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Disc brake install

AC64

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Aug 10, 2022
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Location
Corona/Lake Havasu
I am swapping out a 4.10 3rd member for a little more practical ratio & I want to upgrade to disc in the rear while I have it apart. On a manual brake 426 car what is the most effective conversion kit to slow this beast down?
 
Are you going to be racing the car on a course w lots of turns? If so, disc "can" help w brake fade. If not, then drums in the rear will stop you just as well as disc's in the rear. So unless your racing or doing it for looks, you can save money by leaving it drums in the rear.
 
Are you going to be racing the car on a course w lots of turns? If so, disc "can" help w brake fade. If not, then drums in the rear will stop you just as well as disc's in the rear. So unless your racing or doing it for looks, you can save money by leaving it drums in the rear.
Just thought the disc,s would be more effective with less pedal pressure, as it’s a no vacuum max wedge car
 
Is self-energizing in that the shoe is designed to increase friction at steady pedal pressure?
 
I run Dr Diff manual front disc rear drum 15/16 bore master cylinder and have very firm pedal all the way at the top. My 110lb daughter can stop it easily and it stops on a dime.
 
Is self-energizing in that the shoe is designed to increase friction at steady pedal pressure?
Sort of, yes. The term self-locking might make more sense. More leg pressure is needed for disc's.
 
Sort of, yes. The term self-locking might make more sense. More leg pressure is needed for disc's.
Seems logical-----probably a lot more surface area in a 11" brake shoe than a 4" disc pad. Plus you have the leveraged pressure that the disc also does not have. I just know it has a lot more go than stop. Thanks
 
Is self-energizing in that the shoe is designed to increase friction at steady pedal pressure?
The reason the shoes have less lining on the primary (front) shoe is to keep the front shoe from grabbing the drum too hard. The extra lining on the rear (secondary) shoe adds to the friction area without digging into the drum. As the drum turns and the brake is applied the front shoe rotates a little bit while pushing on the rear shoe thru the adjuster. The shoe assembly pivots on the anchor at the top center. Many earlier designs had a wheel cylinder for each shoe as well as a anchor for each shoe. These were not self energizing and took more effort to use. Engineering is a wonderful thing!
Mike
 
The reason the shoes have less lining on the primary (front) shoe is to keep the front shoe from grabbing the drum too hard. The extra lining on the rear (secondary) shoe adds to the friction area without digging into the drum. As the drum turns and the brake is applied the front shoe rotates a little bit while pushing on the rear shoe thru the adjuster. The shoe assembly pivots on the anchor at the top center. Many earlier designs had a wheel cylinder for each shoe as well as a anchor for each shoe. These were not self energizing and took more effort to use. Engineering is a wonderful thing!
Mike
Thanks Mike-----Engineering is a great thing, but we can't let it overwhelm our common sense
 
I have always thought that rear discs on cars was overkill. The front brakes do the majority of stopping on daily driven cars. In extreme braking situations, a lot of the vehicle's weight is transferred to the front of the vehicle, taking a load off the braking requirement of the rear brakes. Without today's computerized ABS brakes, the increased braking power of the disc brakes with this forward weight transfer would be almost uncontrollable.. Up here in winter road salt country, these rear disc brake systems require quite a bit of extra maintenance, due to the corrosive effects of road salt. The emergency brake system on rear disc brakes can also be a maintenance nightmare. Just my $0.02.
 
For those that consider a rear disc brake swap from drums, be aware that the piston size of the rear caliper will be at least 150% of the size of the drum wheel cylinders. This means more volume will be necessary to properly engage the rear brakes.
In 2006, I removed perfectly functioning 10" rear drums and installed a 10.7" kit purely for appearance.
Braking was about the same. No better, no worse. The discs looked better through the wheel spokes though.
 
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