So.... I have a '92 Camaro parts car sitting by my garage (long story) and I was wondering if I could use the power brake system from that car on my '58 Ford project. I am "giving" the Camaro to a mechanic friend who is just going to part it out anyway. Anybody here have any experience with this?
The 58 Ford came with decent brakes. I think they have 2-1/2" x 11" shoes all the way around, no? The deal with drum brakes is they need high quality linings. I like Porterfield Street Performance brake pads and shoes.. Make sure the drums are in decent shape. I would have them looked over by the local machine shop.. If there cut, you might want to get new drums. Don't paint the drums.. I would make sure all the hardware is in like new condition. I would manually adjust the brakes.. If the brakes are manual I would check the pedal ratio. I've made medium performance brakes really come alive just by lowering the brake pedal 2" closer to the floor. This extra leverage really made them come alive..
Thanks for the advice. They are manual brakes, that's a good idea of lowering the pedal. I would like to just keep the original brake setup but some of my buddies tell me I should invest in a power brake system. I knew I would get some good advice here if I brought it up.
A power brake booster will make braking easier but not any better then what you have now.. You will need around 18" of vacuum at idle for the power booster to function as it was intended.. From what I remember, those 57-64 Fords had decent braking power...
The camaro booster probably isn't your best bet. My choice has always been 74 E-150 booster. Much easier to mount and takes all Ford dual chambered Master's. Not knowing what's under your hood I can say it does matter. You can get that E-150 booster for 6cy. 302 V-8's or the 351C motors. One of those will work with your motor. Like mentioned above, easier to push the pedal but won't make it stop any better. Here's the E-150 unit mounted on one of my 57"s.
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