The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Stop! front brake questions

Hello all,
Got some front brake questions, and a few different routes of thought. Option one is keep the brakes completely stock, but refurbish them. Option two is follow the write up another fella did, and install the spindle and brake system off a P30 chassis. Last option is what I have the question on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the front brakes on my 51 6400 are the same as a half ton, those being Huck brakes? Then the spindle would be the same, and the only difference would be the spacer for the dual wheel offset? If that's the case a standard half ton front disc brake conversion kit would work then? I haven't started pulling the front end apart, so I'm not 100% sure what's all in there. I'm taking it one step at a time, and working on cleaning up the cab right now, but thinking about the rest as I go. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Kyle

"Last option is what I have the question on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the front brakes on my 51 6400 are the same as a half ton, those being Huck brakes? "

The 3100 & 6400 brake systems are distinctly different parts (in any year)

Also, in 1951, the 3100 front brakes are Bendix style and the rear brakes are Huck Style.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/51134.htm

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0501.htm

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0503.htm

There isn't any thing on a 1/2 ton that will work on the 6400 chassis. I have worked on a lot of P30 trucks but don't know if the front brakes will convert to the 6400. It will take a lot of modification.
Just for information the brakes on a 51 3100 are Bendix front & rear.

1951 big trucks still used Huck. Small trucks had Bendix. Has the two slots by the wheel cylinder. Read it in some of the old tech spec stuff, and then checked on my truck for sure. I haven't taken the wheels and hubs apart yet, but the flange on the brake/axle side of the dual wheel spacer has six bolts, and the wheel side has 5 studs with a ring that covers up the other five holes of the wheel as it has ten holes. Since the brake/axle side had 6 studs I assumed they might have used the same front axle with the dual spacer converting to the 5/10 wheel interface.

The other thread that I was referring to the individual had installed P30 disc brake spindles on his 51 axle with sleeves in the kingpin. If I remember the write up correctly GM didn't change the overall design of their solid axle other than widths and king pin diameters until something like 1978.

All I can definitively tell ya is my fronts are Huck though

Ohp ya. I see the braking area is different on half tons to big trucks.

My son has a 1946 2 ton.

We had to replace the rear shoes, fronts were like new, replaced the wheel cylinders and the master cylinder.

Truck stops fine.

So for me it was easier, simpler and costs less money to keep brakes stock.

Also I replaced the brake lines. And, I recommend that when someone wants to put an old truck back on the road that when they do an extensive brake system rebuild that the brake lines also gets replaced.

Remember this the lines will look good on the outside while the metal has been corroding for decades on the inside and has been slowly eaten away to the point where they have become thinner and weakened and will eventually fail. Jeffrey Marrone

Thanks Jeffrey! I plan on replacing the lines. I've learned through my few years going with OEM stuff is usually best. Drums aren't terrible. Heck I've had a couple motorcycles with drums front and rear. Always did their job. The hydrovac unit seems a little scetchy to me, but that's just because I'm not very familiar with it. I want this truck to be safe enough for my son to drive in a few years. That's my biggest concern. I only had one, so I'd like to give him uh fighting chance.lol