'64 disc brake conversion....
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 94
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From: Marion Texas
Re: '64 disc brake conversion.... (pjmonfre)
Hmmm...after reading all of PM's struggles with his brake conversion, it sounds like he just had bad luck with parts. Had he received good parts in the first place, his swap would've gone quite well.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,913
Likes: 283
Re: '64 disc brake conversion.... (ROK 64)
Quote
“Hmmm...after reading all of PM's struggles with his brake conversion, it sounds like he just had bad luck with parts. Had he received good parts in the first place, his swap would've gone quite well.”
Well you would think, but after 3 years on this forum I have yet to read about one. There seem to be a lot of quality issues with aftermarket brakes. Some guys just trying to fix their stock systems get bad MC, and leaking calipers that suck air and cannot be bled out.
Mark
“Hmmm...after reading all of PM's struggles with his brake conversion, it sounds like he just had bad luck with parts. Had he received good parts in the first place, his swap would've gone quite well.”
Well you would think, but after 3 years on this forum I have yet to read about one. There seem to be a lot of quality issues with aftermarket brakes. Some guys just trying to fix their stock systems get bad MC, and leaking calipers that suck air and cannot be bled out.
Mark
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 94
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From: Marion Texas
Re: '64 disc brake conversion.... (ghostrider20)
I think you're absolutely right that there are quality issues with the parts. It does seem strange that things "appear" that complicated for these cars. However, I've been a mechanic for 25 years, building street rods, musclecars, etc and it's no big deal to mix/match parts and come up with a setup that works great. It's really not rocket science once you understand the basics of what's going on. Hydraulics are hydraulics, so if you have a M/C and calipers that are matched with the correct bore/piston size and add an adjustable proportion valve, you can make the system work whether it's on a Vette or motorhome. If you exactly duplicate the setup on a later model Vette (same weight bias etc), it should work just like the newer car--no mysteries, no problems. If you have parts problems, you can't say the swap is a bad idea or won't work.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,424
Likes: 619
From: northern CA
Re: '64 disc brake conversion.... (64Stingray)
As others have already said you'd be wise to just stick with what you have and make the best of it. I've always wondered why drum brakes get such a bad rap . . ? .. I also have a '64. The metallic brake linings (J65), once warmed up, will stop the car a lot better than most might believe drum brakes are capable of doing. The brake linings are original on my car and still appear to have a lot more service life left in them. You'll be ahead of the game if you upgrade your present drum brake linings to a high performance type. And you don't have to shell out the big bucks for a disk brake
setup . .! . .
John
setup . .! . .
John
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 18,191
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From: Snake handler
Re: '64 disc brake conversion.... (ROK 64)
Thanks for saying it ROK 64 - I've been scolded for "re-engineering" a brake system - but the fact is I'm not re-engineering anything. The frame and suspension on a C2 is basically the same from 63-82. As is the weight distribution. My frame is actually an 81 or 81 that I adapted to fit my C2 body - (original frame almost rusted in half!) - I agree that it's not rocket science. I'm simply recreating a later GM set up. I researched the specifications and basically set up a 65-67 system. However I do agree that if I decided to create a system from scratch it would be a dangerous proposition. The essence of these systems is really quite simple when you go with parts that were originally designed to work together - I'm just grafting them onto a different frame...
pm
pm
