Hi folks, Just wondering about the brakes on our 55 Cadillac. It has 4 wheel drum brakes with the weird remote power booster. The car hasn't been driven in many years and I am wondering how well these stock brakes work. I plan on rebuilding the complete system. Is the stock system pretty good? I am considering the Scarebird front disk conversion and an underfloor dual M/C with booster. But if the stock deal isn't bad I may just leave it with a rebuild. I am not going to be racing it!! Just a driver/cruiser. Thanks in advance for the help!! Bill
it all depends. if you are not concerned with originality and want modern braking at a great price scarebird is the way to go. if you want it to be period correct rebuild the stock system. it all depends on how much you want to spend. some of the original stuff can get pricey real quick. i also have no idea what your skill level is? that can also be a major deciding factor in which way to go. i dont know how familiar you are with engineering braking systems running lines, combination valves,welding the pedal bracket, etc.. if youre just getting into it you might be better off just replacing what you have. it worked back then . im sure it will work now. just some food for thought. good luck with your caddy hope this helps.
Thanks! I have been a mechanic for years and build several cars from the ground up. Worked as a manufacturing engineer as well for a bunch of years designing air/hydraulic manufacturing systems. The build is going more of a Kustom route so originality is not an issue. I would like to upgrade to disk so I might as well go that route. Bill
How you drive has a lot to do with what kind of brakes you need. If you drive like your car has 50 yr old drum brakes, you should be fine with rebuilt stock stuff. If you drive like most people these days you'll have trouble finding the money to get that bumper straightened
I hear that Jim!! I used to drive an 18 wheeler so I understand all about folowing distance!! The remote booster has me scratching my head!!! Bill
That looks perplexing, dosn't it.... I have a 56 also that i'm hoping the brakes are good on. if not I hope i'm able to retrofit the master / booster in the same location. I don't know why someone would want to go under the floor Got any spare parts? Post some pics. Old Caddies are so lovely to look at with them big ol' Dagmars!!!!!!!!!!!
The old girl doesn't look to lovely right now, but I hope to bring the beauty back! I have another front bumper for it and need a rear bumper. I should have some spare drivetrain parts. The 331 is missing the heads and intake/carb. I am planning on swapping in a 472/500 and TH400 trans. So the block and hydraglide is going. Once I get going on it I will start a build post. Bill
It looks great, Mine has no motor.the 56 came with a 365 and the jet away trans. I'm hoping to get a 390 together to put in it because later motors take lotsa mods.
Very true, but it is not you or him I would worry about. The clown in the safety-caged, crumple-zoned, twelve-air-bagged, anti-lock braked, stability controlled motor weapon, that thinks he or she is invincible, doing the signal-less quad-lane-change freeway-exit-combo, that I would worry about. Yes, this just happened to me, and I almost stuffed my truck into the wall, and it has four-wheel disc brakes. Flat-spotted two of my four Swampers. Still nauseous. Original is nice, but I'd put some front discs (or all four), a modern master, and some new lines on it.
"The remote booster has me scratching my head!!! Bill " Remote boosters were used on early Ford Tbirds and the same piece on the bigger trucks and likely some Lincolns too.
If it needs extensive brake work anyway, I'd upgrade to discs, and probably hang a booster and master on the firewall. Some will say that the stock brakes are fine, but I've driven a number of cars with drums, and while they work fine, they fade fast, and are not really suited to be mixed in with modern cars in heavy traffic, especially with the way some people drive today. JMO
It was cheaper to upgrade our 55 desoto than to get a working one year only booster/master and drum rebuilds.
That's a good lookin project Alfred!! They do have an imposing fornt end don't they?? Good luck with it! Bill
This seems to be a pretty common feeling. Very well founded!! The cars built now give people a real false sense of security. Throw in a cell phone and you have a great combination. Bill
Yep, Rock Auto still list brake parts for these but they ain't cheap!! Your right, it will be about the same cost to upgrade. Makes it a no-brainer. Bill
I drove a no-booster all drum brake car in modern traffic for several years. They won't stop on a dime, but they'll stop on a half-dollar. The key is to keep them maintained, honestly before I changed the rear shoes in my DD o/t late mode Suburban last month, it didn't even stop as good as my old Pontiac did. And it's disc/drum with antilock in the rear and had fresh pads up front. But I agree, if the cost is the same or cheaper to upgrade it, you may as well do that. If for no other reason than it will be easier and cheaper later to keep it maintained properly.
I usually say "upgrade the brakes" without much thought. But GM had a definite hierarchy with the brake systems. And Cadillac was (is) the top. Chevys had piss poor brakes, Ponchos not much better. But once you got to Oldsmobile, the brakes got much bigger and a lot better. A Cadillac might not freak me out in traffic. But you'd have to rebuild completely before you found out. And you're adding a lot more torque. My opinion, worth almost less than you paid: Disc front, disc rear (get a late-model Fleetwood rear, both for the gear ratio and the brakes), and Hydroboost, from the same Fleetwood, or almost any Eldo from mid 70's on. Why Hydroboost?? Because it takes up a lot less space and works better than vacuum. Plus your donor engine is designed to have a hydraulic pump there to route the belts. I'm not sure you can route the belts without it. Gearing, not that you asked: 2:40, or around there without an O/D trans will suit that engine a lot better, 3:30 with O/D as the shortest I'd like. That engine loves to torque it's way around, and really doesn't rev all that well. And, to me, that car is a luxury cruiser. I'd love to build it. Cosmo
Thanks Cosmo, that's some great input. I was looking at keeping the gearing pretty tall to keep the rpms down. Love the big block torque!! The hydraboost is nice also due to its smaller size. Bill
My biggest consideration for upgrading to disk upfront is the wheels pulling left or right while braking. while not a problem going slow, it is a factor to consider at highway speeds or during panic stops.
I've been told that if you want to save money ordering your caddy brake parts, just order heavy duty (Which ton I don't recall) chevy truck parts for the same year instead. Supposedly they were the same parts.
Your drums with power boost will give as much braking force as any other, lock up the tires if you need. The difference is drum brakes will fade in extreme conditions, long downslope in the mountains, etc. and will fade after driving in deep water where the drum/shoe is submerged.
If Rock Auto sells it, that meens you can get it cheaper some where else... Or at least I can (shop discount)... Everything I've found at Rock Auto I can get from a local parts house for less $$.... Just give the brand and # to the old guy who sits in the back, not the dude at the counter.. As far as your brake issue goes, I'd go with the Scarebird conversion, stick a booster and an mc on the firewall or if you want under the floor, and if you want it to stop really good swap the rears out for discs too.. And then take all your old brake parts and put 'em on here so somebody else can deal with 'em... And as far as rotors and calipers go you don't need anything drilled or slotted, and your not gonna need a 6 piston caliper off the latest and greatest Vette... I'm guessing to if you could figure out what Scarebird uses for calipers and rotors you may be able to get them cheaper at the parts store... And then when it comes to pads get something good, I'd recomend Wagner Thermoquites if you can get them, so much better than your average partshouse brand pads and no annoying noises.... Anyways good luck with your break issues..
That's a cool lead, I'll look into that. I guess the drum adjustment is very important with 4 wheel drums to address the pulling. I e-mailed Scarebird and they sent back the instuctions (in about 5 minutes!!). They look like a very easy kit. And they give Alliance members a 10% discount. Thanks for all your input Alfred!! Bill
Cheapest/easiest way is to get the shoes re-lined, replace cups in any cylinder that leaks, and replace any of the springs that might have excessive rust on them.
Thanks Nash, the drums worked pretty good in their time. I know guys that drag race with 4 drums and run 10's in the 1/4. They roll easier than the disks do. They don't ever make the first return road though!! It looks like for a similar price I can upgrade so I think I'm going to go that route. Bill
Having suspension in good condition (no loose bushings etc) is even more important. If the suspension (and alignment) shifts when you hit the brakes, it will pull. If the brakes are all in good condition, and they are the Bendix type, adjustment is not really critical. They just need to be tight enough that you still have some pedal travel left when they apply.
Thanks Lefty!! The scarebird deal is just the caliper bracket. They tell you which caliper and disk to use. They are chevy truck disks and 70's Eldo calipers. So they seem to be pretty servicable parts. I'll look into the Wagner pads. Bill
That's a good point, thanks Jim. I am planning on rebuilding all of the front suspension. There is alot of places for play in these front ends!! Bill
I am also planning on using a Vintage Air set up so I can get rid of the heater boxes on the firewall. Then I can smooth 'em out and maybe mount M/C and booster there. Bill
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