Looking for any advice on what to use for brakes on the straight axle setup I recently acquired. It came with 46-48 ford spindles and I would like to keep the ford setup since I am using a 9" rear as well. I would like to set up Disc brakes but I don't know what to look for or if I should even maybe look for different ford spindles to use. I have only run across one disc setup on here and it was sold. I am really trying to stay clear of ordering anything new as I am not building a catalog "hot rod" I would much rather dig up some dinosaur bones. Thanks -Riot
just order the speedway set. you can buy just the basic kit and scrounge the rotors and calipers if you want to.
you can open up your search options a bit. most disc brake kits are advertised as fitting on 1940 style spindles, but they will work on the later square-back 1946-1948 spindles as well. if you want to go drums, i would suggest the lincoln bendix backing plates.
You can get disc brake kits from alot of different places. Just get one that uses mopar rotors so you have the same 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern on the front and rear. I have front disc brakes on my 33 pickup and it stops great. Use a dual master cylinder and put an adjustable proportioning valve in the back brake line so you can set the rear brakes so they don't lock up first........
Chassis Enginnering has a disc brake conversion kit,it uses mopor rotors like hotrod33 mentioned,that's what i used and i'm running a solid front axle.
Hey doctorZ thanks a lot for the help! That certainly makes things easier. Trying not to order from speedway!
Well you know some people prefer to do things this way. I have only had this project for two months now and I have managed to collect most of what I need minus the front breaks, interior, and intake using only the H.A.M.B, local connections, and I have used ebay only once. I have met some really great people doing it and I get to hear the stories behind each part that I find. If you want to pick out all your parts from a catalog then great go for it but your gonna spend a lot of money, miss out on meeting and talking to some great people world wide and local thus making connections that could make your build a lot easier. I have a lot less respect for a rod that's been built from a catalog and so is anyone else that knows anything about it. And as far as me thanking doctorZ for his advice I am very appreciative of anyone who understands and actually has good advice to give rather than saying "just go buy it from speedway". I could go on these forums all day and tell people that are genuinely asking for good advice to "go buy it from speedway". Everyone knows that they can buy their shit from speedway why would you waste your time telling them something they already know. -Riot
Then why bother with the Internet at all if your so "hard core"? You come here to ask one of hot rodding's most simple questions then sport an attitude about the answers you get? Your packing a pretty heavy 'trad-snob' attitude but are running a cookie cutter brake/rearend set-up....hmmmm. You'll do better to be a little more humble (and realistic - I'm sure you didn't cast the pistons for your motor the way Burt Munro did) and loose the attitude and I'm sure you'll do a bit better around here. Years ago all we used was a Hemming's Motor News (newer than six months old if we were lucky), gas money and time to hit Carlilse and Hershey along with some other smaller local shows and a network of friends/business aquaintences to locate cars and parts we needed for projects and customer cars. The 'how to' and "tech week" sections of life came from dad, old mechanics, a couple of Motors manuals and busted knuckles.....not from a bunch of strangers thousands of miles away via the keyboard. Get over yourself, please.
Okay I think I need to start a new thread... I wasn't trying to disrespect anyone I just thought that I made it clear what I was looking to do and what I was trying to avoid. Other than some good advice from a few I got a lot of B.S. from a couple kids that obviously didn't even read my posting but decided to throw in their two cents anyway and some old timer that thinks he needs to prove a point. Why anyone feels the need to post anything on my thread that isn't about my thread is beyond me. So I will "loose" the attitude now and try this once again in a bit more detail... If anyone has knowledge of a slick disc brake setup for '36-'48 ford spindles please let me know. I am trying to avoid buying new from catalogs. I am running a narrowed and trussed ford 9" rear end with disc brakes so I would like to keep with a 5 on 5 1/2 for the front as well. Once again I am looking for disc not drum. I am in no way being a "trad-snob" nor do I think I am "hard core". I am new to this and I am building a '62 falcon that will be powered by a '69 383 roadrunner. I am just trying to be thrifty and I get off on buying old used rusty parts, bringing them back to life and making them my own even if it requires some fabrication rather than opening up bubble wrapped bolt on parts. I apologize if anything I have just said offended anyone as that was not my intention. Thank you all, -Riot
Up until the Speedway's and Chassis Engineering's of the world made a mass-produced bracket to adapt simple OEM GM calipers to the early Ford spindles (pretty slick, mind you) builders had two basic choices - use calipers that would work with a flat(ish) bracket and adapt the parts themselves with the help of a good machine shop and welder or head off to the race or european market and buy Hurst/Airheart, Lockhead, Grimeca, etc - maybe even out of a catalog - and adapt them as required. As long as your cheating and using the internet, if you weed through all the good used modern braking components on RacingJunk.com you may find some vintage parts here and there. If your not so hung up on having vintage parts and would settle for good used stuff there is a ton of old Brembo and Wilwood stuff all over the place for (relatively) cheap from several places that specialize in used race parts (do a Google search on used NASCAR parts). You'll have to hit the bricks to find any of the older stuff ....might as well post a 'wanted' ad here in the classifieds too. Keep in mind that you may have a hard time finding rotors and caliper rebuild kits for the vintage race brakes....and be aware that keeping the 5 on 5-1/2 bolt pattern will also limit your choices quite a bit as most of the retrofits tended to use more common 5 on 4-1/2 and 5 on 4-3/4 patterns. Off the top of my head the only rotor that has that pattern (readily available) are the early 70's Ford truck disc to use as a starting point and build from there to keep the 5 on 5-1/2 pattern. Once you look outside the use of the commonly available mail-order brackets and bearing adapters for this swap there is no easy answer or magic bullet as everybody did thier own thing.....and to find those you'll need to hit the shows/swaps/etc. Old timer? Not quite yet. I'm 42 but I've been around/in the resto business and working (wrench in hand) and building cars since I was 10....so in that regard with 32+ years of experience I guess I am an old timer. Good luck with the project. -Bigchief
Old timer or not that was the advice I was looking for, the exact reason I created this thread, and one of the big reasons I love the H.A.M.B.. I will make sure to be more descriptive in my postings from now on. If I came off as having an attitude its only because I was annoyed that I wasn't getting the kind of information that you just gave. I would consider using the smaller bolt pattern as I do realize that it is making it difficult to find what I'm looking for. I would also like to hear your opinion on using spindle mounts and attaching rotors and if you know anything or have heard anything about using motorcycle wheels and brakes that would be interesting too. Thanks again, -riot
because you ask were to get disc brakes 46 - 48 spindles on a strait axel. most folks on this board would keep the drum brakes on a strait axel esp if its on a hot rod the guy was only trying to help you get a grip ! or dont ask for advise!
I don'tknow what bolt pattern your after but Pete&Jakes has a dandy set up for 4 on 5.5 bolt pattern.
True if we are going for "the look" but there are an equal number of us out here who prefer to have our rods stop in time so that we don't run up the ass of that new 60K BMW that just slammed on the 4 wheel disk brakes in front of us to let some gal prance across the crosswalk in the middle of the block. That said, the little roadster I am building will have "the look" and my 48 will run 4 wheel disks because I want it to stop and it will be too damned low for anyone to look under and check out anyhow. Riot, it looks like you have pretty well got it figured out that we have a segment that thinks that "aftermarket hotrod parts" are only available at Speedway motors. It may be easier that way but not always better. I'm pretty much like you in that I hunt all over the place for parts and pieces. I also like to use oem style parts where I can especially where the parts will eventually wear out. It is a lot easier to bop into a parts house in a far from home town when you are on the road and ask for an oem replacement part than it is to hope that Speedway or some other catalog house can next day air you a one off part so that you can get the rod back together and drive home. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
It did arrive yesterday morning! Perfect width and my 36" chrome hairpins bolted right up and it all looks amazing! It was meant for my project couldn't ask for anything more perfect! Cleaned up really nice too! Thanks again Mr. Gordon, -riot
PM Littleman here on the HAMB. He's done all three. Motorcycle wires with homeade discs, 12 spoke spindle mounts with/without front (motor cycle) brakes and has (or will be) going to a more conventional brakes on his truck due to tracks/tech having a hissy fit when he shows up with the cool brakes.
The Speedway "kit" is just 70's midsize GM calipers and Volare rotors, the correct bearing to adapt them and a cast bracket... you can either get some dimensions from one of those cast brackets, and make something (the castings look more factory than a flat piece IMHO), and then go to a junkyard and get the pieces... and the bearing place to get the bearings... But these are the front brakes... The things that will be stopping 80% your car with you (and maybe your family) in it... The used parts will still need to be gone through. There is a Alliance discount at Pete & Jakes, they have the cast brackets... If I was doing it again, I would have just gotten the bearing and brackets, and then went local for the rest.
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