More on brakes, no excuses

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » December 14, 2006, 11:33 am

Brakes.
1950-60's technology. You have trouble stopping in a 40 acre field.
The least glamorous thing on our trucks. Nobody sees them, there's no paint or chrome.
Out of sight, out of mind...... until that rice burner swerves in front of you and slams on his brakes and you are forced to mate a Slick with a Honda.
That is NOT a pretty picture to contemplate.

My personal opinion is that brakes are the most important system on your Slick. More important than a rusty cab, more important than a well built 390 with tri-power, a new stereo; more important than anything else on the truck.
So, here is my new sermon.
Before you pay one thin dime for anything else, get those brakes working (rebuilt).
Unfortunately for us, our trucks are 40+ years old and regular brake fluid has a nasty propensity for absorbing moisture from the air.
Water in the brake lines for over 40 years does two things.
It rusts the steel lines from the inside and causes the rubber lines to swell shut.
I challenge every one of you who hasn't yet replaced the entire brake system, with front disks if possible, to take a rubber line off your truck and cut it in two and take a look at the fluid passage. Front or rear.
I'm betting you a cold adult beverage that its swollen almost completely shut.
Thus, when you put the brake on, the fluid does not want to return to the master cylinder and keeps the brake shoes pressed, however slightly, against those expensive brake drums we have so much trouble getting.
And to make things much much worse, the steel lines will probably break like a cheap matchstick if you try to bend them with your hands.
Stick your finger in the bottom of the resevoir of the master cylinder and see what kend of goop comes out on it. Go ahead, try it and tell me what you find.

Folks, a coil of 3/16" tubing costs about $20. You can generally borrow a tubing flare tool and the rubber lines cost about $12 each.
You 65-66 guys are lucky because retro disks are available at your local junk yard.... CHEAP.
Us early model owners don't have it so good, but even if you have to buy a kit from ECI or the likes, You can bring your brake system up to 2006 specs. for less than $600 for everything. I even use DOT 5 silicone fluid that DOES NOT absorb moisture.
I know it sounds like a lot of cash, but what is your truck really worth?
Like the advertisement says, "Just do it."
Can I get an A-men?
U@ss

BTW, denatured alcohol can be used to partially clean lines of regular brake fluid. It will also absorb some of the moisture when you flush it out.
Just a thought, but no replacement for the rebuild/ upgrade you need.

64Ranger · Post by **64Ranger** » December 14, 2006, 12:39 pm

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » December 14, 2006, 12:45 pm

AMEN!

Ford4jack · Post by **Ford4jack** » December 14, 2006, 1:22 pm

Skip you are so right on that.

The kid i got my truck from had been driving it everywhere.
When i took it for a test drive it had one working brake the front drivers side.
I do not see how he was able to do it

Its got discs in the front and drums in the rear now with all new parts
I like the idea of being able to stop

I do have a question about silcone fluid
If I replaced my brake fluid with silicone fluid could i do a flush & fill or would i need to dissemble and clean everything.This is on a new and unused system.

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » December 14, 2006, 1:38 pm

Jack.
If the system is new, you can just flush with the denatured alcohol and refill with DOT 5. Just leave the system open a day or so, so things will dry out before you refill and bleed.
Actually, the DOT 5 is just my personal preference because I'm lazy and I'm not a road racer (silicone fluid has a lower boiling point than standard fluid. Slick drivers would never normally reach those heat limits.).
If you will flush and refill with standard DOT 3 fluid once a year you can eliminate the corrosion and rusting but you have to do it once a year.
Fix them brakes

U@ss

BTW, 97% Isopropyl alcohol (from a pharmacy) might work but I'd check it first on some samples, but its not denatured alcohol.

F-100XL · Post by **F-100XL** » December 14, 2006, 2:21 pm

Uncle Skip,
You are soooo right!!!
Take you back to the early 60`s , on an old drag strip, with a 1/4 mile of track for acceleration and 1/4 mile of shut down area. You go thru the traps at 132(+or-) mph , hit the brakes fairly hard and the truck starts slowing real good, for approximately 400-500 feet. Then, all of a suddent, you realise that you are standing up on the brake pedal, and the only braking that you have is the compression of the engine , slowing you down! I kept all of the escape routes cleaned out for all of the local tracks, free of charge. This was with new brakes on a new truck, weighing 3`900 lbs.
Now when you add 44 + years to your truck, with very little maintenence, don`t blame your truck if it takes its time"woahing", when you have to stop right quick.
Thanks for listening to an old "fart",
Bill.

Mellvis · Post by **Mellvis** » December 14, 2006, 2:37 pm

So, for disk's is it a must to change the twin beams on the 65 and 66, or can you just change spindles?

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » December 14, 2006, 2:42 pm

You can just swap the brakes without swapping the whole I-beam. Check the tech. articles for an excellent how to.

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » December 14, 2006, 2:47 pm

Mellvis.
Just get the spindles and related hardware off of a later model truck. The instructions are in the how to section.
One other thing. If the truck you're using as a donor has front sway bars be sure to get the radius arms and I beams from it.
BroncoTom and others are the resident experts on these changes.
The sway bars are another story, but I think they make almost as much difference in the handling as disk brakes.
U@ss

Post by **Greg D** » December 14, 2006, 2:51 pm

AMEN! At the very least do as I did with my 66 when I FIRST got it, the 66 came off the flatbed on a Thursday and I had all new lines and dual MC on it by that Saturday afternoon! I converted to a dual MC and ran all new lines before I put 20 miles on the truck. I also didn't put my foot in the thing til after this was done.

ripsnorter · Post by **ripsnorter** » December 14, 2006, 3:33 pm

but but brother Skip, what if I cant afford to buy new disc brake kits and I've got a '62?

I'm just a lowly sinner with little to no cash, ah caint afford to tithe to the church of new brakes. Heck I'm doing downright good just to have put new shoes on and cleaned everything up best I could. At least all 4 wheels actually slow down

(brake shoes, not mine)

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » December 14, 2006, 6:41 pm

Rip.
That is a truly world class sob story :lol:

How much is your truck worth?
Start saving a few bucks here and there and you'd be suprised how fast you get the cash.
I have a manly man's straight axle truck too, and I did the disk brakes. I'm going to post a parts list in the "how to" section so you can start buying parts a little at a time. It don't hurt so bad that way.
But how bad would it hurt if you totaled your Slick because of bad brakes?
Merry Christmas to all of you.
U@ss

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » December 14, 2006, 7:00 pm

F-100XL wrote:Uncle Skip,
You are soooo right!!!
Take you back to the early 60`s , on an old drag strip, with a 1/4 mile of track for acceleration and 1/4 mile of shut down area. You go thru the traps at 132(+or-) mph , hit the brakes fairly hard and the truck starts slowing real good, for approximately 400-500 feet. Then, all of a suddent, you realise that you are standing up on the brake pedal, and the only braking that you have is the compression of the engine , slowing you down! I kept all of the escape routes cleaned out for all of the local tracks, free of charge. This was with new brakes on a new truck, weighing 3`900 lbs.
Now when you add 44 + years to your truck, with very little maintenence, don`t blame your truck if it takes its time"woahing", when you have to stop right quick.
Thanks for listening to an old "fart",
Bill.

I know that feeling. Back when I was a kid, I had my 66 over 100 plenty of times...at that speed, it felt like I had greased brakes. The only thing slowing me down was the engine & the wind. :lol:

I actually cracked the braking surface on one of my front drums in 1984, making a big flapper out of it. I hadn't seen any info out there yet on disc swaps, but after carefully measuring a 76 against mine, I decided it could be done.
A few days later, I had disc brakes...

[albumimg]935[/albumimg]

Notice all the purty colors...kids will do that. :roll:

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » December 14, 2006, 7:44 pm

Bill.................
I bought a brand new '64 GTO coupe with the 4-speed 3x2 389 and it would smoke 'em.
We drag raced out on the new unfinished US 19 from Albany, Ga. to Tallahassee, Fla. and after more than a few white knuckle stops I gave up.
Problem was, it had 8" drums in the front and when they got hot, it wouldn't stop between here and New York City.
Talk about tense moments, gritted teeth, and some serious downshifting. My right leg is twice the size of the left one just because of that car.
I kept it about 6 months and sold it. The guy that bought that car was a mechanic at the Pontiac house and was going to put the Bonniville finned drums on it. He didn't. He hit a bridge with the passenger side and totaled the car.
Brakes guys, brakes.
U@ss

ras4434 · Post by **ras4434** » December 14, 2006, 9:01 pm

I am envious. I havea 65 f100 4x4 going through build up (or should I say putting back togeather). I would like disc brakes but from what I understand there are no fix's for this application. If I am wrong and there is a disc brake application PLEASE CORRECT ME! My F100 4x2 is set for the surgery this spring.

cdherman · Post by **cdherman** » December 14, 2006, 10:36 pm

Amen

For them that can't get disc brakes, I would point out that skip was not saying that drums had to go, just the old lines and rubber parts. New lines, a dual cylinder master, careful turning of the drums and understanding how drum brakes work will get you good enough brakes for your usual driving.

Just careful in special situations, like towing, downhill runs, drag racing and water.......

MadMaxetc · Post by **MadMaxetc** » December 14, 2006, 10:38 pm

If you don't have the cash do what I did. Ask for it for christmas (or the parts)

There was a guy in my church that hated kids (like me) but when he heard that I wanted to fix up the truck I just got he realy warmed up.

We built a 302 and got all the brake parts together and on the way from work to his house I hit a UPS truck that cut me off! I have yet to fix my truck (10 years latter!)

I returned his genorosity by givving the parts to another kid a few years back to fix his brakes.

If you redo the shoes, flush and refill and the rubber lines, that should hold you over till you can get ALL the parts and do it right.

Jarrod · Post by **Jarrod** » December 14, 2006, 10:56 pm

I know it might be pricy but here is company that has developed a way to put disks on a closed knuckle front end. It uses some chevy parts but I think with enough counceling you can learn to live with it

:lol:

http://www.blackbirdscustomtrucks.com/i ... l#balldisc
LOL

iontkendall · Post by **iontkendall** » December 14, 2006, 11:30 pm

You can also find an axle off of a 72 - 79 f-150 4x4 that has disc brakes on it. Pretty easy swap switching out the axle. IMHO.

Ion Kendall

Post by **Greg D** » December 15, 2006, 1:08 am

Again here us manly straight axel guys on limited budgets can still do what I did with my 66 and at least run new lines and split the system with a dual MC. By far not the best choice but still a significant temporary solution to stock Slick brakes. Plus the hard work on the way to disc will already be done this way. Quite simply go to the parts store and get a 1970 F100 MC, a decent tubing bender (under 20bucks) and some lines and then "get r done".