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Front disk brakes for your old truck.
By: Joseph Ceschin
Disc Brakes: a great way
to improve the safety of your old truck.
Disc brakes were invented in England in the 1890s and the first system for use in automobiles was patented in Birmingham by Frederick W. Lanchester in 1902. But the first car to make use of this type of brake system was the 1949 Crosley Hotshot, a limited production model that is today considered to have been one of the worst cars of all time.
At first only race cars and very expensive models were equipped with front discs. They were installed in cars like the 1953 Jaguar C-Type, the 1955 Citroën DS, ther 1954 Austin-Healey 100S. In America disc brakes appeared in the 1963 Studebaker Avanti, the 1965 Rambler Marlin and the 1965 Corvette Stingray. During the late 1960s and 1970s discs became an option in most cars. Today, even the least expensive automobiles comes with this system already built in. Motorcycles, buses, trucks and even bicycles have disc brakes today.
The design of the system is symple. When you step on the brake pedal a couple of calipers exert pressure over a disc bolted to the wheel and slows the car down. The discs may be solid or vented. This last type of disc is better to dissipate the heat generated by the friction of the brake pads and it shows less fade than the solid disc.
Another type of disc has holes drilled in them which is even better to dissipate heat. But this system is more expensive and is used only in racing cars and sports cars like the Corvette, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
If you own an old truck you probably know how hard it is to brake after you go through a puddle of water. This is because the brake pads get wet and slide over the drum. A technique I used to have to get my braking power back was to stand on the brake pedal for a few seconds, accelerating at the same time. The friction against the drum would heat up and dry the pads and the truck would start braking again. But the pads would not last long. This technique would make them crack and they had to be replaced much more often.
I got rid of the problem when I replaced the drums with a disc kit. The kits available for sale today come with everything you need and you don't have to fabricate anything, since the disc kit fits exactly where the original drum system is installed. To install a disc kit you just unbolt the drums and bolt on the discs. It's so easy that I did it by myself on my truck in one afternoon, with regular tools.
Front disc brake kits are available from several suppliers for old Ford, Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge trucks. They may come with a power booster or not. In any case, you will have to install a brake booster to get the performance you want out of your new disc brake system. Cost may vary from about US$ 550 to over US$ 1,000 and this does not include installation. But as I said before you don't have to be a genious to replace your old brakes with a modern disc system.
Even if you want to keep your truck in its original condition I would advise that you install disc brakes on it. Your truck will brake much better and you will be a lot safer.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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