I just got done building a old school roadster and having a hard time looking at the Wilwood Disc. on front. Should i try to make covers out of old 40 ford backing plates and Fake Buick covers or put some 40 ford 12inch brakes and drums. Would a good rebuilt set of 40 ford drums stop about as good as 10.75 non-vented disc. or would i be disappointed and want to bolt disc back on. Either way trying to keep it under 500 bucks. Iam a new guy and will send some pics of my 1st build soon. Thanks..
in my opinion [and you are soliciting opinions],"old school roadster" and "Wildwood disc" should NOT be used in the same sentence. and "fake" anything should NOT be used on a hotrod, PERIOD. but to answer your question, `40 ford brakes, properly re-built and adjusted should be more than adequate to stop a light weight roadster. or you could use re-pop Lincoln self-energizing brakes
If you don't feel like hunting down all the OEM stuff, sell the wilwood stuff to a streetrodder & get an MT brake set up. http://www.bolingbrothers.com/html/gallery.php?gallery=17&psi=31 IMHO They are really nice repro units. the sale of your current setup should offset the price of these enough to make work out. Good Luck!
If you want it to STOP real Good, LINCOLN Brakes are the way to go. '40 Fronts or '39~'48 Rear's adapted to the front. I know First Hand how well they work. Besides how can you say Old & Willwood in the same sentence ?
Gotta agree, Old School Hot Rod, and Wilwood just don't go together! I also agree, properly set up the '40 drums will stop a light roadster just fine! You can buy drums new, or keep your eyes out for good originals. I recently picked up a set of NOS fronts and rears. I got them WAY cheaper then I should have. But the guy I got them from knew what I am building and wanted me to end up with them. Ive given anywhere from $10 to $50 for a pair of nice front backing plates, and recently picked up some nice usable front drums for $20 a piece at a swap meet. Not sure going rate on shoes and cylinders.
Lincoln/Bendix from Bob Wilson at Wilson Welding - tell him you're on the HAMB. But you're not gong to be under $500. How much is your safety worth and how much will it cost to repair bent sheet metal? www.wilsonweldingandmachine.com
I agree that Bob Wilson is the best for the reproduction Lincoln brakes. He can also guide you through what will work best for you over the phone. If you can't get him on the phone, keep trying. He works predominately by himself, and sometimes can't get to the phone. I also have to say that you CAN swap over to the Lincoln-style backing plates with early Ford drums for around $500 (or just over), if you spend a little time looking around for good, turn-able '40-48 Ford drums. These can typically be found at swap meets for $100/pr or less if you hunt for them. Not every set you find will be good enough to turn and re-use, but they are still out there. If you want to go with Buick drums, then it's going to cost more and require a bit more effort in adapting a set of hubs. Use the Ford drums and have Bob Wilson set up a pair of his backing plates with 1.75" shoes and you'll have a set-up that stops great!
I have disc brakes on my fendered '36 and '46/'48 brakes on my non fendered '31 roadster and '30 sedan....The discs are much more efficient...it goes without saying, but the early ford binders work well enough. If your hoping to get the same braking action from the early Fords that you get from the disc brakes...I think you'll be disappointed. However. The early Fords work well enough, as already pointed out. I'd advise you to look for later -'46/'48 brakes, though. They're essentially the same as '40 style except they have self centering shoes. '40 brakes don't and require quite a bit more effort to get adjusted correctly.
Thanks everybody, Time to think and research before wasting more $$$ and change my mind again. I have a pair good 40 backing plates, may start looking for the rest. Thanks.......
Lately in our shop we've been doing quite a few ch***is with the Lincoln style brakes. I been using MT products because they are currently making their drums and hubs in the USA. There are some other Lincoln drums out there that make it hard to balance the front end. I've also used Wilson products with equal success.
Thanks for all the input on brakes guys. I realize Wilwoods disc are not the real thing, but i had them and they work well. So, i used some 40 ford backing plates and So Cal. unpolished drums. 500 bucks and 4 long nights later...........
I really see nothing wrong with what you have done, but I'll duck now before the crossfire begins. In today's traffic safety has to be a major consideration and you've solved your problem cheaply and sensibly IMO although the ******** trad Police may disagree....
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