If wheels are made to fit cars with disk brakes, they fit. Ranger, Granada/Monarch and a host of other Ford vehicles all used 14" wheels w/disk brakes that these brakes fit under. - Dave

[Russ Thurber]

treadle-vac sucks

Thanks everybody.....great input !!!

I will be upgrading to a later model set up soon....as $$$ allows.
In the mean time can I get away with running a manual brake system (no booster) using the existing pedal geometry and push rod?