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Thread: Converting to Power Disc Brakes for my '61 Invicta

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
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    Santa Cruz
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    Converting to Power Disc Brakes for my '61 Invicta

    Good morning,
    I'm converting to power discs on my 1961 Buick Invicta. I bought the conversion bracket kit from Scarebird.
    https://scarebird.com/index.php?rout...&product_id=60

    "They came with the following message: These computer designed and CNC laser cut cold-rolled steel brackets are designed to mount on your existing 5 on 5" drum spindles with no machine work or modification required. They use GM half ton truck rotors and 1971-76 Cadillac DeVille calipers. They may fit inside the stock Buick 15" rims. You will, however, need to realign the toe-in setting."

    My questions are:

    1) What is the toe-in setting and why does it need to be realligned?
    2) Does anyone know where I can get a master cylinder and brake booster that will work with this set up?
    3) Is it mandatory that I put disc brakes on the back with the new master cylinder?

    Thanks and I sorry for the novice questions.

    Eric

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
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    Brake Conversion

    Eric,

    I don't know about the toe in, just had to grind the calipers a bit on my Scarebird conversion.

    Midwest Power Products has a selection of conversion booster/master kits. (midwestbooster.com) It's on my to do list.

    You should be able to select a master cylinder for a disc/drum set-up.

    Tim

  3. #3

    Scarebird Disk Brake Conversion

    I put the Scarebird Disk Brake Conversion kit on my 62 Invicta convertible a couple of years ago. Because I did not use the stock rims, I did not need to grind off the calipers. The "toe in" was out of whack by about an inch, which made the car steer wildly, but when I had car aligned, they took care of this issue by adjusting the tie rod ends to the appropriate length. Since then the car has steered very well. I also put the Scarebird kit on the rear wheels, so I now have four wheel disk brakes. This big heavy car stops better than it ever did, and the disk brakes have saved mu bacon a couple of times in heavy traffic. If you use your car often, it is well worth the effort to convert to disk brakes. I have over 450,000 miles on mine already.
    Best Regards,
    Ron

  4. #4
    1) What is the toe-in setting and why does it need to be realligned?


    there are three major alignment settings for a wheel
    1 - Caster
    2 - Camber
    3 - Toe

    Caster is the amount of rake ( measured in degrees ) in the spindle. as with your front bicycle tire, which has the axle out in front of the steering axis, the bottom ball joint will be forward of the the top ball joint some amount. more rake makes the steering return to center harder. nobody puts the top ball joint forward of the lower one, that makes steering extremely unstable.

    Camber is the amount ( measured in degrees ) that the top of the tire leans in or out relative to the bottom of the tire. racing setups always bias the top of the tire in unless it's something like circle track in which they only turn left in which case the LF front will be biased out. OEM setups usually push the top of the tire out. this is because the OEMs prefer a car which pushes over one which is loose.

    Caster and Camber are measured independently of any other wheel on the car.

    Toe is the amount that the front of the tire is "In" or "Out" ( measured in fractions of an inch or degrees ) relative to the back of the tire. this is measured across both front tires at the same time, you take the difference in measurement to be your "Toe Setting". racing setups use a small amount of Toe Out ( <3/8", more toe for tighter tracks ) while the OEMs usually set it slightly toed in. once again, because they prefer cars to push.

    on a street car, you want to set the front suspension so you get maximum tread life from the tires. if you're wearing the outside of the treads, you'll want to see about setting the toe out more or changing camber to move the top of the tires in, etc.
    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Canada, BC
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    Classic Disc Brakes master cylinder and brake booster

    Classic Disc Brakes master cylinder and brake booster
    http://www.classicdiscbrakes.com/addtocart.sc

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