Hi just joined the forum and am hoping that i can get some info about my current project. I have a 65 El Camino that my dad and i are in the process of restoring. My question is about the brakes on the front of the car. Was it possible to get front disc brakes on the 65?? I have been to the library to research this and have not been able to find an answer. The car currently has front discs and i am planning on rebuilding the front end but dont know if what is there is stock or has been upgraded sometime in the last 39 yrs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Nope, no disc brake option in '65.

OK so if there was no disc brake option is there any way to determine what is on the front right now? The upper and lower arms are stock pieces from another car then (not tubular). What should i look for to identify what i have? Thanks for the quick reply.

More than likely what you have are late model Chevelle disc brakes (69-72) since this is the easiest disc swap around. 69-72 disc brake spindles are a direct bolt-in replacement for the orignial drum brake spindles that were on your car originally.

Take your used brake pads with you to the parts store and ask for a set of brake pads for a '70 Chevelle with disc brakes and compare them. If they match you'll know the rest is the same.

Determining which master cylinder you have could be another chore as many different applications will work following a disc brake swap but again the chances are good the master cylinder is the same as those found on a 69-72 Chevelle. Of course if there is no problem with the master cylinder this is a moot point!

One thing to keep in mind if you are doing a front end rebuild. '64s used a unique center link with slightly smaller studs where the idler arm and pitman arm attach than those used on 65-67 cars. If I recall correctly the later cars used an even different center link altogether but using the later model center link is NOT typically used when doing a disc brake swap so all you should really have to determine is if you have a '64 or a '65-'67 version so you know what else to buy. Some '64s have had the later version swapped onto them over the years so it's a crapshoot as to which you have!

http://www.chevelles.com/cgi-bin/forum/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=33;DaysPrune=5
Check out some of the old post.

Hey Rich thank you very much for the informative reply. I was talking to a few people from the New England Chevelle and El Camino Club who had suggested the same thing. I appreciate the help.