Your experience rearbrakes only

Anyone care to comment ? been running the A since 67 with drum brakes so with the son rebuilding it am going to discs now...[background>many years ago at a swap meet i came across a olds rear that had dual airheart disc mounted on it &did not have the$$$'s tho cheap looking back]so now am installing what i could not afford 'backintheday'

 

What are you asking?

 

Sorry, I can't stop staring at those 57 Chevy front coil springs standing five miles high on that front axle.

I think I may have sustained a permanent injury to my optic nerve.

 

I wouldn't do it on the street. 70% of your braking is done with the front brakes, and even with those huge rear brakes (which look trick BTW), a locked rear wheel isn't going to do anything. Under deceleration, the vehicle's weight shifts to the front, unweighting the wheels that are doing the stopping. Spindle mounts look cool, and I have seen some people run them on the street, but I'd keep that for the track only.

Also, I would question your insurance company indemnifying you should you get into an accident with a car not equipped with front brakes. If you really hurt someone, you could really be up a creek. More risk than it's worth

 

So... you are thinking that since you're upgrading the rears from drum to disks, you can get away without front brakes? Seriously? Maybe if it's going to be a 1/4 mile car, with no street use, but if you plan on driving it on the street you damn well better have some fronts on that thing.

Edit- 57joe posted while I was typing. . . He brings up a good point with the insurance aspect

 

57 hit it on the head. It would be very easy to prove gross negligence with no front brakes on the car.

 

Front disc brakes are great but rear disc , I wouldn't waist the money . Your car has no weight anyway so why disc breaks ?
I have a 55 Ford with original drum and they do fine !

 

My drums are fine on all 4 corners

 

"Your experience rearbrakes only?"

The only problem is if one sticks or is adjusted differently mostly in the case of drums then it steers the car and while it easier to stop a light car this way it also will steer quicker if this occurs making it more dangerous. It is of course not the best idea on the street but I'm doing it too as has many a T-bucket. With a good tire and dual calipers like that I've seen guys run 9's not pull the chute and stop on rear only setup like that. I'm actually surprised how many guys are afraid using the chute and stop this way with spindle mounts and no front brakes.

I've also driven cars such as the 64 Falcon wagon that I used to drive 45 minutes one way to work year round on only rear drums. The fronts went out so I capped the master and drove it until the new wheel cylinders and kits came in. Even that wasn't as bad as people tend to say it is, I would never recommend it but it can be done and doing the speed limit its no big deal as long as the rears are in good working order.

Although it is not generally necessary on a hydraulic system, I have found using either a side to side pressure regulator or mapping the length of both brake lines to be exactly the same has resulted in the response and movement of the pistons to be more precise to each other.

 

additional imfo>the car has summers spool axles&was driven w/o front brakes

 

I'm still runnin' around with basically no back brakes. The rear wheel cylinders are bad and if my front brakes were bad there is no way I could stop. Front brakes really make a huge difference. All I can say is those guys in the old days with spindle mount wheels and no brakes sure were brave...or really stupid.

 

The spool sure makes a big difference in stopping the car without steering problems, so what type of brakes were on it before, as in what rear end and size of drum did you have?

 

I had a conversation just this weekend at Bakersfield with a number of people on this topic--personally,I think your crazy to run a car with rear brakes only.
I work for a govt. fleet shop--and have been in many meetings with different police depts. like sheriffs / CHP / local cops, and all have asked me about some of the "hot rod" trends--one in particlular was the braking issuses /steering modifications.I can tell you this: ALL cop-type depts.--plus insurance-types are keeping eye open for mechanical "problems"--it starter with the 4x4 guys with the high lifts-high lift=bad accident damages.These people only see "modified vehicles"--be it 4x4's--low riders-hot rods.And this brake thing has been talked about many,many times.
I hate to say this,but if some of this"I'm gonna do what I want,so screw em" stuff keeps up--don't be suprized if the lawmakers do pull a mechanical inspection bill in the future--or maybe a "licenced" mechanic law drawn up.

 

My experience running rear brakes only was the scariest thing I ever did in a vehicle. Tried it for a weekend, and then put discs on the front. If anyone had stepped in front of me I would have killed them.

 

What he said ^^^^^^

 

Are you asking this just stir things up? My guess is you are, so I won't lecture about basic physics, or ask if you've ever ridden a bicycle or a motorcycle and stomped hard on the back brakes...

Brian

 

I've spun them around just having rear brakes and slicks. Not good.

 

I can tell you that if someone runs into me on the street and has NO front brakes..... he's going to meet my lawyer.................. and he better have HUGE insurance.

 

I ran my hemi coupe that way - a couple trips around the block was all I needed to decide what a bad idea it was. I kept my spindle mounts though - I added rotors to them.

FWIW - I've run mid 9's with rear only brakes - no problem on the strip with discs and 4 piston Wilwoods - almost 1900 lb car (including me) - I STILL pull the chute - bumps in the shutdown can get scary with no suspension.

On the street - never again - your skills can be superior, but no matter how good YOU are - you can't control the idiots around you.

YmmV

 

front brakes are going on the car after it first finished like it was run in the past then these brakes are going on the front for street use

 

Rear brakes only = loss of control as the car swaps ends....
.

 

AND to point out something, those are the light duty rotors, Perfect for a drag race car, horrible for the street. Your going to have issues with warping and such.

 

Hi Hemi,
I've been thinkin' of no brakes on the front of my hemi deuce. I've got 12 spoke american spindle mounts. I hate the thought of those ugly discs behind the wheels, but really hte the thought of ending up in someones trunk! What wheels did you have and what rotors/calipers did you use? Just drill and tap? Drilling and tapping magnesium makes me nervous. Caliper bracket would be a homemade affair. Thanks
Alix Bernard

 

it was ok for 15 + million Model Ts, but that was when everyone else was driving one too..

 

Not for nothing, but those front rotors look flaky, too. Way too many holes. Warp/crack city first time you get on them.

Are you building some look-at-me car that will only be trailered? Or something that you will actually drive?

If the latter, perhaps rethink the front brakes.

I also agree with the earlier response about those coil springs on that drilled front axle. Not looking too good.

Do you just like to drill everything? Why not drill those coils, too - I'll bet that that hasn't been done.

 

I was thinking about the same issue on the swiss cheese rotors.

 

Good for a drag-only car.

For what it's worth if you want stunt brakes, I once had a beater that only had brakes on opposite corners. At about 30mph if you stood on the brakes and let go of the wheel, it did a perfect autopilot 180 without leaving the lane. Talk about ****ing with tailgaters!

 

Ya must have a DEATH WISH.
Ur crazy not to run front brakes.
The hell with U, what about the other people on the road !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That's the point. It doesn't matter whether he has minimum coverage or $1 million+, if he causes an accident on account of not having front brakes, the insurance company is not going to cover him. Therefore, he opens himself up to personal liability, and all the cool stuff he can afford now that he couldn't "back in the day", is going to belong to the person he runs over. His house, other cars, children's college fund... I love looking cool as much as the next guy, but risking my home and financial well being because I don't like the look of rotors on the front of my g***er is beyond asinine.

For my experience driving with no front brakes... When I installed by dual master, I accidentally hooked the lines up to the wrong ports, so the internal bias was sending all the power to the back. In a word: terrifying. Back end stepping out in corners under moderate braking. Skidding into a parking spot from 10 mph. Having to leave many car lengths open in front of me knowing I couldn't stop. This was just a 4 mile test drive before I went home and fixed the problem. I couldn't imagine that as a daily occurrence. All of that with stock rear drums. That trick dual caliper setup for the rear is going to lock those wheels with ease in a light car, and send your short wheelbase ride into an uncontrollable spin before you know what hit you.

Also, drilled rotors have little place on a street car. I highly doubt you're going to be autoXing or road racing said vehicle to bring the brakes up to a temperature where drilled rotors will be needed to dissipate heat. A standard rotor, or even a slotted rotor will be much more appropriate for your application.

 

and.... what will a stock model T do like 35 MPH downhill with a tail wind...

Hell at that spped flinstone brakes will work...