IML: re. 1960 drums

Pay close attention to the adjustment procedures on the 1960 brakes - some reading required. The Bendix stuff from 1963-66 is really simple. These are not so much so, as they have 4 adjusters.

There is a MTSC booklet on the site that's pretty darned useful.

-Kenyon

greg pitman <grizlyrr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

About once a year, in at least one of the hot rod or muscle car magazines, they do a disc brake coversion on some old car. They test the car before and after. Some times the old brakes are in perfect condition before the test. The best I can remember, The results are usualy, close to, a 50' improvement, from 60 mph. In any case it is a HUGE improvement. I'll see if I can find one of these tests in "Mopar Muscle" magazine, or at least on an old mopar, in some magazine. I have converted MANY old Mopars to discs, But I have never had an old car as new as my '60 Imperial. I plan to covert it to disc. But I am rebuilding the stock brakes first. I dont have time before the car show season starts, to convert. So, I'll do a test on the 60. Before and after. It wont be very scientific, but I'll do the best I can. It will be about October before I get discs. The Imperial has some nice big drums (12" by 2.5"), so it could supprize me.
Imperials continue to supprize me.
Lib596@xxxxxxx wrote:

Whilst I have no reason to doubt the theory behind Dicks description of the physics I still have to say that from a purely practical point of view, the disc brake / dual M/C conversion on my '61 has made a distinct improvement in the braking characteristics of the car. It is not only the shorter stopping distance but the feel and sensitivity of the pedal which has improved.

Now I will freely admit that by the time I did the conversion, I had developed serious hot spots on the front drums which did nothing to improve their stopping power. In addition, the improved sensitivity may be partly due to the new M/C but even when the drums were perfect and all four wheels were quite capable of locking up, there is no doubt in my mind that the discs have been a major improvement. There seems to be more to braking than simple friction. It is about how the car handles under sharp deceleration. Perhaps some of this improvement arises from the necessary addition of a proportioning valve that governs the pressure ratio between the front and rear brakes.

Apart from the improved braking characteristics, the other advantage is simpler maintenence. No more painstaking adjustments and fiddly bleeding. On the downside, the dust from the pads turns your white wall tyres into gray walls in no time at all. Easy enough to clean but annoying all the same.

Just some observations from someone who has direct experience of both drums and discs.

Best wishes,

Tony V.

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