Just how bad are factory Drum brakes on '66?

[xgecko]

Not sure if you are interested in how the Kanter parts work on a bog-stock '69 disk brake car but if you are I can tell you they are very high quality parts with no price differential between versions of the knuckle. I ended up returning the set of ball joints I got from Rare Parts even with the 20% restocking fee as I still netted $200 back and the Kanter kit included the tie rod ends I needed anyway - essentially for free. And a complete set of rubber bushings to boot. The Kanter kit is a heckuva value indeed!

[Twilight Fenrir]

Alright, looks like I'm buying a set of rechromed wheels from John Dorcey! So I'll be set to go with starting this project.... Well, except the torsion bar unloader, I still have to pick one out... There's a few on eBay that people have used once, and no longer need... That's probably where I'll turn. $250 for a tool I'll likely only use once or twice seems a bit steep. $70-100 is much more reasonable

Probably this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy-GM ... veQ5fTools

[xgecko]

You might try Autozone or one of the other parts stores that will loan tools out. They might have one for the trucks that will work for the Toro.

[Twilight Fenrir]

You might try Autozone or one of the other parts stores that will loan tools out. They might have one for the trucks that will work for the Toro.

The only parts store around here that loans tools is o'Reily's. They don't even have a tool on their website. I plan on double-checking when I go there today, But, that tool's only about $70, and I find that reasonable enough that I'd like to have one on hand.

[xgecko]

It is good to have one on hand, that is my rationale. I intend to do my '68 at some point and my truck uses the same torsion bar suspension so it was not that hard to justify. What hurt was realizing that Summit carries these things for much less than I paid...

[Twilight Fenrir]

Alright, I found a place I should be able to get an actual GM BT-6601 for removing my torsion bars I'm still waiting to find price information. Apparently, this guy went to a bunch of closing dealerships and bought up all the tools, and is selling them off... If it goes smoothly, I'll write a review up in the product information part....

Now, I also found the proportioning valve I want. It comes with a mounting bracket that attatches to the same point as the master cyl. And even comes with the lines to hook it up, for $60 The only question I have, is what kind of threads do the factory lines have?

I plan to replace the front lines with all new. But the line to the rear is all in very good shape. And, would be a massive pain to replace. So I figure I'll just plug off the extra ports in the little distribution block from the factory, and run one line up to the prop valve, then go off to the front wheels with their own new lines.

There's two valves available, both the same price, one just has a different size outlet for the rear brakes. I'm guessing I need the 3/8ths, as those lines look fairly small... but I'd like some confirmation on that.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Disc-Drum ... ,9878.html

Thanks

[xgecko]

I ended up with a similar conclusion regarding the rear brake lines. I bought a rear hose but when I looked at the hose in place it looked decent enough and a royal pain to clean up so I left it for the upcoming winter refresh. I also had visions of replacing every single line in the car but when I took many of the front lines off they were in such good condition I felt it pointless to replace them. This lead me to believe that the rear lines, which had been undercoated along with everything else, might not be so bad after all. And they have the factory mounting and straight, smooth lines. It turns out while I might as well change the rear hose, the lines look perfectly fine.

You do need to make sure you have the valve that introduces a slight delay on the front brakes so the rear stabilize the car by introducing drag on the rear axle first. This is the cast iron block that is mounted to the Master Cylinder on the bolt that connects the MC to the Power Booster. I think I got mine from Inline Tube.

As for the size of the thread, I can't quite remember. I ended up cleaning up my distribution block and just painted it before putting it back. It seems to work fine, thankfully.

I have a Hydroboost hydraulic Power Booster coming in tomorrow which will be a significant upgrade in braking power while solving my little vacuum problem that has had me growing an enormous right leg of late... turns out the cam is a bit too aggressive to power the vacuum booster. I suspect it is partially due to the massive braking requirements of these cars. The specs on the cam do support vacuum boosters, but perhaps only in the smaller A-body cars.

Not that I am bothered, Hydroboost will give me rock solid feel and fantastic power. The Eldorado I bought for parts had fantastic brake feel even after 33 years. I ended up finding a hydroboost unit online and am going to have the Eldorado unit rebuilt so I can use it in my 68. I will convert any other cars I get to Hydroboost in the future if it performs anywhere near as good as I expect.

Of course it will be anything but stock... but such a small price to pay for such performance!

Good luck in your efforts. Now that I have my car back on the road, I feel for you. These cars are truly amazing!

[Twilight Fenrir]

I ended up with a similar conclusion regarding the rear brake lines. I bought a rear hose but when I looked at the hose in place it looked decent enough and a royal pain to clean up so I left it for the upcoming winter refresh. I also had visions of replacing every single line in the car but when I took many of the front lines off they were in such good condition I felt it pointless to replace them. This lead me to believe that the rear lines, which had been undercoated along with everything else, might not be so bad after all. And they have the factory mounting and straight, smooth lines. It turns out while I might as well change the rear hose, the lines look perfectly fine.

You do need to make sure you have the valve that introduces a slight delay on the front brakes so the rear stabilize the car by introducing drag on the rear axle first. This is the cast iron block that is mounted to the Master Cylinder on the bolt that connects the MC to the Power Booster. I think I got mine from Inline Tube.

Well, I was refering to the stainless lines I'm replacing all the rubber components, I plan to put DOT5 fluid in when I do this. And the old fluid can sometimes stick to the inside of the rubber bits, and they don't mix well.

As for the valve portion, that's the first I've heard of such a thing... But, this valve is essentially everything in one package, like all valves from '71 on... it's got metering, and proportioning in it. To the best of my knowledge, there was just the master cyl, prop valve, and straight to the brakes on most cars... or are ours different?

Thanks for the reply, as always

[xgecko]

Well, since you say that the valve you are looking at includes the metering valve, you should be fine. I was unaware that this valve included it; I would have bought that valve instead. The documentation that goes with the valve sure makes it clear there is a metering valve in there. Wish I had seen that as I paid dearly for my metering valve and reused my distribution block.

I assume that since my manual calls the valve I mentioned a metering valve then the functionality is the same.

Hmmm. Perhaps when I do the 68 I will go this route.

Thanks for the info!

[68 Toro]

This proportioning valve and brake light wire cost me $ 93 from InLineTube.com