Projects The bucket of ugly! A de-uglifying thread...

I'll consider the F1 brakes. I'll fit my spindles tomorrow and do some measuring again. If those arms work that would be great. Maybe I missed something. Looking at your setup, maybe the added clearance comes from using tie rod ends and mounting them underneath the arms.

 

X3 on the drums, Fred. The '53-'56 is what I would do. Bolt right up to your spindles, and all they need is some clearance in the top of the spindle for the angled brake hose fitting. Get some conversion bearings and you're good to go. I also have bolt on steering arms, but my spring is on top....but the tie rod clears the wishbones no problem.


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On full swing from the front spring shackles, how far below the bottom of the radius rod do they go? With my dropped steering arms with my dropped axle I have 7/8'' between the bottom of the radius rod an the top of the tierod, this may change slightly when turning due to caster angle.JW

 

First off, here's the spindles after a final sanding.





Now, about those steering arms................ GAWD DANG! It looks like they'll work, if I use the tapered arms and mount the tie rod below the steering arm. THIS is GREAT news! Gary's gonna be doing the happy dance. Another drum convert!



Now...... Chip what do you have for sale and what will I need to out source besides your stuff? Could you make me a list and I'll check my parts store to see what they have and if it's cost effective for me. At this point, the final decision on going drum will unfortunately be cost.

Dang, I may end up "traditional"?

 

I thought about that when I measured a few minutes ago. But I think they'll clear. I may end up getting the arms and tie rod, install them and see what happens. If it doesn't work, I can always return them. To have the correct arms and being able to flaunt my drilled axle with no obstructions is worth a shot.

 

Hey guys, just a quick question, do you ever think about getting old spindles/axles cracktested, specialy if they have come from an unknown source or swop meet buy. If you don't know what sort of treatment they may have suffered over the years, (50 or 60 at least)how confident are you in their soundness.

 

That's a good point. JW

 

Chip, is this the correct bearing kit?

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Ford-F-100-Brake-to-1937-48-Spindle-Bearing-Conversion-Kit,5387.html

 

Okay, I checked O'Reilly's web site and it looks like they have everything except the backing plates. Surprisingly, this is becoming very cost effective. Total parts, a little over $200 not including backing plates. No bad.

 

Hey there Fred, I have a good pair of backing plates (early Ford) I'll let you know the year of them in a couple of days.
If you can use them then they are yours, I'll get your address and send them to you.

 

Okay, let me make a final decision first. Right now, I'm trying to get a complete parts list. I'm trying to source a hardware kit now. (springs, pins, etc)

 

No problem Fred. No rush take your time to figure it all out.

 

Fred where did you get that video of me doing the happy dance. You really don't know how much that looks like me.
You know Fred if I lived closer I would help you find, figure out and mount the front brakes.
Gary

 

Found some more info. I'll be needing F100 hubs. Any know a source?

http://www.hotrodhotline.com/md/html/f100_brakes_for_early_fords.php

I REALLY like the clean look on the 3rd page of the link.

 

LMAO....... I'm sure you would and I'd appreciate it, too. If I go this route, I'll be asking PLENTY of questions. The main question is: "Can a disc brake guy, make it in a drum brake world?"

 

Yes, yes you can. JW

 

front brakes---F 100---53-56
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?threads/front-brakes---F-100---53-56.1039615/

Fred it's your destiny....


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After a lot of research and thinking, I'm going to stick with disc brakes. Here's the main reason, my build isn't "traditional" or era specific. Any era. It's just my vision of what a cool T Bucket would look like. As tempting as those drum brakes look, they'd be out of place on my car. They would stick out like a sore thumb. Let's see....stretched body, radial tires, a little bit of billet, a HEI distributor and...... drum brakes? Nope..... just wouldn't jell, in my world.

I'll still try the dropped steering arms, but the drums will have to wait for the right build. Thanks for all the help.

Next up, I'll get the rear shocks and be done with the rear end.

 

Here's how I made mine work. I used the deep drop arms on original spindles like yours. I drilled them out to 5/8ths, got some 5/8ths id tube and cut it to 1 1/4 inch long. I also aquired heim joints from Speedway which are 5/8 id and tie rod threads. Drops the whole assembly below the wishbones. I admit it's pretty close to the ground, but 4 years of driving has yielded no problems.

 

Good decision Fred for good reasons. The drum brake started out as a joke between you and me. It's your car do it you your way. I'm sure it will be great.

Gary

 

Thanks, Gary. I think a car and a lot of things revolve around them being "a sum of their parts". What makes an ugly car, IMO, is a mismatch of parts. It doesn't matter how cool or expensive the parts are, when a person starts mixing and matching different parts and themes, the results are not only confusing, but well..... ugly.

The first version of my past T and even it's rebuild, was a collection of different parts, which individually were great parts, but together they were a mismatch of ideas and money not well spent. This go round, I'm taking steps to control the urge to use stuff that's cool, unless they can meld with the projected final result. Drum brakes are, and will be, a good choice for a traditional, period build and mine isn't.

 

Any one wanna take a run at the question I posed?

 

I've never seen or heard of a Henry Ford spindle cracking/breaking. I think I've seen a picture of an aftermarket one doing so. A lot of the stress on the spindle is taken up by the tie rod, wheels, etc...

That being said, a careful inspection is always a good idea. Worn kingpin holes, excessive pitting, or a bent spindle would worry me more than the possibility of an original spindle breaking off. I've traced a wheel wobble to a bent snout on a spindle before.

 

I had been using bolts as flat top spring perches during mock up and decided to replace them. In the process, I remembered what a PITA it was to grip the tops of the perches. So, I bought some sleeves for the axle and installed 5/8" Grade 8 bolts and nylocks. Worked out great and I'll return the stainless steel pins for credit.

 

T-Rod, I keep looking at your set up and if I have to, I'll try it out. Thanks for posting. A lot of times, the solution to a problem is so simple, we miss it.

 

You're welcome. And, I also sleeved my axle and use 5/8ths grade 8 bolts. Additionally, I got some cone spacers from Speedway (p/n 546-4110) to seat the bolts to the wishbones. The angle of the spacers matches the space where the perches nest in the 'bones.

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Why not use the correct size bolt through the bones and axle, 11/16'' or 0.6875''. JW

 

11/16" would be a special bolt, not readily available.

 

I would never go smaller on a bolt just because you need to order them. Personally I would drill two 3/16'' holes in the top of the flush perch bolt and make a spanner like whats uses on an angle grinder to hold it while you tighten them, it will look like its meant to be, even better if they are orientated. JW

 

The shaft of a perch bolt is 0.68, The bolts I used are 0.625. The difference is near mute. But by sleeving the axle, I compensated for that minimal margin. Also, in the past, I ran 5/8" bolts, without sleeving the axle and drove my car daily that way. Results.... no problems. AND those bolts were Grade 5.