Technical 57 disc brake conversion

Hello,
I’m new to the H.A.M.B and i’m not sure if this is the proper venue for this but I have a question about which manufactures disc brake conversion kit I should use on my 57 Chevy 210 post. Also which supplier has the best reputation for purchasing through? Do you recommend front and rear or just front? As of now it has the original 235ci I6 and I’m going to keep it for now but will probably upgrade to a sbc in the future if that matters.
Thank you in advance.

Rick

 

That's a very open-ended question... Where do you live? Flatlands or will you be tackling mountain p***es? What's your budget? There's numerous vendors, most are pretty good with different levels of performance available as well as the 'completeness' of the kit. What's your driving style? Planning much freeway speed use? Or just lower speed cruising? What's your future plans for power, will other driveline parts need upgrading too?

To be honest, the OEM brakes if in good condition will be plenty adequate in most cases with the OEM six or even a mild V8 if you don't have an overweight right foot.

 

Rick welcome to Hamb, I read your intro and you 2nd post. I was a cl***ic chevy dealer for many years and used and sold ECI https://www.ecihotrodbrakes.com and https://cl***ictube.com/product/1955-58-tri-five-chevy-gm-full-size-power-disc-brake-conversion-kit both worked well. My recommendation would be to get the complete kit from who ever you deal with. Also you don't need to waste your money on rear disk brakes. I personally would stay away from Speedway and any of the low price bargains. I hope this answers your question, Good Luck.

Pat

 

The better kits above probably address it, but some kits won’t clear with the stock 14” wheels, and don’t point that out. Others will. Ask before you buy. Been there done that on a friends Nomad.

On that car, they also moved the wheel out a bit, 1/8-3/16” IIRC. Had a little tire rub that had to be addressed. Ask about that too.

 

Hey Rick, welcome to the HAMB! I can understand considering disk brakes in today’s traffic, but depending on what kind of driving you plan to do, the factory drums may work just fine. I have been driving my 56 Ford for the past 11 years and more than 20k miles on factory drums and as long as I adjust them every so often, they stop like a champ. On the other hand, I had a 60 Thunderbird for a daily driver with 4-wheel disks (not set up correctly) that wouldn’t stop worth a dang. It was so bad, that I was at minimum planning to put drums back on the rear as a first step toward getting it to stop better.

 

I would go to a dual master cylinder. Rebuild the brakes. Replace the rubber hoses. While at it go to the taper front wheel bearings. Also replace the bushings in the idle arm with bearings and enjoy the car.

 

Ask if the hardware is SAE or metric. Possibly not a concern, but I don't want two sets of tools for one car.

 

I use my 57 daily and pull heavy loads thru the mountains. I added disc brakes about 30 years ago and they are truly wonderful

 

Following as well. And drop spindles.
Planning to tow a small camper with the 56 possibly

 

Since this is the HAMB some pretty good (old school) upgrades are '61-8 taper bearings/hubs, un-rivet the drums, and add a '68-'72 dual m/c...mine was for a '68 Chevelle /Malibu uses the stock pushrod bore size and 2 of the stock mounting studs so it bolts right on. Only mods required were converting the ends of the lines to the correct tube nuts for the later M/C....I capped off the outlet to the rear brake line at the 3 way connector and ran a new rear line across the fire wall and down to the stock rear line

 

I love disc brakes. Never need adjusting, don't pull to right or left, and stop hard, regardless of wet or dirt. The stock ones are good enough, the discs are much better. Lots of good advice from the other guys. Good luck with your car, and don't be too quick to throw out the 235.

 

I run a dual chamber '68 Chevelle master same as Nailhead A-V8 and it bolted right up and works nice, I redid all my stock drums and my '57 stops really well. You do have to adjust them yourself which is a bit more maintenance but I never felt like I was lacking stopping power.

 

Thanks, yes it seems there’s more involved than I thought…it will be cruising and local car shows. I’m currently rebuilding a 283 and may put that in or another sbc. I’m hot rodding it out and will be keeping current drivetrain.

 

Belair- You are not the first person to tell me that about the 235….What are your thoughts on keeping it? My reasons for the sbc swap would be better sound (I’d run dual exhaust) and aesthetically pleasing when you look under the hood. I have a 283 from a 66 impala I’m re-building now that I was thinking of using because it will have the stock/factory look.

 

Thanks Pat, very excited to be here! It doesn’t look like ECI’s “complete kit” comes with master cylinder or pre bent lines… what are your thoughts on CPP?

 

Some like the CPP and some don't. I'm of the notion that those who don't are the ones who do not match the master cylinder to the rest of the system right.
ECI has been around for a long time in the disk brake conversion game.

 

I’ve installed a couple of the CCP drop spindle disc brake kits, and they fit well and seem to work fine. The complete kit comes with all the lines, hoses and proportioning valve, so it’s pretty much a bolt in affair.

The drop spindle kits say that they work with 14” wheels, but they don’t work with the stock 1957 14” wheels. I found out the hard way on a restoration where the customer insisted on disc brakes. We had to get wheels that cleared the brakes, but had the bumps for the stock hubcaps.

Dave

 

Rick I didn't used CCP because, they were not around when I was doing this stuff so I have no opinion on them. I also have used 15" mag wheels or rally wheels on most builds.

Pat

 

I would at least do the front discs and also the small block.

 

I use VW tires on the front and the car is so low that it would be unusable if it were lower. There is a place in the road where 35 MPH will get the car airborne. My front crossmember makes an impressive display of sparks when the car comes back down. Dont buy dropped spindles if you use VW tires.

 

@ubuybme If you think a V-8 with duals sounds good, you've never heard a 235 rapping the pipes. They make a music all their own. As for the aesthetics, what is cooler than a polished intake, two carbs and linkage, cool air cleaners and a chrome or finned valve cover. The 235 will run better than you think, and will be the only inline in a sea of V-8 tri-fives. This one has duals and is waiting to get two carbs. The sound of second gear will raise the dead and the hair on the back of your neck. Don't get caught up in doing what the cool kids say to do. Build your dream. If that means a salty V-8, then by all means, go for it. Build the car to make you happy, and screw everybody else's opinion. Hope you have a blast with your car.

 

Read this book. You might appreciate the 235 more. Written by HAMBer 40studedude

 

Way back Cl***ic Chevy International had a kit. . . . . Everything at the wheel and/or everything including master, prop valve, lines, etc. I bought the complete kit and it was an easy install. Rotors and calipers are G-body (Malibu, Monte Carlo). I rebuilt the rear drums. Been driving it since '09 with no issues, good luck

 

Wheeldog my first 57 Chevy looked just like yours only with hubcaps. Sold it when I went to Viet Nam in 69.

Pat

 

Some random thoughts:

I know there are those who claim that you don't need disk brakes because the stock brakes will do just fine, unfortunately that wisdom goes out the window the day some idiot who does have disk brakes does a panic stop in front of you for no apparent reason.

I have a good friend that builds hot-rods for a living, his most pernicious problem?, the brakes on something he built not working right. Most of the time this is a self-inflicted would because for some strange reason my friend insists on piecing the system together with parts from multiple manufacturers instead of buying complete kits, plus he also insists on "saving the customer money" by buying foreign ****.

Complete kits save you time, and time is money. Avoid buying brake parts from "offshore" vendors, one problem being questionable quality, the other question being, is that supplier going to be around ten years from now when you need replacement parts?

Beware of the "G" body "Metric" brake caliper. There are two types, those two types are matched to the specific master cylinder and not interchangeable. (do a search)

Get rid of the fruit-jar master cylinder. There is a reason it was Federally mandated out of existence.

 

“OL55”, East Coast Chevy . 40 years selling/ building 5-7’ Chevs.
215-348-5568
Ask for Ken

 

Awesome thanks for the info…it’s a beautiful engine compartment. I almost hate to mess with it…I’ve looked into Fenton products for dual carb intakes and dual exhaust manifolds. It would be easier than a swap for sure.

 

Great info and I can feel the p***ion in your post! I’m very green and a newbie all around but just love old cars. I’ll search for some videos of suped up 235’s. I love this site and the positive reply’s…thank you

 

Haha… love the info! Thanks

 

Hey Brother, I went with the Wilwood kit. I’m fairly positive they make ‘em fr your year. Totally plug and play….with a minimal amount of mods. Stops amazing now