I'm working on a 41 ford suspension and I read on this forum, the wheel bearings on a 41 ford are the same as a 1965 mustang. OK, I'm sure the spindles are longer on the 41, but why could they not be machined down to accept the 65 mustang discs. Fabricating a mount for the caliper should not be too much of a task after you remove the 41 backing plate. Maybe a portion of the backing plate could become the caliper mount. By the way I've started A V8 30-31 R&R body, 50 Ford rear, 53 ford flattie with a 53 three speed, corvair column and sector, 50 ford pedals, and this 41 ford front suspension sans drums and hubs. I have gotten some really good ideas from this group, including a suicide front end, that is really not a suicide front end. Some very novel ideas here. thanks
Disc brake kits are really not that expensive, and you wouldn't have to do any machine work. Try Speedway.
Don't know about the bearings being the same...but if you need to machine the spindle I think the labour of removal and the cost of machining would equal the price of a basic conversion kit available to bolt on to those spindles. Besides...wouldn't a 65 Mustang have had oddball and expensive 4 piston calipers? 67's did! I think you're trying too hard to use available to you ( but oddball) parts that will ultimately cost you more money and headache than needed. The common disc parts that people use are just too well thought out and far too easy to source to make custom fabrication worthwhile. ...and now I'll be slammed as a checkbook Hotrodder or something! LoL
1000 plus is not cheap to me. Since I'm missing the hubs and drums, new I'm looking at over 800.00 new. May can find some good used parts. I'm running a disc on a 48 harley springer, mounting a caliper is the easy part. I also have front discs on my 57 chevy, all used parts, except rotors and calipers.
The complete Speedway kit is $229, thats rotors, calipers, brackets & even the hoses. The kit with the nicer mounting brackets is $294 which is a magnum axle product. Many of the other shops sell the same stuff. You can get the basic caliper bracket & bearing spacer for $99, even seen them as cheap at $79 and pick up you own calipers & rotors. You don't need the stock hubs for any of these conversions.
Forgot what all it consisted of but remember buying simple ring adapters for my Model A and adding later Ford backing plates, 40's, and brake kit. I'm sure there is also a disc brake upgrade for early Ford front drums you could add. But hydralic manual brakes on a Model A and Flathead should work well. As for 41 Fords, mine has a Nova clip. Mid 80's I added a disc brake bracket kit and junk yard parts to my 55 Chevy wagon. Later found rebuilt parts for not much more at the auto parts stores. See those last posts above. Way to go! Keep in mind a big good running engine, shiny paint and chrome, fancy steering are all nice. But when it's time to stop that's number one!
There you go... For a laugh I priced replacement parts at NAPA for a 65 Mustang with discs. Calipers are $149.00 each. Rotors are $78.99 for the cheaper ones. $455.98 plus tax. Thats not including hoses, clips, bolts or pads etc that you also need. I guess you could reuse the parts from the donor but if you ever need replacement parts you can see what you're up against! Who's William Buffet?
Can I use my spindles?,, Then all I would need is bearings, seals, etc. Thats cheap, I've looked thru the speedway catalog, but never found that kit. Everything I saw was over 1k.
I found it, there are 3 kits 910-31945 @295.00 910-31940 @230.00 910-31942 @200.00 Chevy hubs My rear wheels will be the 5.5" bolt pattern and the new hubs will be the 4.5" bp. I had already bought 2ea. 16"X4 rims with the 5.5 bolt pattern. It looks like this car is going to have the newer 4.5 bp. You folks have been a really big help. John
Yes, you use your spindles. There are several outfits that have a kit that uses a F150 rotor with the 5.5" bolt pattern, ECI is one company. I don't know if the early Ford rims will clear the calipers or not.
Your name is William right?,, You got lots of cash, so I just p-ut 2 and 2 together. You have to be William Buffett. Your dad being the 3rd richest man in the world. Kidding of course. I'm ordering the disc brake kit right away. Cheapest way out.
Warren Buffett didn't have a kid named William....I don't think anyway! BUT if he wants one...I'm game!!!! LoL
Not trying to blow my own horn here, but I used '46 half ton spindles on my A axle, and did the cheapo bracket and spacer conversion from Speedway. I bought mine 'used' as the guy installed it but didn't like it and pressed it back off and only gave like $35 delivered to my door off Ebay. I also went to a U-pull salvage yard and got nearly new bearings and rotors off a wrecked 1/t ton truck that had obviously had a recent brake job but had been rear ended and totaled. I know my build thread has been stalled for FAR too long, but the link my signature will show some pretty good pictures of what is involved with the install of the kit on the '46 spindle. I haven't made it much father along than that in awhile, but it's all good for the moment. Check it out if you will and see what you think.
LOL, I'm so cheap, I think more of a dime than my right arm. That said, I'll spring for the 230.00 and knock it out. I'm 75 YO and running out of time. Today I went and pulled the rear out of a 50 ford sedan in Alamogordo, nm. It was bolted to a 3 speed OD transmission. The transmission was offered to me for 400.00. I have a 53 ford flattie and a 3 speed trans. from a 3/4 ton truck. I suspect the final drive of the truck transmission is 1:1. With a 400 or 380 rear, anything over 60mph, the engine will be screaming, with the OD, I could cruise at 70. If I don't buy it, I'll be kicking myself later on. 90% of my driving will be here in Lincoln County, nm, but you never iknow I may want to run down to Albquerque, or Santa Fe, and that OD would be sweet. Today I pulled all the pedals off of the 50, What a job, I got every piece, including the gas pedal and all the associated linkage, I got the brake pedal with master cylinder and associated brackets, Same for the clutch. I can get from them flywheel on back with this transmission. It also has all the parts, including the chrome OD knob in the dash.
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