I am saving up for a front disc conversion on my 46 pickup. One kit adapts 11 inch rotors and the 78-up GM metric calipers. It says for 37-48 Ford passenger car spindles. Will it work on 37-48 1/2 ton spindles? Bolt pattern would be 5 X 4.5.
Also, does anyone know how the weight of the stock front brake/hub assemblies compares to some of these conversions? I would like to keep the unsprung weight as low as possible.

 

Check out Engineered Components new kit for 37-64 Pickups. It is similar,
but has the original 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern which will match your rear axle,
or later model 9" p-up (through 70's models.)

Believe you will find these disc kits to be slightly lighter than the old drums.

www.ecihotrodbrakes.com

Robb

 

I looked at their conversion kits, and will again. Speedway Motors' price for kits has me looking at theirs. My rearend has a bolt pattern of 5X4.5, so I am trying to match that.
A little lighter sounds encouraging. Does anyone happen to have the front brake assembly and hub off a 42-47 1/2 ton that they can weigh out?
Edit Note: I just looked at ECI's website and they show the same kit for 37-48 cars or trucks. Their price for a conversion with 4.5 inch bolt circle however is $80 more than Speedways. I wonder what the difference is? I guess I'll call Speedway and ask about the car vs truck spindle issue. Would still appreciate a weight on the stock hub brake assembly though.
Mike

 

The brake kits are the same for truck or car, don't worry about that. You want the weight of the whole drum and backing plate? I have mine from one of my '46's in the garage, I'll weigh one if you want.

 

That would be great. The whole drum, backing plate, shoes, springs etc. Hub if you have it. If not I have a 48 hub that should be close. Then I'll just call for the shipping weight of the conversion kit.
Mike

 

Ok, I called Speedway and they gave me a shipping weight of 73 lbs for the kit with 11 inch rotors and '78-up Gm Caliper. That would include everything needed to replace the stock backing plate, shoes, cylinders, springs hubs, etc. I am hoping that will be a little less than the weight of the stock brake/hub setup. If not, with a BIG jump in price, their black gold performance brake kit has a shipping weight of 36 lbs. But at $550 I think it is out of my price range.

 

46Yblock,
Is it that you "HAVE TO" have a brake kit complete in order to mount it on your truck, OR are you a street rodder who likes to tinker and put things together that work. If your the street rodder, then pick up and adaptor plate for mounting the calipers on your existing spindles or you can pattern one out using your existing spindles. Second, 76 - 80 Granada's have a 11 inch rotor that we use along with 78 -82 GM calipers which ARE NOT METRIC. Sometimes, we have to make up a bushing for the front spindles to accept the Granada rotors, which usually runs about 7 - 10 bucks from a machine shop. Find a brake line by looking at the brake catalogues for end fitting sizes and length. A compentent partsman with a Wagner book should take about 10 minutes to find what you need. Make sure you get a dual compartment master cylinder with a least an 1 1/8" bore and a proportioning valve from a front disc brake car like a Ford LTD II (76-78). Remember that the larger chamber on the master cylinder is for the front disc and the smaller is for the drum brakes. Some late 60's Nova and Chevelles will work nice if you have the room on the fire wall. To go under the floor, use the LTD II master cylinder and brake booster (9"). Make a 3/8" mounting plate with four bolt holes and large center hole, weld it from the side frame rail to the X channel, length out the brake rod coming from your underfloor pedal rod and your in business. Check out MP site (Master Products) for some dimensions and some of their products.

Its surprizing how many parts are available locally and people spend good money chasing all over the country for the same thing just because they are in a kit form that someone made up. 46Yblock, my best advice to you is to pick up a copy of Tex Smith's Hot Rod book and give it a read. Us old farts were making this stuff when there was no kits, no Pep Boys, and Honest Charley's made funny calendars. If this helps you, fine, if not, ask questions and do some reading.

 

Thanks for the how to information. Already have a dual chamber MC with under the floor adapter, but time is in short supply so it is going to be a kit for me. My wife and I just listed the property for sale so all of the little and big things left undone for the last few years have to be finished in short order.

 

46yblock

Lots of people spend thousands of dollars wanting to make it go and too little time is spent making it whoa. Have a good one.

 

The vision of a finished product, with regard to my truck, seems to keep changing, and is frustrating. Way back when I started this I thought that adapting front F-1 brakes to the 46 spindles would be a good and safe braking system. Now that doesn't seem adequate. I hope I'm not trying to keep up with the Jones's on this, becuase there are some street rods around here that cost as much as a small house, and mine can't be one of them.
The brakes are just one item of a long list of changes that have taken place this last 1 1/2 years or so. The 600 CFM carb didn't work out due to too low a compression matched to too big a cam. The new stack of rear leafs made the rearend too high and ridgid and gave way to a monoleaf. The new single chamber MC went to two chamber MC. The points changed to Pertronix and back to points. The refurbished stock gas tank will be replaced by a new fuel cell. The new rear shocks have to be replaced and remounted due to the monoleaf. The new steel 5 1/2 inch bolt circle front wheel will need to be replaced with 4.5 inch bolt circle. One of the new axle seals needs to be replaced because of sitting for so long. The seats need to be replaced when the gas tank is removed.
Sorry, I shouldn't have started on this!

 

46yBlock

I can understand where you are coming from and this has probably happened to each and every one of us rod builders. Things just aren't like they are in the movies and tv shows. We don't have a Foose or a Coddington to add another shovel full of money to our project vehicle, or call in a favor from one of our pal experts that happen to be sitting in the wings. Don't stress it. If you had not been working on your truck for the last year and a half, what would you have been doing? No one told you when you had to finish it by. You set your own deadline and who's to say when its finished. Some rods are on-going works in progress and will never be finished. We will always try to change things as newer and better ideas and products unfold around us. Never stop learning.

With regard to your hole spacings, why not just fill them in and have them re-drilled to your 5 1/2 inch spacing bolt pattern. Or re-drill the rears to 4 1/2.

Don't know all the deal on the 6oo carb and cam, but have you tried advancing or retarding the cam to boost cylinder pressure. If the carbs a Holley, try changing to an annular discharge venturi to get better atomization and add a spacer under the carb for more downdraft. Squeeze the header pipes down a size or two to choke the exhaust back pressure.

Enjoy your truck.

 

The "...I shouldn't have started on this!" referred to the subject matter of the post. I really do enjoy the project, even given its frustrations. Just wish that I had been doing this from further back in life.
Thanks little40 for the tips. Have been through them all previously. The big problem with the Holley 600 was a compression of 7.5:1 with a cam of 260 duration and .440 lift. Compression is low due to very large quench. Nothing to do but a major tear down there, I think. Changed to a stock 64 292 autolite 2V, sitting on top on a Blue Thunder! Nobody can say my rig isn't unique!

 

Weight of 1 side with drum, backing plates, shoes, springs, grease shield, hub, bearings is about 34 lbs, so for both sides, about 68 lbs. (Drum= 15 lbs, hub = 6 lbs, backing plate with shoes and hardware = 10 lbs, misc = 2-3 lbs)Thought it should more than the disc setup, but I think because the disc setup has the 11 inch rotors and cast iron calipers, adaptor brackets, etc, it weighs a little more. Well worth the switch for improved braking. The kit I used was all bolt on, and an easy quick job, no problems.

 

Gary thanks for the information and trouble.

 

One 'quick fix' suggestion for acheiving the 5 on 4 1/2 bolt pattern without the expense of converting you hubs and spindels from 5 on 5 1/2 is to use an adaptor plate to acheive it. I've done that on my '41, and it works well. It is not the most elegant solution, but it works.