{"id":15836,"date":"2015-06-11T16:19:56","date_gmt":"2015-06-11T23:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=15836"},"modified":"2016-11-30T15:08:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T23:08:24","slug":"converting-from-drum-to-disc-brakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/converting-from-drum-to-disc-brakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Converting From Drum to Disc Brakes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Converting
Converting from drum to disc brakes looks better and makes your car brake more efficiently.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Want to make your classic car brake more efficiently? Replace the drum brakes with disc brakes. You can do it in an afternoon.<\/p>\n

The first thing I tell people when they want to convert to disc brakes is to think about squeezing instead of pushing. If your classic car is equipped with drum brakes, when you step on the brake pedal, a part known as a wheel cylinder pushes the brake shoes outward against the brake drum to stop the car. On the other hand, when you upgrade to disc brakes on that classic car, when you step on the pedal a part known as a brake caliper causes the brake pads to squeeze the turning rotor, thus slowing and stopping the car. Discs are much more efficient than drums so it\u2019s easier to slow your strip burner down after a pass.<\/p>\n

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A Summit Racing disc brake conversion kit for a 72 Chevelle. This kit is for non-power brakes and does not include the master cylinder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Drum brakes are incredibly inefficient. Too much drag on the shoes and the drum will warp and burn, diminishing the braking efficiency. However, the shoes dragging on the drum is how we know they\u2019re properly adjusted. This drag robs you of power, causing your ETs (Elapsed Times) in the quarter to suffer. Disc brakes have what\u2019s known as a \u201ctake-up\u201d built into the system so when you release the pedal, the pads are released and no longer dragging on the rotor-no drag equals more power being used to shoot you down the track instead of overcoming that drag. Another problem with drum brakes is that they are notoriously impossible to get both sides adjusted so they create the same amount of drag.<\/p>\n

\"Converting
This Summit Racing conversion kit includes the non-power master cylinder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Converting Drum Brakes to Disc Brakes Isn\u2019t That Hard<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know. When I did my first drum-to-disc conversion, I was scared I was going to muck things up and ruin my car. I barely had the money for the kit, which meant I had no money to fix any problems I created. However, I found that if I read the instructions thoroughly a couple times before doing the work and followed along by checking out the various parts mentioned as I read, the proverbial clouds cleared and I realized it was going to be a bit time-consuming, but pretty easy. You will too. The conversion kits that are available have everything you need to do the conversion, including very detailed instructions. I\u2019m just going to try and break those instructions down into an easier to digest and understand format. So, grab your Brakleen and shop rag and let\u2019s get wrenching, shall we?<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n