The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1948 Chevy 3100 Front brake disc conversion

I am just starting to restore my truck. I don't want a Hotrod, or a restored truck that is to nice to use. More like an everyday driver that is safe. My question is about changing my front drum brakes to Disc with one of the suppliers kits. Also changing over to a dual master cylinder. Some have told me to get a Camaro front clip to weld in. Not sure I want to go that way. Any advise on this?

The challenge is the location of the brake master. If placing it under the floor, it will not be where the original master was and it will be hidden under the floor. I had a 55 here with this problem and the top of the master where you fill it was located under solid floor, so no adding fluid or bleeding. I ended up cutting two holes in the floor to get to it.

I would not install this type of system in my own truck. I would relocate to the firewall if I could... But that presents many challenges in itself..
Lee

In general, if brake parts are available for your 48, stay with the drums. If not a hot rod, not driving at high speeds, drums are safe. No front clipping!!!!
Dual Master cylinder conversion kits available. Example: American Classic Truck Parts 71-201 and 71-984. Also Brothers Trucks and others.
You can arrange a remote fill on firewall.

I have done two of these conversions to disc brakes with a power dual master which mounts where the original was. I had to notch the trans cross member which I then had welded with flat plates to keep the strength. Everything came out great. My parts came from cpp but that was a long time ago. Pretty sure they still sell the same kit. It uses camaro discs. Hardest part was knocking out the old studs due to using thicker wheels. If you are mechanically inclined it is not a bad job.

Changing to power disc brakes was one of the more satisfying projects on the truck. I used Camaro disk brakes, Camaro rear brakes (changed entire rear end to Camaro) and Camaro master cylinder. Only non-Camaro parts were the combination valve (I used one from a 1/2 ton pickup, but the Camaro one would probably work fine) and the booster (needed smaller diameter booster to fit under floor). The idea was to keep everything Camaro, so all the components work together as a system as designed by the GM engineers.

I agree with Twin Jimmys; it wasn't hard to do. I'm using 5 bolt, 15" wheels from a G10 van so I didn't even have to change the studs.

The truck stops well.

I don't see the need for a new clip unless you are planning to lower the truck. IFS would be nice, but I installed an anti-roll bar which improved the handling enough to satisfy me.

Note: Changing the rear end, converting to open driveshaft was more challenging. If the rear end (brakes) are not changed, you might find the front/rear balance isn't right and you may need to make some changes or add an adjustable proportioning valve. Other members here can comment on that.

Discs do not stop any faster than drum. Just so you know. They heat up less then fade less and better when submerged thru water. It may be fun and interesting to do. It's not a walk in the park and sure not cheap. Doing it depends are your goals, driving frequency, loads and conditions. As everybody here knows, drums have been used for years. My 2011 truck has drums in rear.
Just giving all the pros and cons before launch.
Here is a Video for the dual master.

If you don't want to change your wheels several vendors like LMC or Brothers sell kits that use the original 6 lug bolt pattern. You can also upgrade to roller bearing at the same time.

I ordered one of the front disk brake kits from Master Power Brakes for my 40 1/2ton and have no complaints on the quality of the parts in the kit. It's pretty much mid 70's Camaro stuff.

I'm running the manual dual master mounted under the floor using a universal pedal assembly for a Model A. The mounting bracket attached to a boxed section of the frame puts the pedal slightly to the right of the steering column; which is where I wanted it to land.

Getting to the master isn't an issue as I'm building a new floor for the truck, so my plan is to simply create an access panel with a cover.

The front disc conversion is night vs day change………the front drums were marginal when they brand new. Then theres the dual master and power brake advantage.

Best upgrade along with modern door latches.


The only reason a modern vehicle use rear drums is a cost savings.

Thanks to all for the advice. Considering the cost of the disc brake conversion, dual master and misc parts to do it, I'm going to rebuild the wheel cylinders and stay with the drums for now. Gradually do the upgrade later.

I used the power disc kit from CPP on my 51. The difference is night and day. I had to remove my trans crossmember which wasn’t used anyway. I fabricated a ne member behind the trans for rigidity. I cut a new hole in the floor to have access to the dual master. Bleeding them was a complete nightmare, but have no regrets whatsoever. The roller bearing upgrade was nice too.