Question: 63-64 Vette Owners - Manual Drum Brakes

[hokie04]

I am considering adding pwr brakes to my car. Those of you who have done it is there any significant improvement? Currently I have to stand on the brakes. Or is that money wasted and I should convert to disc? I only drive car local and don't plan on racing the car and would kinda like to keep it original as possible. Also how safe is the single line master cyl? Am I opening a can of worms thinking about a dual cyl like the 67 used. I know the line sizes are different.

 

[Subfixer]

I'm not sure why you have to stand on the brakes to stop.... They are the same brakes that were used to stop a 63-64 Impala.

My non-power drums will just about put my eyeballs on the dashboard as long as I don't lock up the tires. I use stock brake shoes, no special compounds.

Sounds like you just need a good brake job and maybe some new rubber brake hoses, as they swell and get constricted with age.

 

[hokie04]

Thanks for you feedback! I plan on going through the brakes this winter completely even the metal lines. Maybe I should do that first and then see what they feel like before adding a power booster.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Another thing you need to check is the master cylinder. If you're not the original owner, it's possible that, at some time in the car's life, the master brake cylinder was replaced with one from a power brake car, pedal effort will go way up because the piston diameter is larger.

For normal driving around town, there's no advantage to changing to four-wheel discs as long as the existing drum brake system is in good condition.

 

[f2023]

power booster

I am considering adding pwr brakes to my car. Those of you who have done it is there any significant improvement? Currently I have to stand on the brakes. Or is that money wasted and I should convert to disc? I only drive car local and don't plan on racing the car and would kinda like to keep it original as possible. Also how safe is the single line master cyl? Am I opening a can of worms thinking about a dual cyl like the 67 used. I know the line sizes are different.

I have a 64 with a power booster. If you live in No. Va. you can come down and drive it and see the difference.

Ted

 

[hokie04]

I appreciate the offer, but I live in Blacksburg which quite a haul. My thoughts were that a booster is less than two hundred dollars and would take less effort to stop. My wife is afraid to drive it because of that. Plus when I first bought the car a couple of months ago when I when down our steep driveway the brakes would not stop even though the the brake had a full pedal. After nearly breaking the seat back pushing the pedal they suddenly worked. This happened a couple of times and hasn't happened again. The previous owner had redone the entire brake system in 1997 and basically he only drove the car a couple of hundred miles since. So I think parts had froze until I started driving the car again. That why I am going through the whole brake system again this winter. I have the same situation with the coolant system and I have also going through it this winter. Letting one sit is the worst thing you can do isn't it?

 

[ChuckG]

Something is definitely wrong with your brakes. I have drums on my 63 Corvette, and if you jam them on, they'll throw you through the windshield.

I also have drums all around on my 56 Chevy hot rod. That's one big 2 ton boat, and the drums stop it just fine.

Chuck

 

[UberXY]

My non-power drums will just about put my eyeballs on the dashboard as long as I don't lock up the tires. I use stock brake shoes, no special compounds.

mine too.

Steve
64 Coupe

 

[hokie04]

This is great new! I was thinking I would have to either spend the bucks for power brakes upgrade or even possibly front discs. Now I can use that money on other things. Thanks all for the input!

 

[stepinwolf]

Just my two cents

Under normal circumstances, drum brakes have been known to be notoriously inefficent, and unreliable. Although there are many who swear by the great performances that they obtain with their drum equipped Corvette, the majority would be better served ( not to mention safer ) with four wheel disk brakes.

It is my opinion that had they been acceptable for any performance oriented vehicles in the mid 60's, I doubt very much that GM would have thrown out the concept, and went through the trouble and expense, of converting the Corvettes to four wheel disk brakes.

I have quite a few friends who have experienced major problem with consistancy, even after having swapped out the drums, shoes, and m/cylinder, more then once.

However, as I mentioned in the title, this is only my 0.02$

Stepinwolf

 

[sub006]

Since the front brakes do 70% of the work and are primarily responsible for directional stability, many find that putting discs on the front only is quite enough for street use. You can save some $$$ here.

Discs don't self-energize like drums, so you should add power boost for your wife's sake.