Front disc brake conversion

[stevemac]

Hi folks,
has anyone on here done a conversion from the standard drum brakes to disc brakes? If so, may I ask what kit you used or where did you get the parts?

I have adjusted the current drum brakes in the front and bled the lines and the buggy stops OK when a quick stop is needed, but not great. A few folks have told me that old VW and buggy owners will convert the front drums to disc brakes and that they stop much better.

Any thoughts?

Thanks very much for any thoughts on this,
Steve

[Tom-Kathleen]

I have had great results with C B Performance brake kits. Not the cheapest but great for the money. Kathleen's Manxter has over 40,000 miles on it and still has original pads & rotors. AC Industries pads were terrible, had to be replaced right away. Tom

[rzeller]

Hi folks,
has anyone on here done a conversion from the standard drum brakes to disc brakes? If so, may I ask what kit you used or where did you get the parts?

I have adjusted the current drum brakes in the front and bled the lines and the buggy stops OK when a quick stop is needed, but not great. A few folks have told me that old VW and buggy owners will convert the front drums to disc brakes and that they stop much better.

Any thoughts?

Thanks very much for any thoughts on this,
Steve

Steve,

You're going to get a bunch of different opinions and responses to your question. It's going to come down to cost and some compromise. So here is one more: I've done ~5 disc conversions from drum on two different iterations of my buggy (see the last restoration here: https://www.manxclub.com/forum/viewtopi ... =65&t=4480 ), two different Things, and my '66 bus (fronts). I've used the same manufacturer for all who is AC Industries. I found them to be in my price range and quality expectation. Have a look at the link I posted and you'll see a four-wheel conversion (wide five).

Bottom line, discs are better than drums any day of the week. Drums work, but in my experience, they require a lot of adjustments.

Bud

[Tom-Szwajkos]

I used an AC industries disc brake kit on a ball joint front end Manx Tow'd and was very pleased with the result. Everything fitted properly and I lucked out because it was on sale at Moore Parts in Anaheim, CA. You just need to take your time grease everything properly, Lock tire the mounting hardware, etc. You can purchase the rotors in various Chevy, Ford or Porsche bolt patterns.

[stevemac]

Thanks guys for your input. It looks like there are some options for the conversion kits.

Steve