I have a question reguarding which drums are the best to use on a f100 brake conversion. I am using '55 f100 hubs and backing plates on the front of my roadster. I was going going to buy all '66 stuff as recommended here, but I have found that there are three different styles and part numbers of drums that were used from '55-'66 ish. Is there one style that I need to get or are they interchangable? Thanks in advance!
I've only used the 53-56 drums and for brake shoes I measured the width inside the drum to determine the shoes. The newer hardware will work fine. The hubs for 53-56 are different from the newer and I don't believe the newer drums will work.
The brake drums from 53 to 56 are different than the later ones. The backing plates and some other parts are also different ... But the brake shoes and self adjusting hardware from a 1966 F-100 will work in the 53 to 56 conversions.
Thanks DR, That's something good to stick in the knowledge bank for later use. There may be some models such as those with tow packages or big blocks that are different but one source that I just checked says that the drums will fit the majority the F series trucks from 48 to 66. I found out a long time ago though that you never order brake parts for a Ford until you have checked to see what it has on it as there are differences.
It looks like they used one part number (ray 2600) until around '63-'64 then switched to a different style after that (ray 1644). The drums look very different in the illustrations. I was doing my research using the catalog on the RockAuto site, so there may be some errors. It looks like the early Raybestos 2600 is my best bet. Thanks again everyone.
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