cidVicious
Junior Member
This is just my opionion, but stopping is just as important (if not more) as going fast. Out there on the freeway, our little drum brake equipped A-bodies are competing with modern vehicles with high-tech suspensions and high-quality, four-wheel disc brake systems. And I'm pretty sure that other drivers don't give a $#!% if you can't stop quickly when they swerve in front of you.
I haven't tried these, but Summit Racing has Wilwood A body drum spindle disc brake conversion kits (no, I'm not a Summit or Wilwood rep, just using them as an example):
Brake Kit No.: 140-11022-D (for OEM 9" inch drum brake spindles)
http://wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront.aspx?itemno=140-11022-D
Brake Kit No.: 140-11023-D (for OEM 10" inch drum brake spindles)
http://wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront.aspx?itemno=140-11023-D
They are apparently an easy swap and give you the option of using either the small or large bolt-pattern (nice to have the choice). Yes I agree that they are expensive, but you are getting brand new disc brakes, not a collection of old, used parts. By the time you figure in tracking down and upgrading all of those old, greasy, rusty components from a donor vehicle (yeah, I've been doing that too), these new conversion kits don't seem as expensive as you might think. I assume they have some kind of warranty also which you don't get from an old donor vehicle.
There seems to be a number of other companies out there with conversion kits (e.g. SSB). Has anyone ever done a one-to-one comparision of the various kits that are available? What is the best conversion kit, best price, most options (e.g. can I use either bolt pattern?), best warranty, etc.? If so, can someone point to it?
It would also be nice to see what someone has to REALLY spend in time and money to find and clean up an old set of parts off a 40 year old donor car. Depending on the parts used, using old parts can also result in a cost to accomodate steering and suspension adjustments along the way or potentially having to buy a new set of wheels and tires. It seems that there are a number of variables to consider here. Okay, some of us like to clean up and refurbish the old stuff, there's certainly something to be said about the personal pride and accomplishment gained by finding and fixing the old stuff.
I like to save money as much as the next guy, but brakes are important, and if you are going to upgrade your braking system, think about the REAL cost of not being able to stop when it's really needed (don't skimp on brakes). I'll step down off my soap box now, but I really would like to see a comparison table of the various kits that are out there if anyone has one.
I haven't tried these, but Summit Racing has Wilwood A body drum spindle disc brake conversion kits (no, I'm not a Summit or Wilwood rep, just using them as an example):
Brake Kit No.: 140-11022-D (for OEM 9" inch drum brake spindles)
http://wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront.aspx?itemno=140-11022-D
Brake Kit No.: 140-11023-D (for OEM 10" inch drum brake spindles)
http://wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront.aspx?itemno=140-11023-D
They are apparently an easy swap and give you the option of using either the small or large bolt-pattern (nice to have the choice). Yes I agree that they are expensive, but you are getting brand new disc brakes, not a collection of old, used parts. By the time you figure in tracking down and upgrading all of those old, greasy, rusty components from a donor vehicle (yeah, I've been doing that too), these new conversion kits don't seem as expensive as you might think. I assume they have some kind of warranty also which you don't get from an old donor vehicle.
There seems to be a number of other companies out there with conversion kits (e.g. SSB). Has anyone ever done a one-to-one comparision of the various kits that are available? What is the best conversion kit, best price, most options (e.g. can I use either bolt pattern?), best warranty, etc.? If so, can someone point to it?
It would also be nice to see what someone has to REALLY spend in time and money to find and clean up an old set of parts off a 40 year old donor car. Depending on the parts used, using old parts can also result in a cost to accomodate steering and suspension adjustments along the way or potentially having to buy a new set of wheels and tires. It seems that there are a number of variables to consider here. Okay, some of us like to clean up and refurbish the old stuff, there's certainly something to be said about the personal pride and accomplishment gained by finding and fixing the old stuff.
I like to save money as much as the next guy, but brakes are important, and if you are going to upgrade your braking system, think about the REAL cost of not being able to stop when it's really needed (don't skimp on brakes). I'll step down off my soap box now, but I really would like to see a comparison table of the various kits that are out there if anyone has one.
