The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Disc Brake Conversion

I am wanting to convert my front drum brakes to disc brakes on my 1953 Chevy Truck. I want to keep the original front end and keep the master cylinder in the original place under the floor board. Any advice from any one that has done this would be appreciated tremendously. Any Do's and Don'ts you could pass on would be a big help for some one like me that has never done this switch over

1/2 ton (lots of kits) or larger (not so many)?

Power brakes or not? I was happy with the non-power assisted front disk/rear drum brakes I put on my '57. My '52 came to me with front disks and a power booster. Works good but takes up a lot of space between the left side of the transmission (where the shift linkage is if you have a 3 on the tree) and the frame. In either case you'll need a dual chamber master cylinder and assorted plumbing parts.

You'll most likely not be able to check the fluid level through the stock hole in the cab floor.

Thanks for the info Bill. She is a 1/2 Ton and I will be going the non-powered brake route. Did you have to bend your own lines for the additional plumbing or did they come in a kit? And I am curious as to what do you do when it comes time to replace your disc brakes? Do you have to go back to the vendor to get new pads or do they give you a part number that you can cross reference at your local parts store?

It depends on the kit you buy, but all of them I am familiar with use standard FLAPS (friendly local auto parts store) pads.

They are fairly split on whether you can buy off-the-shelf rotors or if you have to go back to the original vendor for those.

In the case of the Speedway Motors kit that I used, they provided a list of vehicle cross-references/part numbers for the replacement parts.

I know the CPP kit uses their special rotors.

I haven't seen any kits that come with brake lines. Copper-nickel brake lines are much easier to install than other types.

I bought the under floor vacuum power assisted master cylinder with proportioning valve from CPP, and it fit right in and uses the original brake pedal linkage. There are a couple pictures in my google drive link in my signature. It’s a really nice, beefy setup.

FYI- if you want to do a front disc brake conversion on a 3/4 ton, just find a 1/2 ton front axle complete with spindles and it bolts right up so you can do the conversion without any custom machining.

+1 on the copper-nickel brake line tubing- very easy to cut, bend flare. Be sure to do double-flares at each end.

I think I bought the Speedway disc conversion kit, and the master cyl setup from CPP

Dave's suggestion of using a 1/2 ton front axle on a 3/4 or 1 ton truck is OK if you don't mind having 5 or 6 lug wheels on the front. But 3/4 and 1 ton disk brake kits are available from at least 2 sources. One I can't find right now.

This is the other. An internet friend has installed it and gave a good review.

Yes, I realize this post is not relevant to OP's original question.

Nostalgia Sid's offers them. Also aware of the relevancy to OP's original question, but adding info in case someone finds this thread via search.

I found a whole front end including a used CPP 6-lug disc kit on Craigslist years ago. I have ID'd most of the part sources for finding at the FLAPS, with the exception of confirming the rotors (I just had mine turned instead of replacing) and the hoses. I'm sure the hoses are out there, but after a little bit of digging, I opted just to go with some from Speedway.

Very true Bill. In my case, I had decided to swap the rear axle as well, so the move to 5-lugs was easier for me. If I had been able to figure out how to put 3.73 rear gears in my original axle back when I was restoring the truck, I would have kept that axle.

Very Impressive Restoration Dave!

I just went through my receipts - I bought the under floor master cylinder setup from Tuckers, and the front disc conversion kit from Speedway.

Thanks. I try to drive the truck as much as I can. Looking forward to better weather !