No drum to disc conversion for my buick

Discussion in 'The whoa and the sway.' started by thapachuco, May 12, 2020.

  1. thapachuco

    thapachuco Well-Known Member

    I've searched high and low for a rear drum conversion for my 1967 Lesabre 4 door. Scarebirds nor Mako carries anything for my rear conversion.

    Has anyone converted their 5x5 Big Buick?

    Thanks
     
  2. mobileparts123

    mobileparts123 Well-Known Member

    Why even consider it????
    Would be a total waste of time and money IF there was such a thing... Seriously NOT needed on the Rear......
    Leave it alone.......
     
    Houmark and GSX 554 like this.
  3. Chuck Bridges

    Chuck Bridges Well-Known Member

    My Wildcat has drums on all 4 corners. Never even considered changing them. In our cars, the only advantage to disks is heat dissipation. Drums have a greater surface stopping you, plus they weigh less. Each to their own I guess. On the Youtube channel, Uncle Tony's Garage, he goes over the pros and cons of brake conversions.
     
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  4. Bens99gtp

    Bens99gtp Well-Known Member

    Lucy Fair and knucklebusted like this.
  5. Electra Bob

    Electra Bob Well-Known Member

    For what it's worth I upgraded the front disks on my '72 Electra to Wilwood D75's and vented rotors and just put new pads in the rear drums (drums were fine) and it stops no problem! The Electra is a lot of metal to stop.

    Bob
     
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  6. Bens99gtp

    Bens99gtp Well-Known Member

    Well to be honest if they locked all 4 tires up the issue wadntbthe brakes it was the tires sticking to the road...........better stopping brakevcoukd had made that situation worse.

    I used to stop from 120mph very quickly sometimes at the track in mine with 4 wheel drum........I dont have to feed flintstone it as much with 4wheel disc.

    The key with any brake system though is to not lock the tire up and slide.......once sliding the brakes cant do any more its all on the tires at that point........they both have to be up to the task and work together
     
    Chuck Bridges likes this.
  7. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    One question . Does your car have the aluminum drums on the front ?? Most LeSabres used only the cast iron drums that sucked . A cheap upgrade would be to put the Aluminum drums on the front . I don't see the need for rear Disc brake conversions . Its a Fad promoted by Saturday morning Car Shows on TV . Like LS Swaps
     
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  8. Bens99gtp

    Bens99gtp Well-Known Member


    I'm not sure I agree with this, the only basic different in my 04 yukon 2500 and 98 suburban 2500 in the braking system is the rear disc brakes and its stopping power when under load is drastically better.

    Disc brakes have much better cooling in many back to back stops. And less fading when hot. Drums shoes have more surface area of pad material but have about 50% less clamping pressure
     
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  9. Chuck Bridges

    Chuck Bridges Well-Known Member

    I like my drums. No, I am not a "right lane creep". I drive according to the traffic and leave 3 seconds between me and the car in front of me. The thing with converting, you still do not have anti-lock brakes. Disks will still lock up the wheels, leaving you sliding. Yes, I can stop faster with my F150, but it has anti-lock brakes. In the end, I find that those with problems are usually far to close to the car in front of them, or they are not paying close enough attention to the traffic. Either way, my goal with my car is restoration, not modification.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2020
  10. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    I too have "modern vehicles " with 4 wheel Discs . 2000 Silverado 2500 , 2003 Suburban and a 2004 Blazer . All have 4 wheel Discs. I also have a few 70's vehicles with Front Discs and Rear Drums . and A 69 Electra with all 4 wheel drums .

    I don't see the need to have rear discs on any of my front disc and rear drum cars . They stop fine . And as for my 69 Electra with 4 wheel drums it stops Great . But it does have the big Aluminum drums on the front . It stops just as good as my other cars with Front discs and rear drums

    And I'm not a slow poke in the right lane . But then maybe I know how to set up 4 wheel drums so they do stop .
     
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  11. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    I agree . Perhaps some drivers should practice a bit of the Social Distancing that is popular these days
     
    Chuck Bridges likes this.
  12. pbr400

    pbr400 68GS400

    If sealed beam headlights and four wheel drums were good enough for our parents (and some of us elders) they’re good enough for me. Alert, defensive driving is cheap and goes a long way!
    Patrick
     
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  13. 69GS430/TKX

    69GS430/TKX Silver Level contributor

    But when it's time to change pads versus shoes, disc brakes seem a lot easier. I hate all those springs.
     
  14. racenu

    racenu Well-Known Member

    someone has done it 7059028F-D9DE-4652-A4CA-6CA26C6768C8.jpeg F8673305-80B3-4150-A84F-7DB888F1DA50.jpeg
     
  15. Bens99gtp

    Bens99gtp Well-Known Member

    Looking through the rims that looks like a hat and rotor setup
     

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  16. racenu

    racenu Well-Known Member

    Yes it is
     

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  17. mobileparts123

    mobileparts123 Well-Known Member

    I would sincerely hope that we don't use our special rides as taxi cabs in Manhattan.... We shouldn't need to have braking to avoid pedestrians on the sidewalk (Of course, they aren't there right now, at this moment!!)
    I have old cars that can all go 100 miles an hour... But I
    Don't... I have 9 Old Cars that can stop on a nickel, all with 4 wheel drums, but I don't....
     
    Chuck Bridges likes this.
  18. Dan Hach

    Dan Hach Well-Known Member

    Many automotive advances came about not because they were better for the consumer, but because they were cheaper or easier to manufacture. Drums don't like to be wet and they do fade more than discs. But in most instances, they'll lock up the wheel just as quickly as a disc. I think the big difference has been ABS; and of course lighter cars.
     
  19. Luxus

    Luxus Gold Level Contributor

    WOW, the OP request has turned into quite the controversy here. To the OP seems like the answer to your question is the hat and rotor set up.

    Now if I may wade in to the braking controversy with my 2 cents. I view front drum brakes the same way I view points in a distributor. They worked OK back in the day when that's all you had. But there is newer technology that is far superior. When I get a car with points one of my first mods is to switch to HEI. Similarly a car with front drums will soon get converted to discs. Personally I think discs on the rear is overkill, but if someone wants to do that I'm not going to judge what they do to their car.
     
  20. Mart

    Mart Gold level member

    Power drums used to be better when real asbestos shoes were available, not the organic crap today.
     

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