Drums all the way around? or Front Disc conversion?

[greggonzo1]

I am debating redoing my drums all the way around on my 73 or just doing the front discs. I have about $600 to spend. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Greg

 

[Tito]

Sounds perfect for a disc conversion and some new consumables in the rear. Check the parts ads if you arent a junkyard junkie to find the chevy conversion parts. There usually is some there for sale (spindles and backing plates) the rest you can get at your local napa or auto zone.

 

[BIGED]

Wish I would have done it the first time" disk swap that is"

 

[Apogee]

No brainer...go discs. Good discs up front will do more for the driveability of your EB than almost any other modification IMHO.

 

[Dan74Bronc]

Agreed, discs are a necessity.

 

[greatguy57078]

I have had Broncos with both disc and drums. The two I am currently driving (68 and 74) are both front drums. I have a 76 disc Dana that will go into the 74 ASAP. The drums get the job done, but going back and forth between my 02 crewcab and the Broncos...what a difference! Go disc!

 

[blubuckaroo]

I'm not afraid of working on drums and prefer them on the rear. I've seen drums work very well on the front however the biggest issue I've seen is their pulling one way or the other because of adjustment, not arcing the linings, or whatever. Rears don't seem cause pulling as bad and provide more braking surface than discs. Don't stop with the discs. You'll want to also install one of the power assist systems too to get the most out of them. These conversions have been pretty well thought out and documented on this site.

 

[broncnaz]

Do discs up front you'll be glad you did and check out your rear brakes usually the rears dont wear out very often. I can usually put 2-3 sets of front pads on before the rear shoes need changing.

 

[rubbman]

Switching to disc was one of the best mods I Have done for my bronco!

 

[JB Fab]

Disc! For all the reasons listed above, plus they don't hold mud and water.

 

[greggonzo1]

wow..seems the general consensus is discs. My rear drums have grooves in them.

Thanks for the input.
-Greg

 

[Broncobowsher]

Disk conversion is usually cheaper then buying all the parts to properly rebuild the drums.

 

[broncohuey71]

How's that? I just started on a '71 and put new wheel cylinders, shoes and seals on the front drums for about $50. The drums looked fine so I just wire wheeled the outside and painted them.

Well, that's my first post. Maybe I should do a proper intro on the chat page as well. ;D

 

[stock1970]

my 70 has no power all drums all the way around and stops better than my 76 that has power front disk and drum rears.. but the 76 does have 33's vs. the 235's on my 70, so wheel size will effect braking alot.

 

[brian72]

there is a tech article explaining what parts you need to pull together. I got my front disk parts from a '78 f150 4x4 for $50.

 

[Tuck]

With $600 you can go disk AND add a booster. I did both to my 72 & wouldn't have it any other way. Had to do a panic stop the other day, almost put the wife into the dash. Also, at least around here, drum parts aren't on the shelf anymore so you have to order everything. Disk pads are everywhere.

 

[Broncobowsher]

How's that? I just started on a '71 and put new wheel cylinders, shoes and seals on the front drums for about $50. The drums looked fine so I just wire wheeled the outside and painted them.

Well, that's my first post. Maybe I should do a proper intro on the chat page as well. ;D

The few times I looked at redoing the front drums there were a lot more wrong then wheel cylinders and shoes. Scored spindles, drums wore past spec, siezed adjustes, rounded teeth on the star wheels, broken adjuster cables, etc. By the time I priced all the stuff to really fix the drums, I could get a pair of rotors, junkyard baking plates, reman calipers and all the other stuff for less.

 

[wayne marks]

I have '77 axles under my '74 Ranger. On my front 44 I installed '78 Thunderbird calipers. They are the same caliper that the '76-'77 EBs use but with 13% larger pistons. Stay with the '76-'77 rotors and pads. You can use all the hardware (from the ball joints out) from a '74-'79 F-150 to convert your 44 drum brakes to discs (if you can find them).

On my rear 9" I installed '78 Cadillac Seville rear calipers and pads with '76 front Jeep CJ-7 rotors, all available in a kit from BC Broncos. '78 Mustang II booster and master cylinder with bracket, again from BC Broncos.

Result: This puppy will stand on it's head. Deffinately go discs.

 

[casadejohnson]

Can't go wrong with discs. Its cheap, easy and works great. If you don't find the backing plates local, I have a set I would sell. Just shoot me a PM.