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By rexbd - 9 Years Ago
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Okay, I solved my problem with hooking up the Wildwood front disks to the Tbird brake plumbing. Installing a CASCO proportioning valve. What I am wondering about is how I can improve the effectiveness of the rear drums. Didn't know if there were any simple modifications I could add. Larger wheel cylinder etc. Thanks if advance for any help. Car will be strictly for the street as a present to my daughter so if there are simple tricks always interested in making it more safe.
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By oldcarmark - 9 Years Ago
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With the front Disc Setup it's very important to keep the Rears properly adjusted. I added self-adjusters to mine and its been fine since then. I think You will find with the Discs You won't need to do anything to the Rears other than make sure everything is in good shape and keep them adjusted.
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By LordMrFord - 9 Years Ago
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What about cooling ducts for dynamic driving?
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By rexbd - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks for the advice. I want a balanced system and this helps!
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By paul2748 - 9 Years Ago
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Some of the disc brake kits the TBird suppliers sell for 56/57 include 55 TBird wheel cylinders as they are supposed to be bigger in bore
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By miker - 9 Years Ago
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I don't disagree with any of the above, but having driven a front disc conversion with rear drums, I'll offer a couple cautions.
The rear drum adjustment is pretty critical. Make sure the parking brake is fully released when you adjust them. Make sure it's released when you drive it off. I don't mean to be a smart a.., but I remember following my girlfriend, her in the 'bird and me in the roadster. I'm honking and waving to pull over, as I can see smoke off the rear brakes. "Well, the brake light isn't on, I didn't know"
What brake light?
Didn't go far enough to hurt anything, but they needed adjustment again.
Even with an adjustable valve, there's a big difference between wet and dry roads. Set up for good braking dry, mine locked way early in the wet. I suspect it was matter of the lack of anti-dive, etc. between old cars and modern cars.
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By miker - 9 Years Ago
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Roger,
I didn't. Been there, done that. We're both on Medicare. I was thinking about his daughter.
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By Lord Gaga - 9 Years Ago
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I regret installing WILWOOD disc brakes on my car. I will be re-installing the stock front brakes! I take it that you want to improve the rear brake effectiveness
because the car doesn't stop as well as it did before the conversion? Join the club!
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By Shaggy - 9 Years Ago
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I'm not up on t-bird brakes, but i run drums on both of my dailys, a 59 ford and a 65 l79 el camino.
The biggest things right off the bad is to have them set up RIGHT, meaning arcing shoes if needed, fresh rubber lines, new steel lines if needed, ect. Ive seen brakes be 100% useless because of bad arcing out of the box.
Secondly if you are a machinist you could always adapt some aluminum drums to eliminate brake fade or even bigger brake. A good set of shoes will help too, if they dont make them you could always rivet a better set of linings to them from a different application. Some guys groove shoes and other racing stuff but i dont know how much that actually helps. My model t hot rod is getting '59 buick finned aluminum drums on '39 ford front and vintage frankland racing rear hubs which i had to machine the drums to fit, it's a lot more labor intensive than the standard hot rod use of '59 buick drums where they adapt them to the 5 on 5 1/2" 1940 style hubs(redrill lugs, and open the center slightly). I had to cut a 10" circle out of the center of the drum, and a locating lip to fit the hubs. I still have to cut my backing plates for a different offset and i'm debating on a set of wider shoes since the'll fit.
The sky is the limit!!
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By MoonShadow - 9 Years Ago
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This list of parts was up a while back with the kit numbers to convert 54 brakes to self adjusting. Might help. I think the kits for parts are the same. There shouldn't be any requirement for cylinders unless yours are bad.
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By slumlord444 - 9 Years Ago
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I am thinking that if it doesn't stop as well with disc brakes something is not right with the disc brakes. Could be wrong but never seen disc brakes that didn't stop a heck of a lot better than any drum brakes.
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By LordMrFord - 9 Years Ago
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Oh...and 5.1 brake fluids.
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By willowbilly3 - 9 Years Ago
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Properly "tuning" drum brakes is almost a lost art. In the old days they would arc the shoes in. What that does is make sure you have full lining contact. If you have had the drums turned, they are now a larger circle but the new shoes still the original size circle. If the drums have been cut toward the limit, new shoes will only contact a small patch, way less than half. The quick fix is to run new drums. If having them turned, remember, they both need to be the same size.
Lining material is another area. The more expensive metallic ones last longer and are more fade resistant but they are also harder on drums. I always like the cheapy ones best. They are softer and brake better and are usually bonded so you don't wear rivet groves into the drums. Trade off is they don't last as long.
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By DryLakesRacer - 9 Years Ago
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The last time I did drums I could not find anyone to arc the shoes. I put them in a vice and used an old body file. Took about an hour to just the fronts to get about 90% contact. Always remember to chamfer the leading edge to keep them quiet. Good luck.
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By willowbilly3 - 9 Years Ago
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DryLakesRacer (7/29/2016)
The last time I did drums I could not find anyone to arc the shoes. I put them in a vice and used an old body file. Took about an hour to just the fronts to get about 90% contact. Always remember to chamfer the leading edge to keep them quiet. Good luck.
I can't even find anyone in my town that actually measures the drums when they turn them, or are even aware of the limits.
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By DANIEL TINDER - 9 Years Ago
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DryLakesRacer (7/29/2016)
The last time I did drums I could not find anyone to arc the shoes. I put them in a vice and used an old body file. Took about an hour to just the fronts to get about 90% contact. Always remember to chamfer the leading edge to keep them quiet. Good luck.
I once had the idea to put adhesive sandpaper on the inside braking surface of the drums, and gradually tighten the starwheels as you rotated the drums back & forth. Bought a roll of sandpaper, but never got around to using it, since as the linings wore in, braking improved. Used to be, you could buy shoes with extra-thick lining, to compensate for drums turned near the limit. I used to watch ebay for such NOS units, but none ever turned up. I see the T-Bird parts suppliers sell repro drums, but I was wary of how asian iron would work out. Though NOS front drums are pricy & rare, they were usually factory-staked to NOS hubs. I always wondered how you could duplicate the centering accuracy of repro drums mounted on OEM hubs? I couldn't even figure out how to properly un-stake my originals.
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