Well, congratulations on your intentions and efforts. The braking system on the 1997 Ford Expedition is a result of 40 more years or R&D. No matter what concoction of parts end up attached to Doris's wheels, I seriously doubt that she will stop as well as the newer vehicle.
Has anyone got a road test for the '66 Imperial??? Maybe we can all find out exactly what the stopping distance for these cars really is/was/should be.
Here in Washington I have seen many newer cars and SUV's with their noses plastered up against a line of stopped cars. Stopping distances can not take the place of careful driving. Interestingly, a friend recently purchased a 1998 Ford Expedition with 19,000 miles on it. He lost his brakes on our busy Interstate 405 with no warning. He avoided an accident because he is a defensive driver. It would seem that regardless of the vehicle or the type of brakes, the same principles still apply, even in this age of anti-lock braking systems, driver's with cell phones surgically attached to the side of their head, and GPS dash boards.
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From: dansgarage@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: randalpark@xxxxxxx
Sent: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 21:44:16 -0800
Subject: Re:
IML: disc brake kit
Hi Paul...thanks for the reply. You may be right about the factory brakes, I
just know that there is a BIG difference in the stopping distance between my '66
and my 97 Expedition. Both are 'about' the same weight, more or less and while I
realize that the technology is VERY different between the two vehicles I am most
concerned with stopping the '66 in as short a distance as possible so one of the
idiots on the Interstate that thinks nothing of cutting in front of me doesn't
wind up with Doris' grill in his truck ( and me trying to find a new front
end.....or peeling him out from under the bumber!)
I will definitely look into checking/ replacing the parts on my current setup
though!
Dan
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