Revvies

All,
Below is my write up on upgrading the front brakes on my 1964 Corvette from drums to discs. This is meant to be IN ADDITION TO the install instructions from MPBrakes, filling in the gaps with my lessons learned. I hope this helps your build and reduces the "I'd rather have a '65 that comes with disc brakes" stigma.

For a quick overview of this job, I HIGHLY recommend watching this video for a similar upgrade on a Chevy:

This video from MPBrakes.com (the makers of the kit from CorvetteAmerica) is also somewhat helpful:

CAVEAT:
Everything looks easy in a 10 min video, but my up front caveat is that I would classify this upgrade as "light fabrication" more than "a bolt on." The reality is that engineering has progressed significantly in the last 50 years and tolerances have come down accordingly. Even the best kit is likely to require some level of modifications to get the fit right.

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PARTS:
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1 - Full brake kit from CorvetteAmerica.com (p/n 42047) - http://bit.ly/2fAlWzj
1 - 25' of 3/16" line from MPBrakes.com (p/n LN1200) - call
6 - 3/16" flare nuts for brake lines from MPBrakes.com (p/n HW105-3) - call
1 - 1965 Brake line block (left front) - 3/16" from Corvettecentral.com (p/n 192286) - http://bit.ly/2fnZs3L
1 - 1965 Left Front Stainless Steel Brake Line from Corvettecentral.com (p/n 192185) - http://bit.ly/2fh6euu
Other misc hardware available from Ace Hardware
Cutting Oil (like this: http://bit.ly/2fF7NmE)
Brake Cleaner Spray
Grease (I used Mobile 1 Synthetic RED)
DOT3 or DOT 4 brake fluid (I used Prestone Synthetic since it was on sale at AutoZone)

NOTE: For my build, I custom bent/flared my front brake lines using the 25' of 3/16" line from MPBrakes above. That was not impossible, but it was tedious. In retrospect, I may have tried to buy the front crossmember line from Corvette Central and tried to make that work (see: http://bit.ly/2g10fLR). You *might* have to cut this line in the middle (at the center part of the crossmember), then flare it on both sides and use a union in order to thread it through the engine bay...but I think that would have been far easier and cleaner than custom bending lines. Even if you do this, you will need some amount of 3/16" line to bend some custom lines from the front/left brake block up to the new MC/combo valve.

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SPECIAL TOOLS: (beyond typical wrenches, hammers, etc)
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Drum Brake spring removal tool - http://bit.ly/2em6w4d
Power Drill capable of drilling a 33/64" hole (many only support up to 1/2")
1/2" drill bit
33/64 drill bit
Grease gun
Bearing Grease Packer (like this: http://bit.ly/2embQVk)
A long pipe to bend the master cylinder brackets
Bench Vise
Brake line flaring kit
Brake line cutter
C Clamp
Brake bleeding kit or brake fluid extractor (I use the latter from Griot's Garage: http://bit.ly/2g0Z6no)

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STEP 0: SETUP
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1. lift car, put stops behind rear wheels, and put up jack stands for safety purposes
2. disconnect the negative battery cable
3. open the master cylinder and drain any fluid (the kit from Corvette America includes what you need to drain the MC)


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STEP 1: REMOVE DRUM BRAKES
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1. remove hub cap, tire & wheel assembly
2. pull off front of disc brake (use screwdriver and/or hammer, if necessary)



3. remove bolts circled in RED
4. use drum brake specialty tool to depress the springs circled in WHITE, rotate and remove the springs
5. carefully pull the rest of the springs/pads off
6. remove the bolt circled in YELLOW
7. remove the rest - the back of the drum, the brake hose up to the clip near the frame, the hub, etc. When you are done, it should look like this:



8. Clean up the spindle and ensure that it is smooth and does not need repair.


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STEP 2: DRILL OUT HOLES IN SPINDLE/CONTROL ARM
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In theory you should only have to drill these out to 1/2" since the beefier bolts that come in the kit are 1/2"...but in my case I found that 3 of my 4 holes (2 per side) had to be drilled out to 33/64".

This was BY FAR the most time consuming step of the installation for me. I highly recommend using cutting oil LIBERALLY in this process. Take your time and get this right. Make sure that when you are drilling one hole that you have the other hole bolted down so that there is NO MOVEMENT while you are drilling. I also used a C clamp next to the hole I was drilling, to limit movement.


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STEP 3: INSTALL THE NEW HUB/CALIPERS
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By in large, you can follow MPBrakes' instructions for this, with one additional bit of information. The instructions are written from the perspective of the DRIVERS SIDE, and there are no passenger side instructions. As such, you should know that the bracket for the calipers always goes toward the REAR of the car. For your benefit, I have pictured the PASSENGERS SIDE bracket below:



From here, you can keep following MPBrakes.com's instructions. I did not use any special tools to install the seal on the back of the hub - just a normal hammer. But I took my time...patience is key!!!

When you pack your bearings, make sure they are FULL of grease. This is what they should look like when they are on the bearing grease packer:



Also, fill your hubs FULL of grease - all the way to capacity!

After you install everything, it should look like this:

DRIVERS SIDE:



PASSENGERS SIDE:



NOTE: The dust caps included in the MPBrakes kit were IMPOSSIBLE to install as provided. They kinda flared OUT at the edge, where they should have flared IN. I had to use a file to bevel off the edges INWARD so that the dust caps could be installed.

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STEP 4: REMOVE THE MASTER CYLINDER
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1. Remove old brake lines from the MC. Be careful NOT TO BREAK the brake line that goes to the rear brakes! You do NOT want to have to replace that line!!! (that's the domain of a frame off restore IMHO)

2. Disconnect the MC piston from the clutch pedal in the interior of the car.

3. Remove the bolts that hold the MC to the firewall. There are 2 bolts in the engine bay and two nuts in the interior on either side of the brake pedal.

4. Pull out the MC. The engine bay where the MC was should look like this when you are done:



5. Remove all the metal front brake lines and the adapter that is bolted to the frame on the drivers side

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STEP 5: INSTALL THE NEW MC
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PREP: You need to install the combo valve on the bottom side of the MC. The MPBrakes instructions on this are confusing. This is what it should look like when you are done:



This step would be easy if the MC simply bolted up...but it did not for me...and even after it did, I could not close the hood b/c the MC was hitting it. Here is what I advise:

1) Drill out the bottom holes in the firewall to 1/2" to give you some extra wiggle room.

2) For the top two holes in the MC bracket, put spacers (3 washers on each side) in between the brackets and the firewall. This is so that your MC will clear the hood. Some people advise spacers, other people say they've cut up their hood. I would never cut my hood. Somewhere on this forum I recall someone saying that you need about an additional 1/4" of space (or maybe it was .27"???)...so 3 zinc plated washers from Ace Hardware did the trick for me.

3) Bolting up the MC is a two person job, in my opinion - someone to hold the MC, the other person to screw in the bolts. When you are trying to get the MC installed and the washers keep falling off, tape them as pictured below to assist in the install:



The spacers are hardly noticeable - this is what it will look like when you are done:



4) If you STILL aren't able to get the top and bottom bolts/holes to line up, it isn't you. Take the brackets off the MC and bend them as necessary (using the bench vise and a bender bar) to get the fit right.

5) Don't bother tightening the top/bottom bolts/nuts until you have done the adjustment of the brake pedal connector to the MC piston & brake pedal. Again, this is a two person job - someone in the engine bay to lift the MC up/back and someone in the interior who is doing the brake pedal-to-MC piston connector adjustment.

NOTE: I did NOT use the brake pedal-to-MC piston connector that came with the MPBrakes kit. It was too long. I used the original connector.

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STEP 6: FLARE/BEND NEW BRAKE LINES
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You will need to bend/flare the following brake lines:
1. brake block to combo valve FRONT
2. brake block to pass side
3. combo valve REAR to existing rear brake line

You will also use the following parts (also listed above):
1 - 1965 Brake line block (left front) - 3/16" from Corvettecentral.com (p/n 192286) - http://bit.ly/2fnZs3L
1 - 1965 Left Front Stainless Steel Brake Line from Corvettecentral.com (p/n 192185) - http://bit.ly/2fh6euu

I recommend watching this video on flaring brake lines:

This is where you will primarily need the bench vise.

This is the RIGID flaring kit I used (some kits are DEFINITELY better than others - I tried multiple kits):



I highly recommend the "closet wire hangar approach" to create a template of your bends and then mimic that template outside of the engine bay.

Due to the complexity of the bends for the "brake block to pass side" line, I broke that into two pieces and used a 3/16" union (that came with the MPBrakes kit) at the center of the crossmember. This approach worked well for me.

Again, for my build I custom bent/flared my front brake lines using the 25' of 3/16" line from MPBrakes. In retrospect, I would have bought the front crossmember line from Corvette Central and tried to make that work (see: http://bit.ly/2g10fLR). I think that would have been far easier and cleaner than custom bending this line.

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STEP 7: BLEED THE BRAKES
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A few notes:
1. You need to bleed both the front and the rear brakes
2. Only use DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid - NO SILICONE
3. Before you start, don't forget to put the white plastic piece in the combo valve kit that will keep your combo valve from tripping
4. Bleed all brakes, then remove the plastic piece in the combo valve and put in the normal brass piece
5. Drive around carefully. Be prepared for brake line bubbles and/or leaks.
6. Re bleed the brakes and tighten any connections where there may be leaks. Re bend/flare lines, if necessary.
7. Rinse & repeat until there are no leaks, no bubbles and great stopping power!