Front Disc Conversion - Should I be able to lock the brakes on panic stop

[AU Doc]

I just finished a manual drum/drum to power disc/drum swap on my 69 camaro. This was a basic conversion that uses OE single piston calipers and rotors. I wanted the car safe(r) to drive without breaking the bank while I save up for wheels/tires/big brakes.

Now that everything is on and bled, the power brakes seem to work well when I am applying partial pedal. Gradual slowing for stop signs, etc., but hard braking doesn't produce the stoping force I was expecting. The rears will lock up on a panic stop, but not the fronts. Am i just expecting too much out of these OE brakes?

[dontlifttoshift]

Those kits typically ship with garbage pads that make moderate stopping power with moderate pedal but don't stop any better with more pedal.

[AU Doc]

That describes exactly what I'm experiencing. Thanks!

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BTW, that screen name is awesome!

[JustJohn]

I had OE disc brakes on my car... A full stop still required planning ahead and some clenching.

Absolutely no comparison to the C5 brakes I have on it now.

[1989GTA]

It is the pads. I went to the EBC yellow pads and what a difference.

[tomsinamerica]

It is the pads. I went to the EBC yellow pads and what a difference.

Sorry if everyone's moved on from here but I've been having the same issues as above... stopping takes some planning and the difference between medium & hard braking is next to nothing. I was about to go all crazy and drop the money for a 13" front set up but before i go there... I'm tempted to try these yellow pads... My car's just a weekend street queen.. very unlikely to hit the track any time soon... so.. my question...

Did the EBC Yellow pads make that much difference or just I just suck it up and go with a C5 or Wilwood upgrade?

[TheJDMan]

Different pad compounds can make a dramatic difference in braking performance. For street driving I use Hawk Ceramic pads but they tend to fade at high temps so for track days I change to a pad with a higher coefficient of drag and higher operating temp. EBC and Hawk are primarily what I run but there are others like Performance Friction, Wilwood, etc.

[1989GTA]

Sorry if everyone's moved on from here but I've been having the same issues as above... stopping takes some planning and the difference between medium & hard braking is next to nothing. I was about to go all crazy and drop the money for a 13" front set up but before i go there... I'm tempted to try these yellow pads... My car's just a weekend street queen.. very unlikely to hit the track any time soon... so.. my question...

Did the EBC Yellow pads make that much difference or just I just suck it up and go with a C5 or Wilwood upgrade?

I was in the process of doing what you are doing with the 13" front disc brakes. I was putting the kit together and having some machine work done. In the meantime I installed the EBC Yellow brake pads in the front and rear and like I said a big difference. To date I have the 13" rotor kit ready to go but I do not need them. I am completely satisfied with how the brakes are working. I may do the conversion at a later date when the brake pads wear out and need to be
replaced.

Edit: These pads have a COF of .6

[tomsinamerica]

I was in the process of doing what you are doing with the 13" front disc brakes. I was putting the kit together and having some machine work done. In the meantime I installed the EBC Yellow brake pads in the front and rear and like I said a big difference. To date I have the 13" rotor kit ready to go but I do not need them. I am completely satisfied with how the brakes are working. I may do the conversion at a later date when the brake pads wear out and need to be
replaced.

Edit: These pads have a COF of .6

Well dang... Today's just a money saving day (Makes a change) I figured out how to change my EFI system to a wideband sensor instead of narrow band at a fraction of the price holley wanted and now you're saving me another $1000.... Unless of course you want to find a home for that 13" kit you have lying around? ;)

Thanks for the reply... certainly food for thought!

[1989GTA]

It is a custom kit using the C5 front rotors. The hubs are from a 1969 Camaro. The calipers are off say a 1972 Chevy truck which will take the wider rotors. I wanted to retain the big single piston which has a ton of area. The only part that is really custom is the caliber bracket. It is a modified stock bracket but spaced out for the new centerline of the C5 disc. The rotors I bought are actually 12.80" in diameter. By the way this is for my 1965 Buick Skylark.

[chpr1972]

Have you tried a different proportioning valve? If the rear locks up before front that would make a difference. Once the rear lock up you let off the brakes to compensate. If you change pads, be careful as some pads need to be heated up before they will work. they are designed to work under racing conditions.

[neongreen]

I'm glad I saw this! I have the same problem. I did a TCI MII suspension swap on my Falcon and the front brakes just won't do much when I stomp on it. I've had the rear end try to come around on me. I suspected they were just using $3 brake pads as a part of the kit, it's good to know I can fix the problem just by swapping brake pads!

[andrewb70]

For safety reason the prop valve need to be adjusted so that front brakes lock before the rear! I would do this after swapping out to a more aggressive front pads since that will effect the front/rear balance.

Andrew

[neongreen]

For safety reason the prop valve need to be adjusted so that front brakes lock before the rear! I would do this after swapping out to a more aggressive front pads since that will effect the front/rear balance.

Andrew

My setup uses tandem master cylinders, so I guess I'd need to adjust the balance bar?

[andrewb70]

My setup uses tandem master cylinders, so I guess I'd need to adjust the balance bar?

I believe that is correct...

Andrew