Disc Brakes V Bendix Brakes-Which performs best??

W

waynet

Senior Member
Guy's, I am unfamiliar with these older Bendix self energizing brakes. Should I convert to boosted front disc brakes, on our 1948 Mercury M47 (Ford F1) pickup, or keep the older self energizing drum brakes? I cant seem to shake the "possible" drum brake fade from my head at the moment.
 
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which ever way you go you will need to do a total system change front and rear as brakes are a balanced system [front and rear] you need to do the sums which often have hidden costs such as new tyres and wheels. Yes discs do have less fade but often dont work that well when there cold not totally familiar with your current brake system but something as simple as a remote booster [VH40/44] can be quite effective or even changing the lining material can change how your brakes preform. Brake fade is caused by linnings overheating how and why there are too many factors to go into here and can often depend on where you live ie live in hilly country your brakes work harder and longer than the wide open spaces find a brake specialist and talk to them it cant hurt .Also check to see if anyone has been in there before and changed something something as simple as changeing cylinder size as little as a 16th" has major effects and check all your flex lines if they have gone soft they will balloon and cause mass dramas and near impossible to diagnose [rule of thumb change every 10 years ]
 
ps me again! check with your local authorities changing brake systems can require you to totally reengineer the vehicle and cause dramas with getting the vehicle registered for road use here in Aus such a change would also remove any chance of historic plates
 
aussie merc said:
ps me again! check with your local authorities changing brake systems can require you to totally reengineer the vehicle and cause dramas with getting the vehicle registered for road use here in Aus such a change would also remove any chance of historic plates
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Maybe stick with the original self energizing with softer pads, and a booster, do you think? Lots of steep hills where I live!
 
I'd say stick with what you have and make sure they are in good condition. After all, the brakes you have are used as an upgrade on earlier models. A booster won't make them work any better, just reduce the load you're feeling at the pedal. You need to drive carefully on those steep hills and make sure your gearbox will hold you in a low gear. Let the engine do the braking and use the brakes as little as possible.
How did people drive about in that area in the 1950s? On drum brakes 99.9% of the time I bet.
 
softer material maybe not however booster and slightly harder material possibly the booster will reduce the pedal effort for the same brake pressure so in theory you should be able to generate higher pressure's increasing shoe to drum force which will allow you to use a harder material with a higher operating temp range so better long term braking DOWNSIDE; higher pressures will place considerable more strain on hydraulic hoses and cupseals so you will need to check the condition of everything not just bang a booster on
 
Make sure they are adjusted properly, too.

I know others have switched to discs in the front. I am sure someone will chime in later.
 
This 1954 truck has disc brakes on the front and drums on the rear.
It was a huge improvement. You could instantly feel the improved stopping ability..
 

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Did a front disc conversion on my '51 Merc. over 15 years ago.
The '49-'51 Merc. brakes are virtually identical to pickup brakes.
This is just a peek at what is involved in just installing the discs and booster
Big improvement and no regrets.
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You don't need a booster even if you go to disc brakes. I replaced the front brakes in my 54 Ford with 80 Granada discs without power booster and the brakes work fine. I doubt a 48 pickup is any heavier than my 54 Ford.


If your looking for a conversion kit, go to Engineered Components (ECI) in Connecticut as they have many conversion kits. I'm pretty sure they have a kit for a pickup using the stock wheels.
 
51 MERC-CT said:
Did a front disc conversion on my '51 Merc. over 15 years ago.
The '49-'51 Merc. brakes are virtually identical to pickup brakes.
This is just a peek at what is involved in just installing the discs and booster
Big improvement and no regrets.
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picture.php

picture.php

picture.php
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What brand conversion kit did you use?
 
waynet said:
Guy's, I am unfamiliar with these older Bendix self energizing brakes. Should I convert to boosted front disc brakes, on our 1948 Mercury M47 (Ford F1) pickup, or keep the older self energizing drum brakes? I cant seem to shake the "possible" drum brake fade from my head at the moment.
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I have been driving old Fords with Bendix brakes for close to 80 years, flat country, mountain country, all year around and I have NEVER experienced "brake fade". Never. These old Fords, if well maintained are very reliable and safe as Henry built "em. Add all this extra expensive stuff you guys are talking about and still bust a brake hose. Drive 'em like they were meant to be driven back in the day, and enjoy them. If you want disc brakes, drive some modern ChiCom rice burner. Jeeeezzzz. My 2¢
 
If keeping to the original braking system would it be recommended to replace the existing single feed master cylinder with a dual feed in case of a hose burst?
 
Disc brakes are the standard throughout the world. Now 4 wheel discs seems to have taken over.

I can remember my last everyday car that had all wheel shoe type brakes. 66 Fairlane 390 - Couldn't stop worth a damn at high speeds. Next car, 68 Torino 390, ordered front discs (I think an option at that time). Much better.


36rgtop said:
Ford started using disc brakes about 1965 and I doubt that they will ever go back.
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not denying that discs have taken over for several reasons cost being one reliability being another since they self adjust but again if they aint maintained as needed they aint worth s##t so our friend asked what was available and what was involved. In the end its up to him to do his own sums and workout what's what only he knows what result he wants and how deep his pockets are. As we are all aware you can sink mega dollars and get little to no improvement and lets face it brakes and steering generally dont give you a second chance
 
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