IML: AAJ vs stock brakes for 1957

[Kenyon Wills <imperialist1960@xxxxxxxxx>]

Everyone that has done the brake conversion seems
quite pleased with it, and AAJ seems to have the
solution at a fair enough price.

That said, I personally think that an awful lot of
unwarranted and negative noise has been made about the
stock brakes, and the pattern that I think I see is
one of people that try to apply common sense and past
experience on other brake systems to this one and then
have to acutally read some instructions, if they read
anything at all.  The other thing that seems to go on
is that people faced with clapped out, 40+ year old
brakes are facing replacement costs and then try to go
out and re-engineer their car WITHOUT ever bothering
to try a correctly functioning set of stock brakes,
presuming that they must be awful without confirming
that to be a fact.

In that situation, you're bound to hear reports about
how awful and difficult things were for a person,
especially if doing the conversion was subsequently
easier.  

On the other hand, if you read the MTSC booklet that
goes through the steps one at a time as posted on the
site, follow the instuctions, and expect the sort of
brakes that were available back then, well, I doubt
you'll be disappointed.

Note that Chrysler was never sued for having
inadequate brakes, there was never a recall, and aside
from the obvious differences between disc/drum, unless
you plan to do aggressive driving, the stock stuff
should be just fine.

One complaint I have is with the "organic" material
they use on brake shoes.  I heard someplace that it's
gound up peach pits or something.

I got a set of shoes and had "original" material put
on.  The kind that was involved in lawsuits awhile
back and starts with an A.  Well I told the kids up
the block not to lick the brakedust on my car wheels
and everything works better now that I'm using them.

So:  New shoes + inept installation = complaints, and
normally complaints travel around the world before
good results get their shoes tied.

I say stay stock if you plan to do anything aside from
gentle, responsible driving.



Good luck, and thank you for writing in.


-Kenyon
--- ahogangoat@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I have been a member of this online club for many
> years but in the last several years I have not
> "spoken" via email at all.  I have been checking in
> from time to time and always find interesting and
> informative conversation going on.    What a
> wonderful group of people Imperial owners are!!
> I have recently sold cars leaving me with only my
> '57 Imperial.   Now I am going to concentrate on it.
>   Right now it needs some brake wheel cylinder work.
>   I was wondering if anyone has done an AAJ
> conversion on a '57 or similar pitting on disk
> brakes and eliminating the factory front drums and
> the factory master cylinder.  I want to convert the
> system to a dual circuit master cylinder if I'm
> going to do a conversion.     
> The first question really is, however, with modest
> driving, is it possible to get the factory brakes to
> be reliable without constant fiddling and adjusting.
>  I've heard stories of these "total contact" brakes
> being very fussy, especially on Plymouths and Dodges
> etc.   I won't need extreme brake response as I will
> drive the car gently anyway.   My car is really in
> excellent condition as it has only 25,000 original
> miles and has been treated well all it's life.  The
> biggest brake problem to date has been hydraulic
> leaks at the wheel cylinders.  Some of the problem
> surely has been due to non-use and that condition
> will improve now.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tim
> 
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