It appears that I may have to put the '70 back up to daily driver standards in preparation for returning to school next March. With the possibility of that happening, I need to address my front brakes.

Currently, I have manual drums. They are all (front and rear) in good shape right now, BUT I'll be moving to a major metropolitan area, so I don't think that will do.

I have a set of factory disc spindles from a '69 parts car. I run 15" Centerline Convo Pro wheels. Is there a good disc setup that will work with those pieces? As in, better than stock, but within a reasonable budget.

I really don't like power brakes, so I'm hoping that a good set of front manual discs will be sufficient. What kits do I need to look for? What is everyone else using? I see kits that work with lowering spindles, big wheels, etc., but I want an upgrade that will work with stock-type dimensions. Is a larger-than-factory rotor and caliper available?

I wanted to make this upgrade several months ago, but now it looks like it's more of a necessity instead of just another hop-up project. Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks!

Wondering why manual drum brakes in good condition wouldn't do just fine?

Used to drive my 68 Camaro quite a bit and run low 12's high 11's with manual drum brakes,,,stopped just fine.

Well, they've worked good for all these years (my father bought the car brand new), but the primary usage has been in a podunk town of 1,200 and a small city of 50,000. I'm moving to Houston, TX which is about 2 million+.

I've been on the freeways there and I don't think it's thaaaat bad. However, that was in a late model car with all the bells and whistles, etc. I was kinda thinking I might get a bit of a pucker factor with freeway traffic and some stoplight-to-stoplight driving in the old '70.

Hmmm. Maybe it isn't necessary. What do you guys think? I just want to get any safety-related projects done before moving. I thought this might be a good idea since I already had the factory disc spindles.

I just finished with a full front-end rebuild using PST components and polygraphite bushings. I'll be trying to get a 1 1/8" or 1 1/4" front sway bar soon.

Thanks for any and all replies.

Justin,

Yes when you get on the urban freeways, you get in amongst lots of loonies, crazies, fools, aggressors, people with bad attitudes, etc. so you got to drive defensively. I drive I-5 to/from work every day and see all kinds. I stay in the right lane so I got a place to go (the shoulder) if I need to avoid a wreck or whatever ahead. But I got my thrills flying in the service for 20+ years, so I got no need to "fly" in traffic on public roads.

A company named Praise makes high performance brake shoes that others have reported to work very well. Try a search here. You could be the only kid on the block with high performance drum brakes. Everybody's got disc brakes. Of course if just the fact of having disc brakes or accomplishing a conversion will make you happy, then by all means do it.

I always figured if I can lock the wheels at highway speeds--and I can with either my Chevelle or my Valiant, then what more do I need to safely operate in everyday use? If you plan to race your car, then the whole situation changes.

Good luck with your Chevelle, I have a '65 El Camino I bought in 1967, and a '72 Valiant which I drive every day. I could buy a new BMW if I wanted or a Jaguar, but I like the old cars. Simple and easy to work on. I can open the hood and actually see the engine!

My $0.02

JJ'65, thanks for the response. I'm with ya on the "easy" to work on stuff. Lord knows there are many things I haven't done to my Chevelle, but I think I still have a fightin' chance with them...compared to the newer stuff.

I've heard of the Praise Dyno Brake stuff. I hadn't actually thought of that. I know there stuff is a bit pricey, but I'll bet it would still be much cheaper than a full-on disc upgrade. I think I'll check them out. Thanks! :cool:

BTW, anyone use the Praise stuff in here with some real world testing?

Welcome to the big city Justin. The best way to drive defensively in Houston is with a good offense. Take no prisoners. :D Seriously, don't take up space in the right hand lane, leave it open for access end exits if possible and when entering the freeway accelerating to just faster than the oncoming traffic will allow you to blend in without slowing them down and drawing any fire.
The left lanes are for faster traffic and since your car has OD you shouldn't be stuck in the slow lanes.
Any idea which side of town you are going to end up in? Traffic is much better in some areas than others.

With good quality pads the stock disk brakes will work fine and fit your wheels with no problems.

the spindles are the hard part, go to napa or a store like it, find a guy who knows a bit about disk brake conversions, or is willing to help like i did and order new rotors, rebuilt calipers, a new MC and a rebuilt booster if you want it. You'd be surprised at how cheap you can put it all together for compared to the kits. I spent the money i saved on new stainless brake lines with braided stainless flex lines and still had money to spare for some used rims and new tires.

-Ryan

I agree with Ryan, if you're willing to do your homework and put some work into it, you can build a nice disc setup using OEM type parts, for less than half what most kits cost.

Been driving the Chevelle for 34 years in NJ/NY metro traffic. If you guys want to test your stress level, move here for a year or so! :eek: I've had friends visit from Ohio or Western PA who couldn't believe the 24 hour/7 days a week traffic! The Chevelle gets 104 miles a day on it back and forth to work. I travel from Somerset to Teaneck in Northern NJ along some of the most ruthless routes in the area! The Chevelle does just fine. I converted to power disc brakes in 1998, but the old drums were fine for the first 28 years....you just have to be a VERY defensive driver and anticipate what the next guy might do. With over 635,000 miles on the clock, the Chevelle still does the daily drive with no problems whatsoever. The oil is changed every 2500 to 3000 miles, the chassis lubed every 10,000 miles, front wheel bearings repacked every 30,000 miles. I have front brake pads lasting around 50,000 miles and rear shoes around 65,000. The car, when maintained, is very reliable for daily transportation. But HEY, THAT'S what GM designed it to do in the first place! ;)

Originally posted by MalibuJerry350:
I have front brake pads lasting around 50,000 miles and rear shoes around 65,000. How many miles does the horn relay last?

Does a '70 Chevelle still have a single brake fluid reservoir?

I think one of the main benefits of upgrading/changing over to disc brakes is the fact that a dual reservoir is installed - reduces the risk of losing all braking if a wheel cylinder or brake line fails.

I'm driving my '65 in a limited basis until my budget allows a disc conversion but anytime I hit this Northern CA traffic, I tend to leave as much space between me and traffic ahead of me because I just don't trust the brake system.

Good luck!

Ricardo

Ricardo, 70's have a dual reservoir master cylinder. I believe '66 was the last year of the single. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I grew up in Houston and you don't really need power brakes. My 64 Valiant never had them. More important probably is that your steering is tight and doesn't "drift" in the lane. Construction often puts you real close to each other. You do need to pay attention to the flow-of-traffic. Go as fast as everyone else and you'll be safer. Really. Change lanes on the freeways way ahead of time once you learn which lane to get into. That will lower your stress levels a lot. And treat the other drivers with respect... most of them really do have guns under the seat.

Oh, and on Texas highways, it's traditional to let the faster driver pass by moving over onto the shoulder (you won't need to even slow down). This is one of the best things about driving the two-lanes. And watch... oncoming drivers really are just waving at you as you pass. Most TX roads have shoulders as wide and as smooth as the lanes. <sigh>

Pete, I've been to Houston 3 times now and I gotta say....the highway system down there is TONS better than the mess :eek: that Memphis, TN has.

I feel pretty comfortable with Houston already and it really helps that there are 5 lanes pretty much everywhere you go. Memphis has 2 most of the time and 3 tops. That's no way to engineer a metropolitan area.

I really don't like power brakes, but I'm still up in the air about whether to go with front discs or not. I already have the spindles, but I'm not much of a brake man. My current drums are in good shape, but I really hate to skimp on safety stuff (tho it wouldn't be the first time).

I like the idea of the Praise Dyno Brake shoes. Maybe a simple factory front disc setup and some of the Praise shoes in the rear. That would probably be gobs better than what I have now. I guess I will price everything out and see where that leaves me.

BTW, Pete, I stayed in Oak Ridge, TN once. Back in about '96 or so. I went to the "Rock the Smokies" concert in Newport, TN. It was like "Redneck Woodstock"! About 75,000+ folks in a farmer's field. I saw:

Marshall Tucker Band
.38 Special
Marty Stuart
Charlie Daniels Band
Travis Tritt
Hank Williams Sr.

That's real pretty country over there.