1936 Sedan brakes conversion

hoffernsp

hoffernsp

Member
Have a lead on a decent semi restored 1936 four door sedan. The brakes are original non juice mechanical. Is there a reasonable way to convert to disk or drums?
hoffernsp
 
Probably the most reasonable (money wise) would be to find a '39 that is being street rodded and used those parts including the pedal assy. .You will have to change the front spindles to '37 and later.Using the '39 drums will allow you to retain the wide 5 bolt pattern.Speedway has a reasonable front disc kit but you still need to change the spindles and get adapters to run your wheels.I did exactly what you are wanting to do on a '35 and a '36 a few yrs ago.
 
Your 1936 ford mechanical brakes will work very well if they are up to scratch and have the correct soft woven linings. I have seen at least three 36 fords with hydraulics fitted which wernt as good as the original mechanicals. The moral to this story is that everything has to be engineered correctly. Regards, Kevin.
 
koates said:
Your 1936 ford mechanical brakes will work very well if they are up to scratch and have the correct soft woven linings. I have seen at least three 36 fords with hydraulics fitted which wernt as good as the original mechanicals. The moral to this story is that everything has to be engineered correctly. Regards, Kevin.
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yup i still have mechanical s on my pickup, if you want juice brakes, it will cost you a lot of cash
 
I'd go with the Lincoln/Bendix type brakes that are reproduced rather than the Ford/Lockheed types. Disks are for street rods or resto mods in my book but folks go that way all the time.

One thing you have to keep in mind too is that the mechanical brakes work well enough for a fair weather driver and you don't have to worry about the brake fluid going bad. Properly adjusted they work well enough but it can take some work to get them there.
 
My avatar 36 has original rod brakes with floaters installed & can lock up all 4 wheels at any speed. Flathead Teds floaters are very nice.
Cheers
Tony
 
I have used the F1 brakes on 33/34s. The F100 setups are very similar, just different hubs and drums. Fairly easy to adapt the only issue these days is availability of the hubs and backing plates, all the other parts are common parts used over a number of years (most into the mid 80s).
 
I have stock mechanical brakes on my '35 fordor, except for adding floaters/equalizers at each wheel, and this set-up will stop my car as well as any '39-'48 Ford I have driven that had a stock hydraulic system. The main thing I've found is you must keep the mechanicals adjusted properly for best braking results, but the best thing is no concern about hydraulic leaks ;).
If I was wanting to go hydraulic on my 35's, I would go directly to the Lincoln Bendix brake system, as someone else already mentioned.
 
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