Drums to Rotors?

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Josh Brooks

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Location
Virginia
My Car
1971 Mach 1
So my '71 Mach 1 has 4 wheel (manual) drum brakes and they are a seized up mess. I need to rebuild them just to get the car driveable, and am thinking I should switch to rotors as long as I am replacing parts.

Other point of view is (maybe) that the drums have been working fine for 45 years, I will not be driving the car hard, so why bother? New hoses, drum cylinders, shoes, parts kit, and spin the drums . . . cheap stuff with common parts. Daily driver, not a show car.

I found a guy that has a scrap disc brake set up off a 70 Mach 1, with both complete front spindles, calipers, rotors, power booster and master cylinder.

Obviously this is way cheaper than one of the disc brake conversion kits.

If I have this pile of parts from a '70, is it a relatively straightforward bolt in to a '71? Or just rebuild the drums with new parts?

Appreciate your expertise.

 
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There nothing wrong with drums its up to you for what you really want. Drum brakes only real disadvantage is they don't work well when they get wet, so you have to learn how to deal with that when driving in though conditions. I always thought drum stopping power was about the same with just normal driving. Now if racing yes disc is the thing to have as they don't fade so easy.

 
So my '71 Mach 1 has 4 wheel (manual) drum brakes and they are a seized up mess. I need to rebuild them just to get the car driveable, and am thinking I should switch to rotors as long as I am replacing parts.

Other point of view is (maybe) that the drums have been working fine for 45 years, I will not be driving the car hard, so why bother? New hoses, drum cylinders, shoes, parts kit, and spin the drums . . . cheap stuff with common parts. Daily driver, not a show car.

I found a guy that has a scrap disc brake set up off a 70 Mach 1, with both complete front spindles, calipers, rotors, power booster and master cylinder.

Obviously this is way cheaper than one of the disc brake conversion kits.

If I have this pile of parts from a '70, is it a relatively straightforward bolt in to a '71? Or just rebuild the drums with new parts?

Appreciate your expertise.
Click to expand...
Josh, Red351 is right to a point, nothing wrong with drums up front......... if you don't need to make a panic stop. That's my personal experience more than once. They fade rapidly as they get hot under heavy braking and if you've got a 4 speed, you need the gears to get it stopped.

I can't say if the 70 stuff will fit, they are two very different cars, but you can compare the parts for fit and you might get lucky. I'm sure others will know for sure and add comments.

I have posted about my swap from manual drums to power discs up front. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get good stopping power. I bought SSBC 4 piston Kelsey-Hayes style drum to disc conversion for about 1200 bucks and that was without a power booster. I am currently adding a remanufactured factory booster, for originality and best fit, which believe me is a BIG job, made easier by the fact I have my engine out right now. There are loads of posts about brake conversions, so some searching will get you most of the answers you need. Good luck with it, but if you do need to stay with drums until you can afford the upgrade, just remember that's a rare car you might be ramming into something!!

Geoff.

 
I went from all four drums to all 4 disc and it makes a world of difference. The drum brakes ALWAYS would pull one way or another. One side would wear more than the other and they would end up pulling. With the disc brakes they stop better and with less effort and straight every time.

the 70 spindles will work, discs, calipers, but you may have to use different tie rod ends. Cant remember which years will work but they may be direct bolt on. I doubt the booster and master are the same. but for the time being you can swap the spindles and rotors and new brake lines to get started.

I'm still running my stock master for the drums with no problem. I plan on upgrading to power disc someday just haven't got around to it.

A lot of the ford cars in the day used the same type of spindles that will bolt onto our balljoints. The difference was usually in the tie rod end size. You could do the popular Granada disc brake swap on the older 65 and up mustangs and just buy a bushing for the tierod or run a tierod from the newer style/size. There used to be some good tierod info on Mustangsteves website.

So about the only thing you will really be using would be the spindles. Everything else would pretty much be for a core. The calipers, rotors , pads, bearings, ect are all easily purchased at local parts stores for fairly cheap.

 
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Josh, if your car is a daily driver, then I would rebuild the drum brakes just to get it mobile. The 70 parts are not cataloged for your car (spindles, rotors, booster, etc) and would probably cause some fitment problems with steering linkage pieces. Once your car is repaired and the pressure is off to get it drivable, I would start searching and collecting disk brake parts from 71-3 Cougar and Mustang's. Complete parts cars are out there and would also let you see what everything should look like when installed. The pedal hanger (pivot point is different with power disk) booster, pressure differential valve, lines, spindles, etc would all be there along with all the different brackets and hardware you never realized were on a car.

While it is true that drum brakes have been around for years and served us well, the safety and convenience of a simpler front brake can't be beat. A lot less front brake hardware to deal with, and there are some great aftermarket kits out there if you don't want to mess with the parts car option. There are members here who have installed factory and aftermarket systems and could probably answer any questions in more detail than I could.

 
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Great info, guys! ::thumb::

Mine came with rusted out power discs up front, and a very leaky brake booster. I was able to get all the normal replaceable parts from a local parts store (O'Reilly Auto Parts - rotors, pads, bearings, cylinders, drums, shoes, hardware, etc.), some of the other non-consumable stuff (like hoses, banjo bolts, etc.) from OMS & NPD, and found some serviceable replacement spindles on ebay. After I discovered the booster was not working I bought a 'replacement' booster from NPD, and discovered that it's a Universal style... which is a LOT thicker but smaller in diameter. It looked so different, that I decided not to use it... and it was too late to simply send it back. I guess I need to put it up for sale or something.

Right about that time (last August-ish, I believe), I noticed an announcement in Mustang Monthly that GPS Automotive was selling OE style brake boosters, proper to our year models, so I ordered one. It went in perfectly and works like a champ. It was a little spendy, and I can't get to the website from here at work, but here's the link to their homepage (I believe they have other replacement pieces & parts available for OEM as well as restomod applications): http://www.gpsbrakes.com

They shipped fast and kept me posted every step along the way via e-mail.

Hope this helps someone looking for an OEM-style replacement booster. :cool:

 
All the above suggestion's are great and have their merits. I remember what a old veteran tech in the shop told me, KISS, "Keep It Simple Stupid". I was bad about swapping parts from several vehicles and swapping some things just for the heck of it. Problem is keeping track of what you've used and if you have a break down with a daily driver. Finding replacement parts that were non-stock for your car could then become a problem. Remember Murphy's Law, "Anything that can go wrong will"!! Since our cars shared some components with the 70/71 Torino-Montego-Cyclone and same as the Cougar, I would rather stick with what is cataloged for our cars for a daily driver. Glad Mister 4X4 posted the info on GPS Brakes and how they look and fit like OE parts.

 
Great info, guys! ::thumb::

Mine came with rusted out power discs up front, and a very leaky brake booster. I was able to get all the normal replaceable parts from a local parts store (O'Reilly Auto Parts - rotors, pads, bearings, cylinders, drums, shoes, hardware, etc.), some of the other non-consumable stuff (like hoses, banjo bolts, etc.) from OMS & NPD, and found some serviceable replacement spindles on ebay. After I discovered the booster was not working I bought a 'replacement' booster from NPD, and discovered that it's a Universal style... which is a LOT thicker but smaller in diameter. It looked so different, that I decided not to use it... and it was too late to simply send it back. I guess I need to put it up for sale or something.

Right about that time (last August-ish, I believe), I noticed an announcement in Mustang Monthly that GPS Automotive was selling OE style brake boosters, proper to our year models, so I ordered one. It went in perfectly and works like a champ. It was a little spendy, and I can't get to the website from here at work, but here's the link to their homepage (I believe they have other replacement pieces & parts available for OEM as well as restomod applications): http://www.gpsbrakes.com

They shipped fast and kept me posted every step along the way via e-mail.

Hope this helps someone looking for an OEM-style replacement booster. :cool:
Click to expand...
Good link for brake parts, thanks,

Geoff.

 
All the above suggestion's are great and have their merits. I remember what a old veteran tech in the shop told me, KISS, "Keep It Simple Stupid". I was bad about swapping parts from several vehicles and swapping some things just for the heck of it. Problem is keeping track of what you've used and if you have a break down with a daily driver. Finding replacement parts that were non-stock for your car could then become a problem. Remember Murphy's Law, "Anything that can go wrong will"!! Since our cars shared some components with the 70/71 Torino-Montego-Cyclone and same as the Cougar, I would rather stick with what is cataloged for our cars for a daily driver. Glad Mister 4X4 posted the info on GPS Brakes and how they look and fit like OE parts.
Click to expand...
When I went to O'Reilly's to get some parts, I was after both brakes and transmission stuff. Since I swapped in an AOD from an '89 GT 5.0, the young guy at the parts counter was confused, thinking I didn't know what was asking for or that I had 2 different Mustangs (when I told him "No - just one car with a swap," he looked at me like my dog does when I make a funny noise to get his attention). One of the older guys I've known for years came walking by and told him to just get what I asked for and that I knew what I was doing.

I usually keep the bag, box tab, receipt, invoice, or whatever that has the part number from the aftermarket or restomod parts so I can re-order in the future if I need to. ;) (and then I usually lose it in my garage and have to pull my hair out trying to figure it all out again :shootself: )

 
All the above suggestion's are great and have their merits. I remember what a old veteran tech in the shop told me, KISS, "Keep It Simple Stupid". I was bad about swapping parts from several vehicles and swapping some things just for the heck of it. Problem is keeping track of what you've used and if you have a break down with a daily driver. Finding replacement parts that were non-stock for your car could then become a problem. Remember Murphy's Law, "Anything that can go wrong will"!! Since our cars shared some components with the 70/71 Torino-Montego-Cyclone and same as the Cougar, I would rather stick with what is cataloged for our cars for a daily driver. Glad Mister 4X4 posted the info on GPS Brakes and how they look and fit like OE parts.
Click to expand...
When I went to O'Reilly's to get some parts, I was after both brakes and transmission stuff. Since I swapped in an AOD from an '89 GT 5.0, the young guy at the parts counter was confused, thinking I didn't know what was asking for or that I had 2 different Mustangs (when I told him "No - just one car with a swap," he looked at me like my dog does when I make a funny noise to get his attention). One of the older guys I've known for years came walking by and told him to just get what I asked for and that I knew what I was doing.

I usually keep the bag, box tab, receipt, invoice, or whatever that has the part number from the aftermarket or restomod parts so I can re-order in the future if I need to. ;) (and then I usually lose it in my garage and have to pull my hair out trying to figure it all out again :shootself: )
Click to expand...
When I built my bronco II I used a lot of different parts vehicles. I tried not to use anything aftermarket and keep it all in the Ford family. I had every receipt for that bronco for everything I ever did to it. In a note book I kept track of what vehicles I used parts from. The motor, trans, transfer case were from a 76 Bronco. The power steering pump and duraspark ignition was from early 80's f150. Disc brake 9" was from a 76 Lincoln Versailes. Trans cooler was from a lincoln town car. I cant remember where the radiator and motor mounts were from. But all the stuff I used I could get from local parts stores pretty easy.

I was always worried about using after market parts for fear that in 5 years when something needed replaced they would be out of business and I would be sh*t outta luck. I doubt Baer brakes or someone like that would go under, but if you had their conversion kit on your ride and they make their own specific brake pads, now you cant get them and your whole aftermarket kit is worthless.

That's one of the reasons I went with the Ford 8.8 rear end in my 71 for my rear disc brake swap. I can go any day of the week and get parts for it just about anywhere.

 
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the solid advice. The salvage set up got sold to someone else. I am thinking I will rebuild the drums in the near term to get her moving again, and save up a few bucks and go with the Willwood kit in a year or so.

 

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