MS wrote:
As I have always suggested. Sell your entire disc brake setup, spindles and all for a good price. Then buy the drum spindles. You will come out way ahead.
Otherwise, you will have leftover calipers snd rotors that are more difficult to sell.
Or fond somebody with a drum brake car that wants discs and make a trade.
The early K/H calipers are prone to seized pistons if you don’t change fluid every year, plus use an inferior, thinner rotor. They work fine if properly cared for. Single piston calipers are less problematic for most cars where the owner doesn’t want to have to deal with seized caliper pistons.
SSBC came about to correct that sticking problem with stainless cylinder liners on the stock calipers. The stock calipers would rust in the space outside the sealer ring. In fact, they ended up making calipers that came with stainless bores. (Actually, they began doing that to correct the same problem with Corvettes)
I ran the SSBC calipers beginning around 1990 and had no problems with the same set until I upgraded to Willwood 12.19's around 2014. I would have preferred doing the upgrade with the 4-piston KEH calipers and an adapter so they could move outboard that half inch. Not to be.
I think single piston calipers were invented because of the sticking propensity of the 4-piston ones. Also, fewer parts and they were self aligning. You did not have to deal with differing pad thickness between the two sides. Maintenance might have been easier too as the single piston is more accessable than a 4-piston. Try to remove one of those stuck piatons. My first one took 8 hours! - I was much younger and had much less money to throw at it. There were brake places that would not even deal with them.
Now I have 4-piston Wilwoods and they work just fine. They have ss cylinders, I think. But I do not drive the 20,000 miles+ a year that I used to.
I do admit, however, that I spent many hours that first few decades extracting pistons from calipers. In addition, to the rust, the sealing rings had a habit of gluing themselves to the caliper walls when used heavily or over long periods. I procured an extra set of calipers and could exchange the sticking ones in less than 20 minutes a side. I was pretty proud of myself.
As to the rotors. Originals were 2-part with a hat and a separate rotor that were swaged together (I think that is the term). They were thicker than later versions that were one piece. The wheel studs were different too - not compatible. Ask me how I know.
Last edited by lowercasesteve (2/26/2022 9:25 PM)
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