'69 brake question

[goldilocks]

hi~

i have a '69 bronco with an '89 mustang 302 engine. with that engine and the beefy tires i have, it was recommended to me to convert the front brakes from drum to disk. thoughts? pros? cons? i replace brakes pretty regularly...

i would also like to add the power booster, but am worried the kit will not fit with the larger engine. anyone have any expertise in this area?

thanks and happy driving! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Bully Bob]

"also like to add the power booster, but am worried the kit will not fit with the larger engine."

Your current eng. is the same size as the stock V/8 that came in the EB's (save the air filt. system)

The booster jogs right (looking fr. front of veh.) approx. 30 deg. ... & sits over the fender well. shouldn't be an issue. B)

"....recommended to me to convert the front brakes from drum to disk."

You'll get many opinions on this.... (& depends how you use your rig)

Mine is..; keep what you have & be sure it's in top working order. Ford didn't build these veh. so that they would not stop..!

Good drums., shoes., wheel cylinders., master cylinder., clean lines & fluid...these rigs will stop on a dime. If not, there's a prob. somewhere that needs attention. Power boosters, & diff. style brakes sometimes just mask the problem.

Way cheaper to bring up to spec. than convert as well... $-)

"Beefy tires" translates diff. to diff. folks......some consider 31x10.50x15 beefy.....? :blink:

 

[S_bolt19]

Like Bully Bob said, the engine won't make a bit of difference, it is just the EFI system that will. Which way does your air cleaner hang off? The driver or passenger side? That will dictate as to which brake system (vacuum or hydroboost) you will have an easier time putting on.

I know that BB likes his drum brakes, and for a stock Bronco I agree, but with bigger tires (larger than a 31" tire) I recommend going with the disc brakes on at least your front axle. The reason I say this is that even though you may have a perfectly working brake system, the smaller brakes that are on a Dana 30 front axle will have a harder time stopping the bigger meats. Disc setups have better stopping ability for the larger tires than the stock brakes. There are kits available that are a direct bolt up for the Dana 30 & 44 axles that are reasonably priced (albeit much more than just maintaining the original system) and you will get the stopping power you want if you are running a 33" or larger tire. I ended up going with disc brakes on all 4 corners and also added hydroboost brakes, to which I will never revert to the original system unless I have a completely stock EB.