<VV> Disc brakes

[Frank DuVal]

Even if you have front disc brakes, you have two drum brakes left.

When cars with 4 wheel drum brakes were new, stopping in a straight line 
was not a serious problem. They mostly stopped in straight lines, or the 
highway department would have had to build wider lanes!  So the object 
is to keep the brakes in factory new condition. Until the last 5 years I 
mostly drove 4 wheel drum brakes and always stopped in straight lines. 
This includes the '70 Buick Estate Wagon with 4  manual (no power 
booster) 12" drum brakes.

If you have a '60 to '62 Corvair then there is no self adjuster and the 
GM recomended brake adjustment period back then was every 1000 miles. No 
wonder self adjusters became so popular. It did take a while though, my 
'50 Studebaker had self adjusting brakes as standard! Hill holder too, 
but I digress.

If you have self adjusting brakes, then all the hardware must work 
correctly and be installed correctly. I bet half of the drum brakes I 
work on for the first time have shoes or star wheel assemblies mounted 
in the wrong place. Also you need to back up and apply the brakes for 
the self adjusters to work. A big Corvair issue in the last 15 years is 
the rubber brake hoses becomming one way check valves. New hoses are 
part of a brake overhaul for me. I find inactivity to be the biggest 
detriment to proper braking action. Dot 3 fluid build up sediment in 
wheel cylinders. Things stick and rust. This also happens with disc 
brakes in the rust belt. Sliding calipers don't.

To get your comfort factor back, don't install disc brakes, just install 
new drum brake parts, available from our vendors to get that new factory 
performance. Drum brakes are not perfect, but they do work for 99% of 
our driving experience. If the car is changing lanes, then parts are 
bad, not the system engineering. Also, sometimes pull is caused by worn 
suspension bushings, like the caster bushings (aka strut rod bushings), etc.

Don't be cheap on brakes parts, they are life saving parts.

Frank DuVal

Cepak, Tom A wrote:

>
>I know the drum brakes are more brakes than anyone needs for a Corvair,
>but I really like the idea of disc brakes.  I like being able to change
>pads and not having to do to any adjustments to get the car to stop
>straight.  After continuously fiddling with my Corvairs drum brakes,
>trying to get it to stop in a straight line at highway speeds (not
>pulling to the left or right), I gave up.  Even though I was getting
>close to having them set properly, I didn't feel comfortable with the
>way the car stopped in the past (changing lanes when it wasn't my
>intention). I never have any problems with stopping straight with our
>other two vehicles with disc brakes.  I finally took it to someone
>(Cliff at Oklahoma Corvair), and had him work on them.  
>The car stops fine now, but there is that comfort factor in the back of
>my brain that will always worry if the brakes remained adjusted
>properly.  I will eventually change to discs just for this reason.
>
>  
>