Bored&Stroked
Well-known member
There is more to brakes than just the method of applying force to them (mechanical vs hydraulic). When rebuilding my original 32 mechanical brakes, I made sure to have the original shoes relined - with a woven style of lining material. This was the type of material recommended to me . . . so I had them relined as such.
The reason I bring this up is that the older style woven linings were replaced with solid/bonded type linings to not only increase the amount of friction the lining could provide, but to enhance brake fade characteristics.
As noted above, my properly setup 32 brakes had no problem stopping the car at 60 mph - the FIRST time. Or they might work quite well going down a steep hill for awhile - until they get quite hot . . . then you better be on your "A Game" and be aware of brake fade.
When I switched over to Bendix style brakes and modern linings, the brakes became much more resistant to heat/fade than before - which is important (especially on steep hill declines). Also, the later brakes seemed a lot better in a heavier rain/wet situation - probably because they don't "water soak" like the woven ones (just a guess).
If I only drove my 32 on the back roads and didn't want it to be a bit safer on the freeway (or going down steep grades), probably could have stayed with the mechanical brakes. Even though the Bendix brake conversion cost quite a bit of $$$ and time, I'm glad I did it.
The reason I bring this up is that the older style woven linings were replaced with solid/bonded type linings to not only increase the amount of friction the lining could provide, but to enhance brake fade characteristics.
As noted above, my properly setup 32 brakes had no problem stopping the car at 60 mph - the FIRST time. Or they might work quite well going down a steep hill for awhile - until they get quite hot . . . then you better be on your "A Game" and be aware of brake fade.
When I switched over to Bendix style brakes and modern linings, the brakes became much more resistant to heat/fade than before - which is important (especially on steep hill declines). Also, the later brakes seemed a lot better in a heavier rain/wet situation - probably because they don't "water soak" like the woven ones (just a guess).
If I only drove my 32 on the back roads and didn't want it to be a bit safer on the freeway (or going down steep grades), probably could have stayed with the mechanical brakes. Even though the Bendix brake conversion cost quite a bit of $$$ and time, I'm glad I did it.