'48 Drum brakes vs. discs?

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PhoenixFear

Senior Member
How well do the '48 juice brakes stop? My dad's '33 Ford pickup with a V8 in it has these brakes all around. Chances are I'll want to change the drums, I'll still see if they are turnable but I know one of them isn't looking too good.

I was comparing prices of the drums to just changing out to a disc brake setup in front, I am kind of a stickler when it comes to brakes. Would it be worth it to change to a disc brake setup in front or just redo the drums? The only real downside to discs is that I won't be able to use the wire rims, however if the discs are a much better upgrade I could live without wires. Thanks.
 
You can replace the front or front and rear to new Bendix self-energizing drum
brakes. Will work with the existing drums or new drums if existing are too far
gone, so can also keep the wire wheels. PM me for more info...
 
The hot ticket back in the day was to use Lincoln/Bendix backing plates & brake shoes on the front with the 39-48 type standard Ford 12 inch drums. Reproductions are still made of the 39 Lincoln set ups. The back was OK with standard Ford/Lockheed types if a fellow didn't want to spend too much time & money on the Lincolns. This gave more than enough stopping power for the light weight cars & trucks of the 30s. There are still a lot of restorers that just use the regular Ford/Lockheed types all the way around since they require less maintenance than the old mechanical brakes the early Fords came with.

In the late 50s & 60s the finned aluminum drums started showing up on the early Fords but you can only see them if the fenders are off. They don't really stop a whole lot better than the Lincoln or later Ford/Bendix brakes did.


Street Rods go with the billet and the disks. Most of us old hounds stick with the drums out of tradition. They were good enough for grandps so they're good enough for me.

Kerby
 
Talk to Ralph and the guy's @ ECi they got a great catalog as well. I got front disc for the 39 and will invest this spring for lincoln drums in the rear.

I have a 77 F150 and the disc set up for the 39 uses the same rotors with adapters for my 39 spindles:D
 
I'll look into ECi. Speedway makes an almost complete front disc setup to bolt on for about $320, that's why I was asking. Looks like all it is missing is the master cylinder. Seems that since I have been finding the '48 style drums go for about $100 each, just having two drums, I'm assuming wheel cylinders and shoes probably will almost equal the cost of the conversion.
I was told this truck was converted to the '48 style drums, it is juice front and rear so no mechanical stuff I suppose. I know it probably worked great back in those days, but with the fact that I don't really trust anybody on the road and wanting to drive freeways, I'd like something reliable. However if the '48 drums are good enough to stop the truck, I don't see why not keeping them.
 
My 39 was the first year for juice brakes. If my truck had the original motor and bed I would have left it completly original. I'm glad I have what I got with a 59AB and disc. My brakes were more work to clean up and replace with new parts. The disc I have now will stop on a dime.

The road's here in Maine and new england kinda suck in the spring with the frost heaves and if I gotta stop quick I don't wanna hope on a 70 year old design.:( I'm not gonna drive 100 miles a year in parades and a few weekends this truck will see America again so gotta have stopping power!
 
Here is a pic of the rear backing plate, not sure if this helps.
Picture087-1.jpg

As far as converting to disc, I would really like to have decent stopping power. I am still thinking of going this route. It is a tough decision though because I love the wire wheels. It looks like Speedway now makes a disc conversion that can still use the wires, however it is in my opinion too expensive to be very practical.
 
PhoenixFear said:
How well do the '48 juice brakes stop? My dad's '33 Ford pickup with a V8 in it has these brakes all around. Chances are I'll want to change the drums, I'll still see if they are turnable but I know one of them isn't looking too good.

I was comparing prices of the drums to just changing out to a disc brake setup in front, I am kind of a stickler when it comes to brakes. Would it be worth it to change to a disc brake setup in front or just redo the drums? The only real downside to discs is that I won't be able to use the wire rims, however if the discs are a much better upgrade I could live without wires. Thanks.
Click to expand...


OK - a couple questions - by V8 you mean flattie? what is the theme of your car? what is the car's intended use? is this a street rod or a more traditional styled truck?

I'm no expert but, IMHO, for just running around town 40 style juice brakes all around or the F-1 setup upgrade for the front is fine - my avatar has the F-1 setup in front, 40 juice out back and I drive it long distance - no worries so far but I kind-of keep after things and it's a more traditional ride and a light car. Richard(EV8G) set me up with the correct hoses and such. I also like the self-energizing units - your choice.

If you are going to use OHV V8 power you might want to consider db up front - I also like the self energizing Bendix units as they would be adequate for a cruiser with some "fun" attached but a traditional bent. Once you start getting into upper HP ranges, say over 250, and you intend to bang it around a bit, I would go with DB up front.
 
Right now the truck has a '53 Merc flathead in it, basically stock. I'd like to drive this truck often if I could, however the car show I usually attend is about a half hour or so drive freeway distance from me. Maybe in the future if the flathead gives up I might consider a more modern drivetrain. My intention for this truck is to have a mild street rod out of it, nothing too crazy.
 
Regarding F-1/F-100 front brakes; they are not really compatible with original Ford or K-H wire wheels. They are only 11" diameter and any adaptor to create an adequate mounting surface for the original wheels will not be a good solution due to adverse "side effects" created in the process. Go with the new 12" Lincoln-Bendix; they can be installed with minimal extra work and they perfrom very well and can be used with original Ford drums or new USA drums. Everything on the brakes is new and the total expediture is reasonable vs. trying to "renew" used brakes. Disc brakes will perform better, but that does not mean they are best for your needs, especially since you want to keep the original wire wheels. If you were building a street rod that would contain alot of more modern/aftermarket stuff, then certainly disc brakes would be the way to go, but still would not permit using the original wire wheels.
 
Your stopping power also depends on tire size. Any of the early Ford brakes will slid the
600 or 700 16 tires.
 
I'm still on the fence on what to do. I was pretty much set on disc brakes up front but then I realized the truck would look weird with the fender-mounted wire spare and smoothie rims. I could use a small smoothie rim for the fender but I'm still not sure if that will work fitment-wise.
Basically my dilemma is this. I'm planning on driving this truck on freeways, some short distances but usually as a worst-case scenario I'll be wanting to drive it 20 miles or more one way. I'm not sure if the wire rims and tube tires will like the freeway speeds. I'm also not sure how the hydraulic brakes will work in case I hit traffic.
So, what are my options for keeping the wire rims vs. going to modern rims? This truck is probably going to be, at best, a mild hot rod. It isn't going to be a street rod but it isn't going to be a period correct restoration either.
I looked into the 39 Lincoln Bendix setup, it's quite a bit pricey for me.
I have a long time before the brakes become an issue, however I'm trying to get ideas now so that when the time comes I'll know a lot more of what to do. Thanks.
 
If I were in a brake quandry, I'd pay close attention to Richard Lacy (Richard EV8G). He's "The Man" as regards old Ford brakes. FWIW.
 
Unless you ride the brakes on mountain roads, you'll not have an advantage with disc over drums. Your limiting factor is tire traction, as your vehicle is so lightweight that you'll be skidding rubber no matter what system you use. Now, if you had a new fangled anti-skid system, that would be a considerable advantage.
 
So if I go with a disc brake setup, more modern rims and radial tires, would that provide a much better improvement in ride quality and braking or not worth the hassle? Reason I am asking all this is because I do live near mountains and drive all over, no doubt I'll be curious to see if I can drive this truck to some scenic places. I just want it to be safe about it. I was thinking of trying to upgrade the setup in it now with a booster but it looks as though a booster won't fit with the stock clutch setup and everything.
 
40cpe said:
Do the disc setups make the track wider in the front?
Click to expand...
I've been wondering that too. Even if the track was wider I'm sure people just make up the difference by having a smaller width rim with a smaller backspace up front and a wider rim with more backspace in the rear to even things out.
 
If you look at costs, the disc setup does not cost any more than the new bendix style backing plates for $475 and new drums for $250. I just put front discs on my otherwise stock 36 woodie. You do have to round up some squareback spindles. I got my brackets from ECI and bought the rotors and calipers locally to save postage. Brackets are around $200, bearings $100 and discs/calipers about $75 a wheel if I remember correctly. Squarebacks cost me $125. No reason you couldn't use a steelie for a spare. You won't get much sympathy for discs on this forum. Be sure and use a dual MC.

I went with the new bendix backing plates and new drums on the back. I would put discs on the back if I could find some that fit a stock rear end, apparently no such luck.

https://sites.google.com/site/mrtexascitrus/home/hydraulicbrakes

PhoenixFear said:
So if I go with a disc brake setup, more modern rims and radial tires, would that provide a much better improvement in ride quality and braking or not worth the hassle? Reason I am asking all this is because I do live near mountains and drive all over, no doubt I'll be curious to see if I can drive this truck to some scenic places. I just want it to be safe about it. I was thinking of trying to upgrade the setup in it now with a booster but it looks as though a booster won't fit with the stock clutch setup and everything.
Click to expand...

No more hassle to put discs on than drums. I did however have to use a narrower battery with the dual MC and modify the battery holder. If you want a booster you would probably have to relocate the battery.
 
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Speedway sells an entire disc brake setup for the front for $320, or their basic kit is $100. The calipers and that stuff I can get dirt cheap locally. Either way it is a lot cheaper than even rebuilding the hydraulic brake setup in my opinion.
I'm not sure if my battery tray makes any difference, it is mounted under the passenger side. I don't have the stock pedals, unfortunately I have a swinging pedal setup that I plan to ditch for something else.
This is still in the planning stage. I'd just rather come up with a setup that works for me rather than just rebuilding the brakes that are in it now and hating it. I wouldn't know how this setup is to begin with, it may work just fine.
 
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