Brakes...v.s. Brakes

["Jennifer Allyn" <gearhead.girl@xxxx>]

I have to say something about modifications...
I believe that low-production, high value cars should not be significantly
modified. Our 300s fall into that category. I bought a '55 Cadillac
Eldorado Convertible from a woman who sold it to us at a lower price because
we had plans to restore it to stock condition. Her other offers came from
people who wished to customize it. We were aghast at the thought, as was
she. However, I think the fundamental question on modifications on the 300
brakes is how you use the car and how well you can do the modification.

I have a '62 300 and a '62 New Yorker Station Wagon. I would never think to
customize or significantly modify either of these cars. (My husband's '50
Chevy is modified in every which way...who cares? as they are a dime a
dozen.) However I have put disc brakes on both my 300 and my wagon. The
300, I drove daily for the last 12 years commuting on the LA freeways two
hours each day. I have put 170,000 miles on my 300 personally and with a
little help from my husband. I feel that the amount of time I spent on the
road that I can attest the cars don't stop well for an hour in bumper to
bumper traffic. They stop really well once or twice...but after that there
is significant fade. I was not the first to notice this. The magazines
that road tested the '62 300H mention the braking system as sub-par on an
otherwise above par car. The question is not whether or not I should have
modified the braking system...whether or not my use of the car justifies
that modification. My use of my 300 is extreme in comparison with most
club members. I drive the hell out of the car negotiating the freeways. I
love to go fast and coming home late at night from LA I set the car at a 110
mph. and cruise the 30 miles of open road hoping that some drunk doesn't
pull in front of me. If he does, I feel that my disc brakes and radial
tires give me a better chance. I also know that bumper to bumper crawl
means that I am using the brakes continuously and that is where I really
feel the disc brakes have given me a huge advantage over the original drum
brakes. Secondly, I think that a disc brake conversion should be done so
that the modification is minimized. I used the original single well master
cylinder and I feel that most would be hard pressed to find the modification
without climbing under the car.

I realize that most of these cars are not used daily, year round. I don't
show my cars at concours events...if much at all. I show my cars on the
freeway to the other motorists who pull in front of me and stop short. I
don't think there is any right answer but your own. The answer on whether
to modify your brakes should be derived from what you intend to do with the
car. I found my very own right answer...that is just for me.

Jennifer Allyn

P.S. When I put radial tires on my car, I was shocked by the difference in
handling. I told my husband it felt like a whole new car. I loved it! He
doubted that such a change would make the huge difference I was describing.
He was in favor of keeping the bias ply tires, until he drove it. It is a
huge difference and I found that it tightened the feel of the handling and
kept it from slipping around the freeway lanes at higher speeds. It drove
like I have always felt the 300s should tight and responsive...less floating
land yatchy...more modern sport car-like, like the ads touted in 1962.