If you happened to pick up the last issue of Street Rodder, then you already know about the '51 Ford going together at Fatman Fabrications in Charlotte, North Carolina. A long-time supplier to the hot rod industry for nearly anything you could want for under your car (from independent suspensions to a complete chassis), Fatman, owned and operated by Brent VanDerVort, also offers a large assortment of suspension parts and pieces for the post-'48 crowd.
In this second installment of the series, Fatman addresses what it takes to make this 3,000-pound vehicle stop more efficiently. Remember, even though the Flattie that powered this coupe would allow it to cruise at today's freeway speeds (65-75 mph), stopping from that speed with a stock braking system was, at best, something of a chore.
Slowing and stopping a ton-and-a-half road warrior dictates the use of some applied science. As Brent tells us, "Modern highways have changed everything. Higher speeds, better tires, and our familiarity with new cars with better handling created a need to improve both stability and braking. If that econobox ahead of you on the freeway can stop 80 feet less than you can, a refresher course in tin straightening may be in your future."
Disassembly begins by removing the hub dust cover, cotter pin, and then the castle nut. Next are the tang washer and the outer bearing. The brake drum and hub assembly pulls straight off, generally taking the inner bearing and seal with it.
In this article, we'll watch as Fatman swaps the stock Ford drum brakes for one of his disc brake conversion kits, with some of its parts supplied by Engineered Components, Inc., or, as they're also known, ECI.
All of the frames Fatman sells come standard with ECI kits that use early GM "big" piston calipers, which Brent claims provide 65 percent more braking capacity than the stock Mustang II, and twice as much as other kits that use the small-piston GM calipers. They come with 11-inch discs and use OEM parts that are easily serviceable, as you can find parts at your local auto parts store, should you need to make emergency repairs.
In commenting on the requirements of the master cylinder, Brent goes on to say, "Those options are limited due to the lack of space under the floor. In fact, convertibles have an X-member that makes putting a dual master cylinder, or any kind of a booster, darn near impossible. They do best with an aftermarket pedal assembly and a firewall-mounted booster (the shallow nine-inch-diameter units work well). But one unique way we found that works (and still keeps everything under the floor) is to use a Hydroboost power system run through the power steering pump.
Next, remove the backing plate bolts, which will also allow the removal of the steering arm. With the bolts undone, the backing plate pulls straight off.
"The other body styles without the X-member have a transmission mount that interferes with a dual master cylinder bolted to the stock pedal assembly, but you can use a nice kit from ECI which allows either a single pedal for automatics or dual for standard shift. The kit also includes a new pedal pivot bracket and a longer pushrod to actuate a remote-mounted master cylinder."
In an upcoming issue, Street Rodder will examine what it takes to go to the next level from Fatman Fabrications: installing a newly-manufactured front stub that is set up for independent suspension.
Constraints of a printed magazine only allow us to present an overview of how this kit was installed. But if you'd like to see a full, nut-by-nut, how-to of this drum swap and brake installation, then check out www.streetroddermag.com for the full story, complete with 52 photos.
Like we've mentioned before, there is enough work here to keep you busy for just a day or for several days, depending on your plan of attack. But either way you go, you'll end up with a hot rod with improved handling and performance-and who doesn't want a little bit more of that?
