Rear disc conversion, is it worth it?

[shaun73]

I posted this in the 73 forum but didn't get a response and I need to make a decision in the next couple of days so I thought that I would post my question here also.

I am doing a body off restoration on my 1973 Chevy C10 and I wanted to get opinions from people who have 1st hand or even 2nd hand experience if doing a disc brake conversion on the rear makes a big difference or not in stopping power in dry or rainy conditions. I currently have disc on the front and I'm going to upgrade those with new but since I have everything apart I was wondering if it was worth the expense and time of converting the rear brakes from Drum to Disc. Thanks for your opinions in advance. Also, I was checking into brands on brakes and rotors for the front and back and I see and have heard of Centric, Stoptech (upgraded version of Centric), SSBC, Akebono & Wilwood. Your opinions on brands would also be helpful. Thanks!

[Z10]

I'm not sure I can give you a definitive answer, but I do like mine. I'm using Wilwoods which I sourced from Pro Performance, a vendor on this site.

The Wildwood installation was pretty straight forward. You can find photos on my build thread listed below.

[swamp rat]

You have a 14 bolt so parts are readally avalable, my take is the drums are adaquate.

I did the conversion on my Ho52 as parts are becoming hard to come by, I have no regrets but i have not been on super wet conditions to see if its better or worse, I also replaced the proportioning/distribution valve with one designed for 4 wheel disk applications. I would think that being as the front disks provide more stopping power that the rears should be fine. There is another opinion that the reduced surface area of the disk VS Drums will aid in heat build up on long down hill slopes but i think the disks cool better.

Only draw back using a chevy caliper is no E-brake and the law books say ya gotta have one (maybe not every state??) You can ise Eldorado calipers with mechanical E-Brakes.

[shaun73]

Originally Posted by Z10

I'm not sure I can give you a definitive answer, but I do like mine. I'm using Wilwoods which I sourced from Pro Performance, a vendor on this site.

The Wildwood installation was pretty straight forward. You can find photos on my build thread listed below.

Ya, that Wilwood setup looks sweet and I think that it has the ebrake? I think it's around $500 or more isn't it?

[shaun73]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

You have a 14 bolt so parts are readally avalable, my take is the drums are adaquate.

I did the conversion on my Ho52 as parts are becoming hard to come by, I have no regrets but i have not been on super wet conditions to see if its better or worse, I also replaced the proportioning/distribution valve with one designed for 4 wheel disk applications. I would think that being as the front disks provide more stopping power that the rears should be fine. There is another opinion that the reduced surface area of the disk VS Drums will aid in heat build up on long down hill slopes but i think the disks cool better.

Only draw back using a chevy caliper is no E-brake and the law books say ya gotta have one (maybe not every state??) You can ise Eldorado calipers with mechanical E-Brakes.

Great info. thanks!

[68 TT]

Mid 90's Impala SS rear disc parts are 5 on 5 bolt pattern like your C10, fit well on our trucks and have an integral parking brake.

Captain Fab on the board makes mount brackets to bolt them on a truck 10-bolt or 12-bolt. A quick search will find his thread for them.

[Andy4639]

I did the CPP brakes with e brakes.

I would spend the money on something else in my honest opinion. My truck doesn't stop any better than it did before wet are dry. I know a lot of guy's will say it's the differences in kits and that maybe true but how many people can honestly say they have bought several kits and tried them on their trucks! I sure can't. Unless you want the look I would spend the money on front big brakes.

I was hoping for a noticeable difference in stopping and it's not there at all.

[shaun73]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

I did the CPP brakes with e brakes.

I would spend the money on something else in my honest opinion. My truck doesn't stop any better than it did before wet are dry. I know a lot of guy's will say it's the differences in kits and that maybe true but how many people can honestly say they have bought several kits and tried them on their trucks! I sure can't. Unless you want the look I would spend the money on front big brakes.

I was hoping for a noticeable difference in stopping and it's not there at all.

Thank you. It makes sense then to get the rear drums freshened up and spend that money on some electric exhaust dumps. It's good to know if I don't do them that I'm not missing much stopping power. It looks like from a previous thread that I can get a rear (not a big name brand) disc brake conversion for $400 plus shipping and all new drums in the back shouldn't be over $100 so minimum there is a $300 difference but that's best case.

[Andy4639]

Bigger brakes up front 13"-14" and get the 11" drums out back with new SS lines put new fluid in the system.

[In The Ten Ring]

The newest car I own is a 2002 and it stops fine with rear drums.

Now if you get the "right" gear ratio, you won't even need brakes. Just let off the gas (4.11).

I won't be changing my drums out on my truck.

[gkhashem]

I always thought 80% or plus of your stopping power comes from the front brakes. I know in my 1966 Cadillac with all drums and I lost the front drum brake fluid and guess what? It would hardly stop on the rear brakes only.

So I am in the camp of do the front and don't waste your money on the rear brakes. The drums are fine. Especially on a car like a Cadillac the drums were larger in the day. It was a Cadillac.

On my 1970 GMC I have all drums and they work fine. Wish I had front disc brakes but a change is not high on my list.

[WorkinLonghorn]

Nothing to add, but in response to gkhashem;

My '69 has drums all around of course and they serve me well, even with a load of gravel down a long grade or coming downhill on a freeway off-ramp. But we don't have weather here, we hardly know what it is actually.

I guess that if he was hauling a big camper or pulling a trailer (or both) in bad weather then disks in back would be an advantage or at least offer a little "peace-of-mind".

The back brakes are very important when you have 3000+ lbs. in the bed.

[n33k0]

Originally Posted by In The Ten Ring

Now if you get the "right" gear ratio, you won't even need brakes. Just let off the gas (4.11).

It takes a while to get used to that! My girlfriend always says, "Why do you always start braking so early? The red light is two blocks away!" "Darling, I just got my foot off the gas!"

I've never had any complaint about the rear drums on my truck, or the ones on my daily driver car. But if I had big open spoke wheels, I might think the price was worth it just for the looks... maybe... if I had nothing else to spend my money on.

[Andy4639]

My truck has the factory 4:10 gears but I have a 4L80E in it also. It will coast pretty good now when you let off the gas!

[shaun73]

Originally Posted by WorkinLonghorn

Nothing to add, but in response to gkhashem;

My '69 has drums all around of course and they serve me well, even with a load of gravel down a long grade or coming downhill on a freeway off-ramp. But we don't have weather here, we hardly know what it is actually.

I guess that if he was hauling a big camper or pulling a trailer (or both) in bad weather then disks in back would be an advantage or at least offer a little "peace-of-mind".

The back brakes are very important when you have 3000+ lbs. in the bed.

Thanks for the info. everyone!

We won't be hauling because the more that I get into this project the more I think that I am building a show truck for local shows, crazy. So, then I'm probably going to trick out the bed and it'll be hard to want to haul anything in there. It will be a daily driver though. From the opinions, it sounds like disc would be a decent upgrade and give good looks but nicer new discs in the front and new drums in the back should be just fine and stop very well. Very helpful everyone, thanks so much!

[57larry]

I would do the rear disc. Just don't use the CPP junk

[CarterD2015]

Rear disk brake conversions are mostly cosmetic for the daily driven truck in my opinion. You may notice a slight improvement in braking if all of your components are correct. I did the conversion on my truck just because they are visible through my wheels and it looks so much better than drums.

[frenchy51]

Not worth it unless you're fond of spending $$$

[jmking9]

I put on the same Wilwood kit as Z10. I've been pleased with them. To be completely honest, I bought them for cosmetic reasons to match the front. I expected to not notice any difference, but after getting the prop valve adjusted properly, I can tell a difference. Is it drastic? No. But it is noticeable. Now, were my old drums adjusted perfectly for maximum performance, probably not. It's really just a matter of what you want, and where you want to spend $ on your truck. I would definitely do it again though.

[mechanic350]

personally i am running the wilwood 13" big brake kit on front and rear. 6 piston calipers in front and 4 rear with internal parking brake. also swapped in a 1"bore master cylinder and have an adjustable proportioning valve to play with my bias front to rear. I have to agree in different ways with a lot of the guys. Yes the front brakes do most of the braking for a vehicle. my kit was very pricy. there are definitely cheaper options out there. will you notice a difference if you do a disc brake swap, its entirely likely you will. the best answer to whether or not to do this is what do you want them for. I have my reasons besides looks for mine. and i can vouch that it brakes a lot faster than with drums.

[shaun73]

Originally Posted by mechanic350

personally i am running the wilwood 13" big brake kit on front and rear. 6 piston calipers in front and 4 rear with internal parking brake. also swapped in a 1"bore master cylinder and have an adjustable proportioning valve to play with my bias front to rear. I have to agree in different ways with a lot of the guys. Yes the front brakes do most of the braking for a vehicle. my kit was very pricy. there are definitely cheaper options out there. will you notice a difference if you do a disc brake swap, its entirely likely you will. the best answer to whether or not to do this is what do you want them for. I have my reasons besides looks for mine. and i can vouch that it brakes a lot faster than with drums.

Now I'm confused. I have heard that it hardly makes a difference then I hear that it makes a pretty big difference. My main goal would be that I really want my son to be safe when he brakes. I live in Washington State and it rains a lot here. I remember when I was in high school I was going too fast, came up over a hill and skid all the way down (in this same truck) and slid right through a "don't walk" sign. I know that I was being reckless and he's going to me much more careful than I was but those trucks are light in the rear end so I didn't know if rear disks would give it better stopping power and be more safe for him. I'm really not too concerned with the looks of them because I have the old mag wheels that don't show a huge amount through them anyways although they do show some. Mostly I'm just looking for safety.

[special-K]

Usually the reason we can't stop in time is our fault, not the brakes. Better brakes won't make you a better driver. Don't out drive your sight, consider road conditions, visibility conditions, all those round you, and leave adequate room to react to what is in front of you. I have always been able to stop just fine in whatever I'm in or on...all drum, disc/drum, or disc/disc. I'm not in any big hurry to do rear discs knowing that front brakes do the major part of braking. I go through front brakes and never touch the rear drums. Big rigs stop with drum brakes, I figure I can. People say discs are easier to work on, and that's a good thing, because I am always dealing with frozen calipers eating up pads while the rear brakes ask for nothing. There's nothing complicated about drum brakes, they just work as they have since the beginning. I will say that going hydraulic was a big plus!

[mechanic350]

I am in washington state too and I have to agree with special k. You can't drive better with bigger or better brakes. Freshen up the drums or upgrade to some disc brakes out back either way your truck will probably stop about the same.

[9teen69]

I did the swap on my 72 but didn't notice a big change. I just reworked the front brakes and noticed a bigger change. I agree with what Andy and others have said, rework the drums and replace fluid. Spend the 400-500 elsewhere unless you cool wheels and can see them

[shaun73]

Originally Posted by 9teen69

I did the swap on my 72 but didn't notice a big change. I just reworked the front brakes and noticed a bigger change. I agree with what Andy and others have said, rework the drums and replace fluid. Spend the 400-500 elsewhere unless you cool wheels and can see them

Awesome, I think that I'll do just that. Those electric exhaust dumps are calling my name now.