Technical Help with brakes and steering.

Happy spring season Hambers. Sorry to start this posting off with bad news but my grandpa was recently diagnosed with cancer. He was the one that got me into cars so I want to do something special for him. So I am using the money from my '50 Plymouth build and a little from the wedding savings to get his car repainted, some new wheels as well as brakes and steering. He has a '38 Chevy sedan that he bought when he was 14. It's a budget build. Mustang II front end, 350/350 and a 10 bolt out of a Nova. He is almost 80, and with his cancer he can no longer drive the car with manual drum brakes and manual steering so I am going to do a power steering conversion and power brakes with front discs. The issue is that there is no room for a power steering pump so I'm thinking of going electric. Also I have never done a disc brake conversion. Any advice for either of these thing would be greatly appreciated.

 

atta boy !

 

The Rack should be a bolt in deal,
Use an electric pump like from a Mini Cooper hoses and wiring as well as ample power will be the challenge there. There are MANY small engine driven PS pumps out there with remote reservoirs. The disc brakes for M2 spindles are pretty straight forward bolt on stuff. The master and booster may be easy or a challenge depending on what you have there now.

I miss my grandpas

 

You say "budget build". Is it a streetrod/custom now with Mustang II front end, 350/350 and a 10 bolt out of a Nova? Or are you planning to convert it to that?

I miss my grandpas too.

 

Mustang II with drum brakes? huh?

 

Is your master on the firewall or under the floor?

I'd suggest going to a reputable brake supplier like ECI ( http://www.ecihotrodbrakes.com/index.html ) for the front disk kit and make sure they can recommend a compatible master w/booster that actually works with those brakes. So many "budget" vendors will sell you a brake kit and say "sure it will fit that". Then you find yourself wondering why you get no good pedal feel. ECI can give good advice and products.

As for the power steering pump, I installed a MII with a power rack and regular old Chevy pump (with the pressure reducing shims installed) on a SBC in a '39 Chevy sedan many years ago. Everything fit fine. I bet the '38 Chevy engine compartment isn't that much narrower, so I think you can do it too. New-fangled electric pumps don't sound like the quick and easy solution you are looking for.

Since you are in a hurry, I'd do the mechanical stuff first and drive it around a bit with Grandpa before sending it off to paint jail. If you've never heard of paint jail, do a search here and read the horror stories.

 

Budget in the sense that all of that save for the motor was free from the salvage yard behind our house.

 

My bad I should've been more specific. Drums on the rear and no front brake system installed.

 

Rear drum brakes are fine, stock front discs on the MII should be fine if you add a booster.

If you are having trouble finding room for the power steering pump, perhaps you could post some pictures of what you have, and we could offer suggestions. For example, there were several different front pulley/water pump/steering pump mount setups used on the small block chevy, and if the one you have doesn't fit, maybe we could suggest a different one.

 

For a small pump with a remote reservoir look at stock car stuff. If I remember right they make brackets that will mount them low on the block or high off the cylinder head.