Why are discs frowned upon here? Purity over safety?

Just wondering why originality is coveted over safety? I mean, we put an engine in our rides that FAR exceeds the performance of any original equipment, so why then are we NOT allowed to be able to stop our cars? I understand not wanting to SEE ugly discs on an open front end, I think it ruins the look myself, but they are making finned covers for discs now, and a builder with ingenuity can refit older drum covers to hide the discs, so why no discs? And as far as full fndered rods, why does anyone care? Is the purist mentality also of the same mindset that safety gets thrown out the window? Does anyone here know the feeling of brake fade after the first foot-slam with drim brakes? You know...not sure you'll get another pump out of the pedal so you better hang onto this one?... Or the smeel of asbestos when you KNOW you're overworking the pads? For $350 bones I can put discs on my '56 Chevy pickup and know I'm able to stop safely and immediately should the guy in front of me in his 2007 this or that slam on his more responsive brakes. So, I guess the question is...purity over safety? I'm missing the rationale here...

 

personally..I do what I want..I bow to No one..if they dont like it..they dont have to look at it..but i will definetly not tag them in thier tailgate when they stop quickly. besides they didnt pay for it..I did

 

the only thing there frowned on is open fendered cars and trucks.

But i do you got ask thise with disc brakes. If all four of my tires lock up when stopping does dics locked up faster? I dont really think so unless you throw in a ABS system. You can only stop a open fendered car so quick with either of the two so why not just keep it correct

 

It's frowned upon HERE because this particular site is focused on how they did it before 1963. This is a place to discuss OLD technology.

It's not frowned upon to be safe.... But this is a "restorer" type of website, but here, what's being restored is old hotrods and customs.

There are plenty of places to talk about the latest and greatest, but this place just happens to discuss antique stuff.

 

i look at it this way and that it's your car and you can do what ever you want to it. i think that most people on here try to preserve the past, and the way they did things back in the day. but if it's something that you want to do i would go for it and who cares what other people think isn't that what building cars like. you build it for yourself and not for any one else.

 

Hyd drum brakes ARE an upgrade for early mechanical brakes on early hotrods, which are stripped down and lighter anyway......properly set up drum brakes EASILY stop a Model A hotrod.....

 

What Elrod said is why.
It's all about "the looks" of the 30's-early 60's.



I was sure glad I had ****-ugly power disc brakes on my truck Friday night when that stupid ***** in the Prius made a left turn on me when I was about 10 yards from the intersection.
I gotta say though, I've never failed to lock up the wheels in a panic stop with drum brakes either so the only real downside of drums is fading coming down Mulholland Hwy, or having to drag them through puddles when it's raining, which I do with front discs too because it's still drum rear.

 

I have talked to several guys with lightweight open wheel cars and drums, and have also ridden in one recently. One just last Sunday, said his car stops on a dime. The car wasn't for sale, so why would he lie?

 

wheres does everyone get the impression that drum brakes are unsafe!?

 

I said...I can see that discs are ugly on an open wheeled rod...I agree that point. They're also lighter and don't really need disc stopping power.

I guess I missed the pre '63 rule. Too bad for those guys who have post '63 rides...guess they need to go somewhere else, or at least not post pics or talk about their cars. And all those threads with even a mention of '65 pickup this and '64 Chevy that...probably should be deleted. And all those cars with '63 plus SBC and SBF, BBC, BBF...crate motors...hmmm.

I see a board with WELL over 45,000 members. I'm SURE they all own rods that have ONLY pre '63 parts because they are remaking those parts afterall...didn't you know? In fact, they are giving them away too, because there is SUCH a glut of them. And the tech questions..they need to be kept to a minimum here...no new tech, no retrofitting new brake lines even, and remanufactured panels, or Vintiques Wheels, or a Mexican blanklet woven AFETR '63...please...NO ONE has any of that stuff here. And if you do, politely keep your mouth shut. And photos..if they were taken with a post '63 camera we do NOT want to see them...we live a a pre '63 world afterall. Microwaves and remote controls...they're just fads... Okey dokey then...I guess we are all informed now.

 

not to veer off, but:

drums and discs provide the same stopping power (give or take) the FIRST time you have to slam on the brakes. Oh, unless they're wet. And did I mention the first time?

I know I'm not adding to the OP, but discs win hands down in the two aforementioned instances.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Someones on the rag!!!

 

It's not. I don't know where you got that. Perhaps a few here might give you that impression BUT ANY safety item is NOT looked down upon.

 

i dont get it? do you have sand in your vag?

 

It's been argued before, but there is no absolute cut off date for the forum. 1964 is generally excepted as the cut off for when traditional hot rodding ended though. The Cl***ifieds are pre-64, but the forums are not that specific.

 

They are unsafe when you have 4 times the horsepower and need to stop NOW! You cannot feather drums, you get ONE peddle pump and when they're wet you better pray no one cuts you off. Wait, no real rodder drives in the rain anyway..right?

 

HAHAHAHA Love it!!!!!!

 

If this statement is true, than there should not be anymore threads regrading anything that is not pre 1963. No Volvo's, which I just saw the other day, no radial tires, no newer style motors, no 5 speeds, no 6 speed ******'s, nothing at all.

 

I think you need a hug.

 

Wait, so are small block ford V8's frowned on too? Not tryin' to start anything, I'm just askin'. My truck just happens to have a Y block in it, but if the small block would have been available when it was built, it would likely have one.

I'd go with the disc brakes. Safety before purity. I grew up around a lot of car people, and none of them would install anything less than the best when it was available to them. Disc brakes just work better. When it comes to safety, use the best stuff you can find.

 

You see AstroMonkey, I don't get that feeling from them. It sounds to me like nothing else can even be mentioned or you're on the rag...LOL

I guarantee that you'd be LUCKY to find ONE hiboy in 30 at ANY car show or meet that has even 80% of it's parts as pre '63 pieces. Reality people...let's try living in it.

So, discuss only antique stuff...well, there goes about 45,500 members...I'm sure the moderators and board administrators are going to LOVE that. This will be left to them...and no one else...what a fun and happy place it will be.

 

i agree with you except for the volvo part, dont get my wrong, i hate volvo's but they were still around.. and no i dont think radials, newer style motors, 5 and 6 speeds should be discussed...
is that guy joking about drum brakes in the rain? i have no problems...and im in NEW JERSEY!!

 

Properly sized and setup drum brakes will stop a vehicle just as fast as disk brakes. The only downsides are they will trap water inside and they hold heat in compared to disks. Also, if you are not familiar with the feel of drum brakes, they are much harder to modulate.

Also, the traditional brakes are actually pretty large with a much larger swept area and larger friction surface area that modern disk brakes. Think of finned buick drums on a 31' fenderless 5 window. Thats pretty much as traditional as you can get.

The buick drums were originally designed to stop a 5000lb vehicle in a timely fashion. How well do you think they will stop a 2400lb vehicle comparitively?

Usually the brakes are not the weakest point in stopping a car - the contact patch on the tires is. Having more brakes that tires is just a waste unless you are road racing and need the thermal m***, and friction area.

 

Soo... why don't you go all the way and put ABS on yours?


P.S. looking for a Cal-Custom steering wheel I can adapt my air bag from a Saturn to.

 

small block fords came out in the early 60s...

 

Wow.

 

Not this **** again.

Run disk brakes if you want to, it's your ride who gives a ****. I run drums on my 39 and they stop just fine.