Technical Running Rear Drum Brakes on the Front?

Anyone ever mount a set of 11"x2.25" drum brakes (including all internals AND backing plates) from a Ford 9" to a set of early Ford front hubs/spindles? Is it doable, easy, or? Reason I ask is that John's Industries makes brand new finned aluminum Buick-style drum brake assemblies with all modern (2006 Ford) internals but they are 11" and designed exclusively for big bearing housing ends.

They are not exactly cheap but really not out of the ballpark from some of the other alternatives (Lincolns).

For two grand (plus adapting up front) you could have modern, 4 wheel drums with the Buick look - no hidden discs.

Thanks,
Steve

 

Could maybe use those drums on f100 backing plates? They are also 11".

 

Yeah, I too would like to know if hose drums will fit on F-1 brakes/backing plates? Wonder what the bolt circle is?

 

Amazing what some will pay to have "modern?" 4 wheel drum brakes, since they haven't been available on production cars for over 40 years, and...with good reason. OK, I know what you're referring to, just pokin' the bear.
Keep in mind car/light truck rear drum brakes are generally narrower and have smaller wheel cylinders than typical drum fronts, so overall braking performance may be marginal with rear brakes on a front axle. Might want to carefully rethink the idea, especially with a mid-weight vehicle. Larger wheel cylinders would be the first item to consider changing.
Curious, but what rear brakes are you going to use?

 

LMFAO

Actually when discs first started becoming popular on production cars MOPAR would not put them on big block cars because the drums that they had stopped better then the production discs at the time.

My thoughts on rear brakes on the front is that you still have to have a hub for the front, I it were me I would consider using the drum on a pair of 11" front backing plates.

Another avenue is the use of the 10" rear drums from a mid '80s Malibu wagon, they were finned aluminum. One of the things that happens with us is that we use huge brakes on a car that will never ever see 100 mph and a light car at that. 12" Buick brakes for example were made to stop a 3500-4000 pound car not a 1500-2000 pound car.

 

I wouldn't even bother trying to figure this out.
I just got my set of MT products reproduction Lincoln front drums installed on my 26 RPU and I love them. A nicer setup will be very hard to find.

 

You Guy's have way to much money !!! LOL

 

I don't know, what do you think? you could probably trim the outside of the spindle if needed, and drill mounting holes, and make it work.

as for the size of the brakes...most cars with 4 wheel drums had the same size brakes front and rear, for decades.

 

I'm probably running 11s and 12s on my A. 11" discs on the front and 12" drums on the back. It may or may not be a balancing nightmare but when I get it worked out it should be as sweet as sugar pie, or else not stop at all.

 

How do they get 14" backing plates and 11" drums ?

They look pretty deep. Bet you'd have to put a new center in the backing plate. Wonder if they'd sell just the drums?

Iirc Someone here was going to reproduce the Buick drums but it fizzled

 

Yeah, I thought the same - maybe they mean 14" to the outside of the fins .

If you could machine the backing plate center bore to fit the spindle, weld and redrill the holes as necessary to fit (assuming offset issues don't come into play). I wonder if the 2 1/4" deep drums would be okay on an F100 2" wide shoes?

Steve

 

You can get 2-1/4" shoes.

 

FWIW trailer brakes have that same square pattern. I think the bolt circle is 4". Electric brakes anyone..

 

Or you could just use some F-100 brakes with early 60's Lincoln finned aluminum drums and hubs adapted with a set of 29Rat's "Buick" adapters.

 

I just thought this would be a relatively straight forward solution for new finned aluminum drums. I think I may order a pair to mess with.

Steve

 

I'm thinking that the only way that it will be straight "forward" is if you mount a 9" Ford up front

I'm telling you, this is the way to go. http://www.mtcarproducts.com/productsgrid.html

 

It works for you, and those are obviously very nice, but they don't have the same visual appeal as finned aluminum drums. Just like you wanted drums vs the discs you already had, this guy wants finned aluminum. If that's what he wants, that's what he should get. It's his car.

 

Yes, that is true. However, there is an easier way to get fins. The MT products backing plates and internals can be used with Finned Buick drums.
From their info:
We offer a full line of backing plate kits that will fit early Ford spindles from 1928 to 1948 and rear axles from 1928 to 1948, also small and large bearing Ford 9" rear ends. The backing plates include the hardware, wheel cylinders, and shoes. Backing plates are available in 1"3/4 (for use with original 1937-1948 drums) or 2" shoes for use with our Lincoln style drums or Finned Buick drums.


Buy the proper backing plates and hubs then a nice set of Finned aluminum Buick drums and away you go.
An alternative to trying to make rear brake backing plates work.
Just trying to show a possibly easier path.
http://www.mtcarproducts.com/Brakes.html

So, I too could have fins. As far as visual appeal , that is a matter of opinion.
I think that the visual appeal of the radial fins on the Lincoln drums is spot on.
Smooth and subtle.

 

Absolutely, visual appeal is subjective and personal preferences rule the day. And having some variety among cars makes the whole thing much more interesting and fun.

 

Then what he should do is adapt older Nova backing plates to the spindle and snag some Malibu. Done deal.

I am real big on adapting what I have to work with which makes it fortunate that I am a good machinist and when I can't get near a shop I know someone who can. But that said, why reinvent the wheel, if one is going to buy new anyway why not buy something already set up properly.

I don't recall where probably in a thread here on the HAMB but someone makes a finned drum setup new for these old heaps.

There is another route that can be taken. I am running 90 fin drums on the back of my A, they are cheap and plentiful (well cheaper and more plentiful that 45 fin drums). Snag a pair of those and some Lincoln backing plates and you're golden. If you want less fins just take a dremel to every other fin.

 

Wow- Nobody's mentioned the additional safety benefit of 4-wheel emergency brakes?

 

Actually the benefits of lock up front brakes has been discussed in some circles and it was rumored that some state patrols where I went to high school had just that so that they could spin a 180 and come after you. The operative word her is rumored.

 

Moonshiner' turn.
Lock rears

 

Yep its called boot legging, you drop one wheel onto the shoulder shift down a gear and pull the E brake, just enough to start the spin, keep the gas on and when you want to straighten it out you shift it up and go for it.

Oh just for info you cannot do it on a bike, takes a whole different skill set.

 

Those big Ford drums were actually on the front before disc brakes came out..Ford re-purposed them to the rear and accommodated them to the axle offset set by increasing depth of offset in backing plate..