PHOTOS! Disc Brake Conversion

[josephmichael09]

Whats going on guys?

Every season i get closer and closer to finishing my disc brake conversion. I went through a bunch of dumb moments. We've all been there. Buying things we don't need and the wrong tool for the job, but hey, we'll probably end up using that tool later on anyways.

Here the walk through of my build and what went on.

Enjoy.

First off!!! if you're going to remove the coil make sure you take all precautions!!! Don't have your car in neutral, put the parking brake on, chock your real wheels, and put your car on jack stands!!!!!!

I started off removing the old drum brakes from the spindle (after removing the driver side drum brakes and spindle, i realized that i didn't actually have to remove the brakes for what i am trying to do). You will see what i mean later on.


I purchased a ball joint removal tool from Harbor Freight. I know i'm going to get a bunch of bull dookey about buying tools from there, but sometimes you make due with what you got. GIven the chance i'd probably buy a better quality tool. The tool felt very sketchy as if it were going to brake or slip off and cause an accident.


For the upper ball joint, the ball joint removal tool worked better than the pickle fork IMO(in my opinion).


Also, make sure you remove the lower bolt from the shock absorber. I did mine after removing the upper. Learn from my mistakes guys!

[josephmichael09]

After separating the upper ball joint from the steering/knuckle I shot the upper shaft bolts with a penetrating oil and backed out the nuts



Make sure you put the shims in the same exact place and orientation back on the studs as not to mix them up...

[josephmichael09]

Just my luck. Not sure if this was my fault of if they were already cracked. My Guess is " my fault." When i had the jack underneath the lower control arm. I did not lift the jack enough and when the upper ball joint broke free, i heard a bang. Well... this is what bang looks like. Regardless, i will be putting in brand new springs.

[josephmichael09]

You'll soon learn what i mean by "Just my luck."

"Hey, how about you separate the lower ball joint first?" Yea... yea... I got it next time.

So next time, how about you separate the bottom ball joint first eh? Don't do what i did.

[josephmichael09]

Here's a peek at the drop spindle kiti got in from ECE(Early classic Enterprise).
This is the mounting bracket for the brake booster. This is what you see from inside the cab.

This is the side of the bracket you see from inside the engine bay.

Boom baby!! That's the beast of a booster.

[josephmichael09]

This is a pretty nice feature from the kit i purchased. The pre-bent break lines are labeled. Not sure about the fitment but we'll soon see

[Chevy Fleetside]

http://www.classicparts.com/1967-91-.../#.Vj-TyF5dHX4 $7.95 . These are the later model ones that are bigger. You can drill your holes bigger and use these or you can order the stock ones for $4.95 here http://www.classicparts.com/1963-66-.../#.Vj-UJF5dHX4

[Indian113]

Keep up the Good Work and Pictures! Thanks

[slepysal]

Good job !! I used the same HB tool when I did mine. It worked like a charm .

[Northwest Outlaw]

getting ready to do this for my '61, following for inspiration and information

[josephmichael09]

Originally Posted by Northwest Outlaw

getting ready to do this for my '61, following for inspiration and information

Right on man!!! Nearly all of the information that I got was from user sixTsix. He helped out with all of my questions... You should check out his suspension build. Early classic enterprise has some pretty nice kits. Comes with everything you need!

I'm going to be posting pictures of where I am currently at... I just ran my brake lines, and honestly I'm not to satisfied with it so I'll most likely rerun my lines. Just a heads up: having a tube bender and double flare tool and knowing how to use them really helps out in this part of the process...

[Northwest Outlaw]

Originally Posted by josephmichael09

Right on man!!! Nearly all of the information that I got was from user sixTsix. He helped out with all of my questions... You should check out his suspension build. Early classic enterprise has some pretty nice kits. Comes with everything you need!

I'm going to be posting pictures of where I am currently at... I just ran my brake lines, and honestly I'm not to satisfied with it so I'll most likely rerun my lines. Just a heads up: having a tube bender and double flare tool and knowing how to use them really helps out in this part of the process...

I got the McGaughys disc conversion and spindles kit all together, sitting next the Boomstick waiting for my nerves to build up and actually start. The brake lines are what i'm worried most about, and the '76 MC and booster i'll be hooking them up to. But, why else did i start this project!

[61_FL_Apache]

Great write up.. Never thought of the vinegar and water solution for cleaning up parts. What was the ratio of the mix?

[josephmichael09]

Originally Posted by 61_FL_Apache

Great write up.. Never thought of the vinegar and water solution for cleaning up parts. What was the ratio of the mix?

The ratio that I used is 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar... I picked up the idea from the diyautoschool channel on YouTube. My friend Pete(that's what the diyautoschool host calls himself, he's not my actual friend) has a lot of insider information and experience with rust removal and metal preparation. I definitely recommend you checking out his channel

[josephmichael09]

Originally Posted by 61_FL_Apache

Great write up.. Never thought of the vinegar and water solution for cleaning up parts. What was the ratio of the mix?

The ratio that i used is 4 parts water to 4 parts solution... I also wire wheeled the entire control arm to loosen up most of the paint...

[josephmichael09]

So, during the dis assembly of the brake lines, I ended up damaging the line that runs to the rear brakes and so i had to make a new flare. I bought the flaring tool from advanced auto and it was doing more damage than good. I could not get a good flare from this piece of JUNK!!! I swear i hate auto parts stores. They sell anything no matter the quality so long as they get their money. My advice: Buy a decent flaring tool if you need to make your own flares. I will be purchasing one in January and running a solid brake line down the driver side of the frame from the proportioning valve.

Here you can see where i ended up cutting too much brake line, had to pull it tight and its now positioned too close to my exhaust.
Here is another view.
Also, what is up with the length of threads on some of these fittings? Is there something that i don't know?

Here is another reason i want to run one brake line down the driver side frame. I don't like the 2 lines running across my crossmember. With a solid line, i'll be able to go straight down from the proportioning valve and down the frame. Simple right?

[garmar]

Great writeup!

[craiginaustin]

Great thread! I'm thinking about doing the same or similar to my 64.

The main part that's stressing me out is the brake lines -- you said you weren't happy with the lines, was that a problem with the kit?

[ptc]

Very candid writeup!!!! I love the "BEAT THE EVER LIVING EEFFEN LIFE OUTTA THEM"..... I can totally relate!!!


Now thats funny stuff right there!

[josephmichael09]

Originally Posted by craiginaustin

Great thread! I'm thinking about doing the same or similar to my 64.

The main part that's stressing me out is the brake lines -- you said you weren't happy with the lines, was that a problem with the kit?

The kit doesn't really have anything wrong with it. It just retro fits your brake lines so there's minimal modification needed. Be sure that you don't damage the brake lines that are going to stay on the vehicle. Very important or you'll end up where i am at. Look at the pictures above.

[josephmichael09]

Here is a view of the brake lines coming out of the prop valve. These lines were bent by hand. The original lines were ran right by the exhaust. Kind of weird but that's where I ran them and i don't like it. II'm going to run both brake lines straight to the back of the firewall and straight down, but i just wanted to show you guys how this looks. That way you know what you're getting into.

[craiginaustin]

Originally Posted by josephmichael09

The kit doesn't really have anything wrong with it. It just retro fits your brake lines so there's minimal modification needed. Be sure that you don't damage the brake lines that are going to stay on the vehicle. Very important or you'll end up where i am at. Look at the pictures above.

Thanks!

[gofastnut]

Awesome write up! Disc brakes are a ways down the road for me, but lots of good info!