The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Need disc brake conversion help.... again.

Hello all. If you remember my post from a few week, I'm installing a disc conversion kit on my '50 1/2 ton. The new front axle is installed and I'm all ready to install the brakes.

I need the hub from my original huck brakes. The directions say to just cut the rivets off and take the hub off. The problem: there are no rivets that I can see. How does this whole thing come apart? Next, the three mounting holes used in the kit don't exist on my hub. There are only the 6 lugs, no extra holes. What am I missing? I thought this kit was built for the huck brakes.

Anyone have any front hubs they want to get rid of? Thanks for any help.

Hey Red,

I've got a pair of front drum/hub assemblies from my recent disc upgrade on a 54-3100 straight axle. Don't know if they are the same as on a 50 but you're welcome to them. They had the rivets that I ground down to get my 6 lug aftermarket wheels to fit flush. Also have the original ball bearings that are in decent shape.

I'm headed north on I-95 next Monday (31st) and would be willing to drop them off. Let me know.

Dave

I appreciate the offer and may take you up on that. But your comment makes me think I'm missing something on my drums.

I cannot see the rivets on my hubs. It's totally smoothe in between lugs. But my truck did have aftermarket wheels when I bought it. Looking from the inside of the drum, the only thing I see are the heads of the 6 lugs. I have cut the lugs off, after beating on them with a 2 lb. sledge hammer, trying to remove those and they won't budge. I think I may have to drill all of those out. What a pain.

Here is a picture of the drum with the plate for the disc kit. I'll take a picture of the inside of the drum tonight.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/552501289/2308430050091368085ImRPqK

What you need is someone to jump in with more knowledge than I can provide. I posted a couple pics of the 54 drums in my webshots....at end of "Point Gapping made easy".

The offer still stands if you can use the drums. Hopefully, somebody that can help you out will jump in.

Try this. You might have to go back a page, but this is a link to the shop manual.
http://chevy.tocmp.com/1948_51truckshop/51ctsm0307.htm

According to buffalo enterprises, those 54 hubs will work on a 50 or earlier truck. when using them on a pre 1946 truck you would need to reuse the inner wheel bearing races from the pre 46 hubs.

RedGreen, You wouldn't be related to the guy on TV would you? If so... just use duck tape!

RedGreen,
Let's get on the same playing field:
1.) Where did you get the conversion kit?
2.) What do you mean by "new front axle"?

I keep trying to use duct tape, but people keep convincing me to throw more money at this thing. I think the whole front end is actually gold plated now. (or should be)

49_chev:
1) I got the conversion kit from CPP. The instructions tell you to cut the rivets off your existing drum/hub and reuse the hub. I cannot find any rivets holding my hub to the drums. And when I lay the plate that comes with the kit on the drum, there are no holes where I'm supposed to bolt through.

2) New front axle. I took my axle to a shop to have the kingpins pushed out per instructions I received here "for $20". By the time he was done, he found that my old axle was junk. He found me a new axle that had already been rebuilt with new kingpins etc. That is now bolted to my truck.

1.) If you have the CCP kit that let you keep the 6 bolt wheel pattern, Cletis would be able to "walk" you through the process as he did that conversion (be nice). I am assuming you have the half ton truck and NOT a 3/4 ton or larger.
For some reason, I "think" you may have to enlarge the lower 2 holes in your spindle/steering arms. Ask somebody. I know when I did the CPP disk conversion, I went with the 5-bolt wheel pattern and the instructions said to enlarge the lower two holes. 1949 trucks had 7/16" +/- lower holes and the kit needed 1/2"+/- lower holes. I ended up using the spindles and steering arms from a 1954 (because I had them). I did not have to use the hubs as they were not needed for this particular disk brake conversion. My hubs were "well used".
2.) I was hoping you had actually found a NOS axle was why I asked.

Thanks, 49_chevy.

I should be able to make it through the shoddy directions if I can just get my parts to cooperate. This darn 50 year old rust is really starting to get to me.

I can ask the shop that tracked down the axle for me, if you're looking for one. For the most part, I think it is NOS. But I have to warn you, it wasn't cheap.... I think I double the value of my truck with this axle.

wouldn't mind finding one of those axles either!

Hey D.G.

Cpp has a "how to" section that shows a step by step process. The written directions I got from them were generic but their online stuff was applicable. The hubs I'm dropping off will have the rivets already ground off. Do you want me to pop off the drums? I'd be glad to if that would help you out. Let me know....it'll lighten my load Tuesday!

Dave

RedGreen,
You responded to a post a while back where your mechanic wanted to trash your axle because he wouldn't be able to put the retaining ring back in the knucle bore. 1950 3100 1/2-ton Pickups did not have "retaining rings". You may be having trouble finding those "rivets" on your hub because you may not have a 1/2 ton front axle.

Fla54, I'd love it if you dropped off just the hubs. That would save me some work. Now that I have the front disks, I have no use for the drums. (I now have some huck drums piled up in my garage)

49_chev, I believe I have the original axle in there, but I could be wrong. I think my mechanic was wrong in his search for the retaining rings. I don't think it has any. In fact, the new axle he got for me doesn't have any.