Eldorado brake calipers
- gmrocket
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 9:49 am
- TOA Membership Number: 880
- Years Owned: 1967 Toronado Deluxe - owned this car since 1995 and am the second owner. Sadly it was cosmetically gorgeous but mechanically and electrically a mess when I got it. It was a feature car at the 1997 Olds Centennial but still wasn't running right then until Sparky Kalkhoff and I swapped out the wrong cam for the correct original. Everything electrical was repaired over the years until the point where the cosmetics became a mess. It's now undergoing its second restoration with lots of new metal to address years of rot courtesy of its Northeast PA roots.
- Location: Mississippi
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
Definitely easy enough to swap the Eldo lowers in so I’ll just plan to do that. Appreciate it, Mikel!
Gregg L
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe
- gmrocket
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 9:49 am
- TOA Membership Number: 880
- Years Owned: 1967 Toronado Deluxe - owned this car since 1995 and am the second owner. Sadly it was cosmetically gorgeous but mechanically and electrically a mess when I got it. It was a feature car at the 1997 Olds Centennial but still wasn't running right then until Sparky Kalkhoff and I swapped out the wrong cam for the correct original. Everything electrical was repaired over the years until the point where the cosmetics became a mess. It's now undergoing its second restoration with lots of new metal to address years of rot courtesy of its Northeast PA roots.
- Location: Mississippi
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
Goofy question here for those in the know as I start collecting parts for my front-end rebuild: any thoughts on using drilled/slotted rotors vs. standard one-each smooth ones? Rock Auto has Dynamic Friction drilled and slotted rotors for about $70/each. Seems like a no-brainer to spring a few extra bucks to better help our behemoths stop.
Gregg L
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe
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- Posts: 136
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:26 am
- TOA Membership Number: 100
- Location: New Haven, CT
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
In my experience slotted rotors are noisier and tend to generate more vibrations.
- gmrocket
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 9:49 am
- TOA Membership Number: 880
- Years Owned: 1967 Toronado Deluxe - owned this car since 1995 and am the second owner. Sadly it was cosmetically gorgeous but mechanically and electrically a mess when I got it. It was a feature car at the 1997 Olds Centennial but still wasn't running right then until Sparky Kalkhoff and I swapped out the wrong cam for the correct original. Everything electrical was repaired over the years until the point where the cosmetics became a mess. It's now undergoing its second restoration with lots of new metal to address years of rot courtesy of its Northeast PA roots.
- Location: Mississippi
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
Thanks Mikel - my only experience with them is on the various BMW M cars I’ve owned over the years.
Gregg L
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe
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- Posts: 9
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2022 6:16 am
- TOA Membership Number: 0
- Years Owned: Would like to aquire 1966,'67 or '68.
'66 Toronado brake calipers
I'm looking to upgrade my front drums to discs, will they fit with the original wheels/rims, or will i need to get another set??
- Otto Skorzeny
- Posts: 1720
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:41 pm
- TOA Membership Number: 0
- Years Owned: 1966 Toronado
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
1966 wheels won't work with disc brakes.
I wouldn't consider disc brakes to be an upgrade.
Most people think that discs provide a shorter stopping distance. This is not true. In many cases, disc brakes result in longer stopping distances. Dump trucks, semis, etc. all use drum brakes for this reason.
The only advantage that disc brakes have over drums is that they don't overheat as readily with repeated high speed braking. Unless you plan to race or autocross your Toronado, a disc brake conversion is a waste of time and money in my opinion.
Properly set up and adjusted drums on a '66 Toronado provide all the stopping power you'll need for normal driving.
I wouldn't consider disc brakes to be an upgrade.
Most people think that discs provide a shorter stopping distance. This is not true. In many cases, disc brakes result in longer stopping distances. Dump trucks, semis, etc. all use drum brakes for this reason.
The only advantage that disc brakes have over drums is that they don't overheat as readily with repeated high speed braking. Unless you plan to race or autocross your Toronado, a disc brake conversion is a waste of time and money in my opinion.
Properly set up and adjusted drums on a '66 Toronado provide all the stopping power you'll need for normal driving.
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- Posts: 107
- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 11:01 am
- TOA Membership Number: 0
- Years Owned: 1966 Toronado
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
I agree with what Otto said. Due to all the clatter about how terrible the drums brakes are on our Toronados, I replaced every component of the braking system on my car. I now find that braking is the least of my issues with the car.
Marty, St. Louis, MO
Marty, St. Louis, MO
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- Posts: 136
- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:26 am
- TOA Membership Number: 100
- Location: New Haven, CT
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
I don't do three panic stops in a row or drive down mountains without engine braking, so brake fade is not a big problem for me.
In my '66 everything was in good order, but the biggest difference I noticed was in threshold braking. It is much easier to accomplish with disk brakes than with drum brakes that self-energize at different rates.
But to each his own.
In my '66 everything was in good order, but the biggest difference I noticed was in threshold braking. It is much easier to accomplish with disk brakes than with drum brakes that self-energize at different rates.
But to each his own.
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- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:31 am
- TOA Membership Number: 263
- Years Owned: 1967 Toronado deluxe
Re: Eldorado brake calipers
There are several brake service companies who can rebuild any old car drum brakes to modern standards. The reason old car drums stop our toros like "an old car" is the materials and set up. Modern performance brakes in Semi's are using modern high friction pad composition and turned in equipment to match, exactly the arc of the lathe surfaced drums. This process is not cheap but is way better than just new shoes, which only come in the lowest level of friction material. The drum set up, by the way, has a much greater swept area than the period discs, which is why it was used in the first place. We are upgrading our rear drums this way, but converting to modern front discs to just bring the brakes up to date. The downside is of course wheels to go over the new disc brake setup.
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