So call me crazy!

[Ike]

I looked at the brake setup on my pickup. They are mechanical brakes. At the top of the backing plate there is a brake adjuster. The bottom has the brake activator. I believe you can put a wheel cylinder kit at top of backing plate. Then hook up brake lines and master cylinder for hydraulic brakes. Has anyone done this before or seen it done? Truck is 36 Ford (old and tired) but cheap. Oh yea the crazy part has already been established

 

[donsrods]

In the deep recesses of my mind D) I sort of remember that at one time some aftermarket companies were offering kits to convert mechanical brakes to hydraulic. If so, I haven't seen them for 40-50 years. As for your plan, sure, anything is possible if a person has the skills and time to do something. You could convert brakes from a 747 if you had those attributes, but the question is what would you gain over just installing 37 up spindles and 40 up brakes and doing it the way it has been done for a lot of years.

I do understand your logic and reasons for wanting to do it, however I think the time and effort you would invest would be tremendous, and I am not sure how well they would work in the end. Brakes and steering are two areas I don't like to mess around with. I could also be dead wrong and someone will post that this has been done sucessfully.

But, if you feel up to the task and see it as an engineering adventure, have at it and post some pictures of the process when you are done. Good luck.

Don

 

[joehalford01]

i don't know squat about mechanical brakes but i'll give my two cents. My 63 pick-up has manual hydraulic drum brakes all the way around. It probably works a lot better then mechanical brakes would, however, i find the stopping power pathetic and scary useless (in a 1/2 ton truck at least, it does weigh more then your car i'm sure). I'm upgrading it to disc brakes in the front so I can feel comfortable driving it anywhere anytime and let my wife drive it without worries. That being said, if you made your mechanical brakes work very well by adding the hydraulics or any other methods you use, I would have no problem driving or riding in it. It won't be a death-trap by any-means, just pay extra extra extra attention to other drivers on the road knowing the limitations of the system.

 

[Ike]

Hey Joe

I owned a 67 Chevy pickup and the brakes sucked. I put a brake booster from a later model truck. It was almost a bolt up and go. My master cylinder bolted up directly to the booster. Hooked up the vacuum hose and then a test drive. A short trip down the driveway and instant stop. Almost a header thru the windshield. I was amazed at the total difference. It was worth the time and effort.

 

[dumprat]

I have been told of guys useing VW wheel cylinders in place of the brake rods. All you would have to do is mount the cylinder in the correct location and test it's function.

 

[Ike]

Thanks Dumprat

I have some VW wheel cylinders here at the shop. I'll give it a look and let you know later. I appreciate your information on my post.