4 wheel disc manual vs. disc/drum power brakes

All right guys, I need some advice on upgrading my brakes. I have a '70 w/ non-power disc/drum brakes. My master cyl. needs to be replaced and I've been thinking about converting to power brakes. A friend of mine has a '69 that he is planning on running non-powered 4 wheel disc brakes on.

What I need to know is this:

1) Which is the best set up in terms of braking ability, ease of conversion and cost?

2) If I go with the power brakes, can anybody give me pointers: ie. which set up is good in terms of ease of install and costs? And do I have to replace the current pedal, dist. block, and/or lines?

3) If I were to go with the 4 wheel discs, same question as above and is it possible to use my front discs in the rear and run larger discs up front (I believe the front disc conv. is a Granada set up)?

I appreciate any advise! Thanks!
 
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OK, I know some of you have experience with this stuff. I need to decide which is the best route. I can get a conversion booster that says it uses the original pedal and dist block for my car for about $300. I'm thinking that this is the way to go but I really like to have some experienced input. I saw where Bottlefed found a rear disc conv. kit for $375 so assuming I just upgrade my rear brakes and leave the current front discs alone the costs would be comparable. Really need some help here. :shrug:
 
All right guys, I need some advice on upgrading my brakes. I have a '70 w/ non-power disc/drum brakes. My master cyl. needs to be replaced and I've been thinking about converting to power brakes. A friend of mine has a '69 that he is planning on running non-powered 4 wheel disc brakes on.

What I need to know is this:

1) Which is the best set up in terms of braking ability, ease of conversion and cost?

2) If I go with the power brakes, can anybody give me pointers: ie. which set up is good in terms of ease of install and costs? And do I have to replace the current pedal, dist. block, and/or lines?

3) If I were to go with the 4 wheel discs, same question as above and is it possible to use my front discs in the rear and run larger discs up front (I believe the front disc conv. is a Granada set up)?

I appreciate any advise! Thanks!


assuming this is a street car, and that you wont be building an engine making more than 500hp, or racing the car on a regular basis;

1: you can keep the stock front disc brakes, and add the scarebird mechanical rear disc kit. this will be the most cost effective brake upgrade.

2: if you add power brakes, then you will have to modify or change the brake pedal to a power brake pedal, as the motion ratios are different.

3: the stock front disc's on the mustang are 11" disc brakes so a granada system wont be an upgrade. there used to be a kit that would let you upgrade to 12" lincoln front disc brakes, and use the stock front disc brakes in a rear disc system, but you lost the e-brake.
 
i'd use the power conversion kit that allows you to use the stockmanual pedal. if the front discs are indeed granada they won't work out back because they use a 1 piece rotor if they are original mustang discs the they should be a 2 piece rotor with a seperate hub assembly, however the replacement rotors on the market are one piece as well. i would use the ultrastang rear disc conversion over the scarebird setup since it keeps the system all ford and the scarebird uses GM calipers and other parts.
 
If I may, Id like to hijack this thread partially in your interest, BDE. Whith the Grenada front discs and crown vic rear discs, what master cyl would you use? Assuming no power assist. Ive heard the Corvette master can be made to work, if so, what years? Im assuming 65-82.
 
If I may, Id like to hijack this thread partially in your interest, BDE. Whith the Grenada front discs and crown vic rear discs, what master cyl would you use? Assuming no power assist. Ive heard the Corvette master can be made to work, if so, what years? Im assuming 65-82.

If you're going with manual 4-wheel discs, you can use a late 80s Crown Vic 4-wheel disc aluminum MC. The design of the Crown Vic MC is nearly identical to the Lincoln Mk VII MC, except the piston bore of the Crown Vic unit is 1" diameter compared to the larger 1-1/8" piston bore of the Mk VII.

The 1" diameter MC will give more line pressure in a manual brake system without the extra leg pressure that would be required with the 1-1/8" bore SVO/Mk VII MC.

Pictured is an SVO/Mk VII MC, but like I mentioned it is virtually identical to the Crown Vic unit. http://www.ultrastang.com/images/2006/mcfittingsspringwrap.jpg

www.ultrastang.com
 
Thanks for your response guys!

The car is stickly street driven, but only on nice days of course.

The front discs, I believe, are Granada as they are 1 piece and I think the car came w/ front drums originally.

Next question/s:

What, roughly, is the cost of the Ultrastang rear disc conv. and does it require sourcing used calipers, rotors, etc... Can a guy with fairly basic mech skills complete the conversion?

I have found a power brake conv. booster that does not require a new pedal, dist. block or lines for about $300. With price and installation difficulty in mind, which of the 2 mods (power or rear disc) would offer the best braking upgrade or are they comparable?

Thanks again for all your help. I'm trying to make the car as good as it can be on a budget that is probably smaller than will get spent on it! :rlaugh: :(