1940 ford deluxe. stock front suspension. and brakes up front. what’s a good conversion , disk. or get better drum system
1940 ford deluxe. stock front suspension. and brakes up front. what’s a good conversion , disk. or get better drum system
Your post will probably get deleted as the moderators don't like disk brakes. Simply because they don't fit the criteria of the board (pre 1964 style vehicles only and done in a pre 1964 style) . It's like having a blue nose Baptist mother in law, you don't drink in front of her nor talk about your drinking exploits, here we don't discuss certain parts even though many of us have them.
In today’s traffic it’s understandable to want disc brakes, on a 40 you don’t see them like a fender less car so I don’t think it’s a big deal. There are lots of direct bolt on kits for 4” spindles and you can get which ever wheel bolt pattern you like even the Ford 5.5” bolt circle.
Upgrade to a dual MC and rebuild your stock brakes. If you want to get fancy you can do a Buick drum upgrade with self energizing brakes up front off a later Ford.
A few different suppliers of the repro Lincoln brakes. They will almost bolt on and work with your stock Ford drums. https://www.bolingbrothers.com/brake-kits-1937-1948/
I've got Super Bell Power Stoppers on the front of my 40 coupe. Also I've sold dozens of the reproduction Lincoln self energizing brakes for the front of 40 Fords. Quite a few of the Lincoln conversions use the 1.75 width shoes and retain the stock 40 drums and hubs. Lots of options available.
Around here, Life stopped after 1965. We just have to accept that and live within those rules. Most of my experiences happened after that so I am an outsider here.
I do agree, those 1939-1948 brakes can be finnicky sometimes. When I had it I upgraded my '48 Mercury to '53-'56 F100 brakes and they worked excellent with a stock rebuilt 3 bolt master. I've used that setup on hot rods before too with good success. You can literally change nothing else in the brake system other than the brake stuff from spindle outward so it makes the swap quite easy. A properly working drum system is completely fine most of the time. I commuted in traffic both ways in a '57 Chevy truck for years with four wheel drums and (gasp) a single pot master and I managed to not burst into flames and die. This included going over a hill with a 1000 foot climb in elevation twice every work day. That said, do disc brakes if you want. Certainly in higher performance heavier cars you'd want something better. My '70 Challenger has 11.75" discs up front and I wouldn't think to put drums back on it. Just be aware it's a whole system change that is more involved.
If you want to use disc brakes, I recommend "ECI" disc brake conversions. The owner was the shop foreman for many years before buying the business. He knows his stuff.
Since when did disc brakes become taboo? They were still considered a safety upgrade last year and was allowed, even discussed. Disc brakes, radial tires and factory appearing or originals upgraded to LED lights were allowed as safety upgrades for people that actually drove their cars in city traffic, when did that change?
Sevaral disc kits are available. I have Wilwoods on one of my cars. The stock Lockheed's can be modified to work very well for road racing by adding scoops and metallic lining. They will keep working even when red hot. They should last forever on the street.
Where do you live, what kind of driving do you do? There's more than just 'period correctness' at work here. An older, lighter car can have more than adequate braking capacity with drums but as the cars get newer/heavier drums become less and less effective. If you live in the midwest flatlands and don't drive in urban areas, drums can be fine. But if playing dodge-'em in traffic with morons in ABS-equipped late models, drums may not cut the mustard. Or if you live somewhere with big elevation changes, running out of brakes on a long downgrade isn't at all cool. Or do you occasionally drive it like ya stole it? Better brakes may be needed. Cost isn't much of a factor anymore, in fact discs may prove to be cheaper if you're looking to upgrade to larger brakes. And in spite of some claiming that 'drums work just as good', that's demonstratably not true or you'd still find drum brakes on new cars. Do what makes you feel safe(r).
I’m building my drums. Adding a pre 65 dual MC just for kicks. If I don’t like the set up, I’ll go from there. But I’m not fixing something that isnt broke yet
I have driven mechanicals, and years when drums were all we had,,, Sorry traditionalists but I will keep the discs on my hotrod....
Speaking from personal experience I do not recommend the front disk swap for a 1940 Ford. I've spent countless hours of labor and way too much money trying to get the disk conversion that was on my '40 when I got it perform as it should. I plan to rip it out and go the F100 front drum route instead. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/f100-brakes.226861/
Correct! Most hide them under period correct dressings. No plasma cutters, welding was usually more primitive and no clear coat urethane paint..
@Huckster59 @Tman has given the best advice here. This forum is full of threads where people "get out of there depth" disc brake conversions. I've given up on helping these people because all the want to do is justify using the junk they have already purchased [when they should "bin it"] A dual braking system is all you need, and if you are a spirited driver [a late apex, diamond pattern driver] then maybe upgrade the friction materials on a stock system. https://porterfield-brakes.com/manufacturer/brake-shoes/ These ain't cheap, but at $200 for 4 shoes [$400 a whole car] it will be a lot cheaper and better than some universal mongrel disc brake conversion kits. And note: Brakes don't stop the car........The tyres do [brakes only remove kinetic energy] So the only other mod I would consider is some way of cooling the drums.
im thinkin it just needs the correct adj, after rear a bunch of post i most likely am not adj correctly ,just got over covid and heading to garage today
On my 40, I'm fitting f250 front backing plates and internals with buick drums on the front, and early f100 on the back with dual circuit m/c just for safety, I was going to go stock 40, but these upgrades are pretty simple, and relatively cheap, compared to Lincoln stuff.
except Tman said, "self energizing drums". Drums are not self energizing. Brakes are enough of a headache that we need a 'Brakes' subforum
scarebirds parts do not fit my 1950 Crestliner without grinding on the steering arms and I dont like that idea. Stay away from scarebird
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