I have heard so many stories about problems converting to disc brakes, I'm not sure it's worth it, in terms of improved braking performance, although I'm sure it adds value to the car. So here goes a poll: If you have swapped out drums for discs in front, either power or manual, please weigh in.

Are you nuts??? The disk brake changeover is easy and well worth it. The cost of disk brakes is far lower than the cost on new front end metal.

Are you nuts??? The disk brake changeover is easy and well worth it. The cost of disk brakes is far lower than the cost on new front end metal.
AMEN brother....just did mine this winter ...best thing i have done to my velle.

I have converted a few cars to non-power or power discs. Both swaps are definitely worth the time and money, even if I prefer the power assist. Discs are just too stiff without a booster, IMO.

If you need proof, take your drum brake car to a safe place and brake as hard as you can from 60 to 0 two or three times. After this test, you'll probably know why so many people change to disc brakes. I almost lost a car due to overheating drum brakes once, so I'm a firm believer in discs.

You can swap the brakes easily in a weekend. It can even be done in a day if you push it and if you have all the parts you need. There are a few things you can run into, but nothing that can't be solved. It's not rocket science at all, as long as you have a basic understanding of hydraulic systems. Buying a good, proven kit and making frequent visits to TC will make it pretty painless.

Thanks for voting, I am getting some confidence in doing this project. There is much conflicting information on how much vacuum it takes to run a booster. My engine makes about 13". Any thoughts on whether that will work. Also does the size of the booster affect how much vacuum it takes to operate correctly, that is with low vacuum, will a 7" booster work better than 11"?

Also does the size of the booster affect how much vacuum it takes to operate correctly, that is with low vacuum, will a 7" booster work better than 11"?

The "boost" depends on vacuum and booster diaphragm area (area * pressure = force). At a given vacuum, a large booster will provide more assist than a smaller one. Some small diameter booster have dual diaphragms to compensate for this.

If you can work on Drum Brakes then you can do the conversion.
If your feeling a little timid I'd suggest a kit with conversion lines and all.
But if your resourceful and mechanically inlined you can have 13" Disc's with Vette calipers for a deal and re-use your drum spinles.Hummm!!
Check out this site or Pro-touring.com for more disc brake converson Ideas.
I talk to people everyday about conversions and the ones having trouble are the ones trying to half-A@#@ things. Do it Right and do it once.

I talk to people everyday about conversions and the ones having trouble are the ones trying to half-A@#@ things. Do it Right and do it once.

Can't agree more. You can shade-tree mechanic anything you want but brake work is the most important work you will ever do.
It affects you and everyone around you. :eek:

I went from completely rebuilt (and working to the best of their ability) 4wh. manual drums to 4 wh. power discs.

In comparison: dragging a hockey stick on the pavement to having an arrestor hook on the bumper!

No brainer - just do it correctly.

I did a power 4 wheel disc conversion using a donor stock front disc setup and a stock 79 T\A rear disc setup. It's low buck and flat out works - IMHO - If you are driving one of these 3500 lb time capsules and have sunk a ton of $$ in it - it would be insane not to spend a few dollars on the most important parts you'll ever purchase. The brake upgrade is far cheaper than therapy if I smashed my 70 because I couldn't out brake a half ton pickup...

You can rectify your low vaccum issue with a vaccum resevior - comp cams, summit, jegs all carry them - most guys running power brakes and big duration camshafts have to use them for the same reason - it's good insurance if you have vaccum concerms...

I did a power 4 wheel disc conversion using a donor stock front disc setup and a stock 79 T\A rear disc setup. It's low buck and flat out works - IMHO - If you are driving one of these 3500 lb time capsules and have sunk a ton of $$ in it - it would be insane not to spend a few dollars on the most important parts you'll ever purchase. The brake upgrade is far cheaper than therapy if I smashed my 70 because I couldn't out brake a half ton pickup...

You can rectify your low vaccum issue with a vaccum resevior - comp cams, summit, jegs all carry them - most guys running power brakes and big duration camshafts have to use them for the same reason - it's good insurance if you have vaccum concerms...
I noticed you said you did your rear brakes to disk using 79 T/A.
Did you have to do anything to the poportioning valve?
I converted my 4 wheel drum to 71 cutlass disk on front and kept the rear drum.
Just curious

You can greatly minimize drum brake fade by using Raybestos Super-Stop brake shoes. But, discs are definitely worth it.

Although manual disc brakes can be stiff, this can be avoided if you take a few precautions. Make sure you use a 1" bore master (75 vette manual), use the larger 3/4 ton suburban calipers (1985 3-3/32" piston) and use Raybestos Brute-Stop pads. This setup is so good I'll be converting my other Chevelle with power disc brakes to manuals (but also because it has a "lumpy" cam).

Hey 66dream - since my 70 was 4 wheel drum - I used the same distribution block (i did initially do the disc\drum setup with the single factory external valve) ,I removed the external valve from the front lines and added a 2 lb residual pressure valve in the rear line - The boster \ master cylinder is a stock disc\drum combo - I used mid 80's single front piston calipers (reason for the residual pressue valve is too much caliper piston surface area and helps a possibly low pedel) and a metric weld on caliper bracket from Speedway Motors - The rotors are the only real component from the 79 t\a - you'll need to use the rear axle studs for a 79 disc brake setup as well - they're a bit longer to compensate for the rotor thickness... On my 69 camaro I did the same conversion - just used a (50\50) disc\disc combination valve from Inline tube - since I already did the disc \ drum combo a few years earlier - I just swapped the valve and rear brake hardware...Pedel feel and stopping power was extremely improved.

Worth it and fun! Replace the coils springs and bushings while you have everything apart, too. Boy what a difference!

yep, discs are good, and pretty easy.

done it lots of times. last time was really quick and easy - less than an hour to pull a setup that already had fairly new pads and rotors at pick n pull, and a couple hours to hang the parts. was a driver, so i didn't worry about detailing anything.

also used a manual master that i already had new in the box, with plans to switch to power if needed....it was my wife's '67 F-bod, and she liked it as is.

BTW, if anyone wants a manual disc master, ask for one for a '70 Chevelle with manual discs.

for a 4 wheel master, ask for one for a '68 to '76 Corvette with either manual or power depending on what you want.

(many people don't realize that drum brake masters have a residual pressure valve that you don't want with discs.)

both of my 70s already had power disc, do it you wont regret it especially if you have a BB under the hood 69-72 ss cars they were manditory not an option. I WOULD DO IT ...

I've read many opinions that converting to disc brakes is the way to go, there's no doubt about that. and my gut feeling tells me it's true. I'm having a little trouble thinking of and understanding the technical reasons why.
Do disc brakes slow the car down faster than drums?
Reasons I can think of:
- Less pull to one side of the car, more consistent left to right
- dissapates heat faster? so for long downhill rides, you're less likely to overheat the brakes and have brake failure
- cheaper brake replacement parts?
any other reasons?
It seems that if you have enough braking power to lock up the front brakes (which they can even with drums), there's no way to reduce slow-down-to-stop time unless you have ABS or stickier tires. Is this not true? I don't know though, maybe large rotors/disc brakes help to slow the car down faster than drums without getting to the point of locking them up. Anyone have knowledge on this?
Thanks!

I raced a 3500 lb. Chevelle on a 5/8 mile fast dirt track with drums and they gave me the braking I needed and I won races with it. But.... I'm building a Chevelle hot rod street car now and eventually, after the painting and assembly are done, I'll more than likely change it over. Never wanted anything to take horsepower away from it so manuals were the way to go. On the street- we'll be setting up discs before too long!

I just completed a front disk converssion along with the converssion I replaced every brake part that was on the car. I also removed every front end componant, sandblasted, painted and replaced every suspension and steering part on the car. WOW, it drives great. Well worth the $$. The only problem now is my wife wants to drive YIKES!!!!

you probably don't need much more input, but i think it's the best mod you can make to a car. the kit with absolutely everything you need except brake fluid can be had for around $800 or so. it's money well spent. and you shouldn't have any problems putting it in, you don't need to be mr. goodwrench. like someone said, the problems you hear about are people trying to get by on the cheap and using mismatched parts and whatnot.

The primary reason for disc brakes is the heat factor, or rather, the dissipation of.
But there is a company who has overcome this to the point of being "the next best thing to discs" - "with up to 38% better braking than stock".

With their "Thermo cooled drums" and "Matrix shoes", this is the way to go for those wanting to keep their cars close to original while greatly improving their braking power and reducing effort..and this is without a booster!

http://www.praisedynobrake.com/index.htm

http://www.praisedynobrake.com/stage-iii.htm

Did the front AND rear on my 71 , used a kit. I.m.o. the kits are the best way to go by far, as stated before every thing you need is included.
May want to consider your wheel choice....I went with the open wheel design thus the slotted rotors look the best to me.

One of the best things ever done to my 67. I went without power and used 1 inch bore master from about a 70 vette that was originally a manual disc brake installation. The pedal is better than it ever was, and I had tried all kinds of different setups with the drum brakes over 20 years.

I have heard so many stories about problems converting to disc brakes, I'm not sure it's worth it, in terms of improved braking performance, although I'm sure it adds value to the car. So here goes a poll: If you have swapped out drums for discs in front, either power or manual, please weigh in.
If you think this about the swap on a GM A body, you should try it on a manual drum brake Dodge. It's much more invovled than the GM swap and you can't buy new parts through catalogs. You have to get them from a junkyard. I've done it on both my Chevelles and my Charger, well worth it.

Now that its over, even with all the trouble, it was worth it.

Most definitely worth every penny. Even though I went the cheap route and bought everything from Napa. I only had a minor problem with the rear flex lines. No mounting points on the rearend, and I needed to get two adapter pieces to fit between the flex and hard lines. Other than that, I built one of the srayer pressurized bleeding units. Worked like a charm. Definitely worth the fiddling around building it. JMHO

power front disc and and a 1.25" front stabilizer bar completely revolutionize a Chevelle. I've done 4 times now. It's about the first thing I'd do to any Chevelle that came into my hands.

Oh yeah big improvement.... no fading and no pull when braking hard. Did mine last fall along with all the suspension pieces and a steering box ,now it feels/drives like a new car.

i spent the money and bought the baer kit front and rear.. has everything and very detailed instructions... and when i say everything i mean everything including new fluid, e brake cables new master cylinder and all. when i now get on the brakes hard i think my trunk lid is going to come off and sail past the car. well worth the money.

I did the conversion about 10 years ago, but only because I was drag racing. I had gone to a BB, and the difference between running a 14 sec 1/4 and a 13 sec 1/4 was enough to make the drums warm after the first run. It simply didn't stop as well. I did the swap by trading a rearend to a buddy for the spindles and control arms, bought the rest locally. I stayed non-power assist and it's good.

HOWEVER, I have 2 regular drivers with 4 wheel drums, and my car would still be in this class if I didn't race that are just fine. For one good hard stop, drums are fine. Where you run into a problem is when they are ridden and get hot. All my rigs are manual transmissions, and gear down appropriately on a downgrade. Stop and go traffic should not heat up your brakes.

Devin

My Chevelle already had front disc when I bought it. A few years ago we did our 57 Chevy,I would say it is worth the time and money.