We understand that the traditional straight axle hot rodder is going to want to keep the look of early Ford brakes and their finned drums on their Model A or 32 roadster if at all possible. However, we know there is a large base of builders that want their classic looks but with modern handling, braking, and comfort. Face it, if your hot rod is a miserable ride that will not stop you are not going to want to drive it. We get it. For those enthusiasts, a small amount of leeway in their hot rod's traditional looks is acceptable to make it a fun long-distance cruiser that can be safely operated in today's traffic. One of the top safety upgrades we see is updating these straight axle hot rods with front disc brake kits. Speedway Motors offers several disc brake conversion kit options to get the job done on your spindles, and if you do not have spindles for your hot rod straight axle setup, well, we have those as well!
Most of our straight axle disc brake kits ship complete with everything you need, but we know a lot of our customers have spare parts from previous builds or wish to make their disc brake upgrade stand out with custom calipers and rotors from alternative sources. Many have asked us to create a basic conversion kit with just the caliper adapter bracket and mounting hardware required. We have listened and this caliper bracket kit for on 1949-1954 GM car spindles is just the ticket. Why buy a complete kit when you are planning to upgrade to an aluminum caliper and a braided Teflon -3 AN brake hose for example? You are buying parts you will never use just to sit on a shelf in your garage forever. With our bracket kit you get just the specialized conversion parts you need and nothing more, leaving the rotor, caliper, brake hose, and so on up to you, saving you money.
These brackets are a direct fit to GM 1949-1954 car spindles but will not work with same year GM truck spindles. Machine work is required to resize the inner and outer bearing surfaces of the spindle pin, shorten the spindle pin, and rethread the retaining nut threads to properly use original spindles with this brake kit. An inner bearing and seal adapter is required to be welded in place to properly space the rotor and is included with this kit. If you do not have the means to machine and weld your original spindles for your project, or you do not have any original spindles to use that is not a problem either, as we offer a beautiful set of forgedthat include new king pins with installed bushings that are already modified for our brake kits to help you finish your project. Because the original GM steering arms will not work for a straight axle conversion you will need to update to one of our GM spindletoo, especially if you are using a drop axle, as aftermarket steering arms will save a lot of time and frustration in this regard.
This bracket kit will add 8-1/2 inches overall to your straight axle's center-to-center distance of your king pins when used with the specified rotors and calipers. Meaning, if you are running a 48-inch axle, your overall width once installed will be 56-1/2 inches. This may be more or less than your current setup depending upon current brake package and wheel spacers. This kit requires a minimum of a 14-inch wheel; however, we recommend at least a 15-inch wheel with a 2.80-inch hub I.D. that is lug-centric for proper clearance.
To complete your installation, you will need the previously mentioned 1978-1988 GM "Midsize"calipers along with 1973-1977 GM "Midsize"11-inch disc brake rotors. Standard use the GM 5x4-3/4 wheel stud pattern with 7/16-20 thread studs, but we offer a compatible disc brake rotor in the with 1/2-20 thread studs as well. In addition, you will need a pair of inner and outer wheel bearings/races with seals available in kit form for the or the , a , and a pair of to complete the kit.
You will need to replace the inner and outer wheel bearing races installed in the Ford disc brake rotors you purchase with the new races we specified above for this kit. The GM rotor retains the original wheel bearing races that come preinstalled in the new rotor. While there are several methods to install the bearing races, the easiest way is with a. It is a very handy tool for removing and installing bearing races and bearing seals. Everything else in the kit will install with traditional hand tools any hot rodder will surely have in their toolbox.
The final piece of the installation puzzle will be your caliper's brake hoses. This kit does not include hoses because we offer so many options in SAE 7/16-20 fluid port threads. You will need to determine your overall hose length needed before you can order the correct brake hose for your installation. We offer plenty ofavailable to suit your specific build style and clearance requirements. Speedway Motors also offersthat may aid in routing your caliper fluid lines while providing a cleaner look that keeps your brake hoses away from your straight axle's front suspension.
Adding disc brakes to your pre-war straight axle hot rod has never been easier thanks to Speedway Motors and the value you get for your money means more budget left over for those T-bucket parts you need! Ordering our brake bracket kit provides just the essentials for your straight axle disc brake conversion and allows you to customize your front disc brake upgrade as you wish without wasting money or parts.
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This kit will not work with stock 1949-54 steering arms. Not to be installed on stock 1949-54 Chevy vehicle front ends. To be used only on street rod tube front axles when using 1949-54 Chevy spindles commonly used on Model T and Model A to 1936 Ford front ends.
Summary: Perfect for on 1935 Chevy with wilwood brake calipers
Yes, I recommend this product.
Summary: These fit perfect and are somewhat universal side to side and fron or back of rotor. I again would use these. Quality product.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Summary: i have used these in the past and found them to be a good product that is why i ordered them again for this build.
Cons: None
Pros: Easy Install Well Made
Yes, I recommend this product.