1965 Chevy Bel Air Wagon Disc Brakes

The sight of a large-barge Chevy rolling down an American highway carrying the typical nuclear family used to be a sight so common it would hardly attract a second glance. In fact, the sight was so familiar; the story of a family making a long trip in a wagon or full-sized car has woven itself into many a plot line on the silver screen. Without fail, at some point in the story, a bridge would be out, or Bambi would suddenly appear in the middle of road, and the driver of the large barge would have to stand on the brakes and send the car into a skid. The occupants inside would roll and tumble like rocks in a hubcap as the vehicle swooped and swerved to avoid certain tragedy. It was always funny on the big screen when we witnessed such events, because nothing bad would really happen to the people inside. Clark Griswold would eventually get to WallyWorld; Lucy and Ricky would arrive with their long trailer; the Bradys never had to use the brakes on their wagon at all.

Of course, those are just entertaining stories, and we all know what can really happen in an emergency stop situation. It can be anything but funny. Rather than wait unprepared for the aforementioned situation, it's time to give ourselves the home court advantage and swap out the old stock drums in the front for a shiny new pair of discs. These days, you can get disc brake upgrades as a prize in a box of cereal or sitting on the shelves at Megalow-Mart. Well, that may be true in some areas, but we took a different route. There was no need to scour a local salvage yard or run around town to various parts houses. Our fingers did the walking as we searched Performance Online's Web site, and there we found what we needed-a disk brake upgrade kit for '65-'70 Impalas. The price was right, too, at only $549. Since the Bel Air wagon is the same as an Impala minus trim, this kit was all that was needed. The brake kit comes complete with:

1965 Chevy Bel Air Wagon Disc Brakes Kit

Minus the booster, here is everything needed for the install. The only thing you will have to buy is grease to pack the bearings.

Minus the booster, here is everything needed for the install. The only thing you will have

* Rotors
* Small "GM" calipers
* Bearings
* Seals
* Hoses
* Grease caps
* Spindle nuts
* Mounting brackets
* All necessary hardware
* 7-, 8- or 9-inch booster
* Master cylinder
* Prop valve

It also all fits on the stock spindles. Before we installed the brakes, we took the wagon and conducted some 60-0 mph deceleration tests. The Bel Air would regularly stop in the 220-foot range; not bad for a car its size running all drum brakes, but this wouldn't be if we settled for "Not Bad." So off we go.

With all the old brakes out of the way, it's a simple matter of removing the backing plate.
With all the old brakes out of the way, it's a simple matter of removing the backing plate
t turned out the removal wasn't as simple as anticipated. The bottom two bolts came out just fine, except for the top; that was a different story. On both sides of the vehicle, they were torqued down so tight that an impact wrench barely got them undone.
t turned out the removal wasn't as simple as anticipated. The bottom two bolts came out ju
As you can see in this close-up, this particular bolt got stripped clean by the air wrench. This bolt was the source of many an under-the-breath expletive. A propane torch was tried, hitting it with a hammer, and soaking it with lubricant every few hours until the next day, and still it would not let go.
As you can see in this close-up, this particular bolt got stripped clean by the air wrench

Finally a day later, a Sawzall was used on that stubborn bolt and wheel cylinder, after that, no problems ... or so we thought.
Finally a day later, a Sawzall was used on that stubborn bolt and wheel cylinder, after th
Believe it or not, the stub came right out of the spindle with just a twist of the hand.
Now the spindle was thoroughly cleaned with some brake cleaner. All grease and metal shavings from the sawed-off wheel cylinder were removed.
Now the spindle was thoroughly cleaned with some brake cleaner. All grease and metal shavi

Now the spindle was thoroughly cleaned with some brake cleaner. All grease and metal shavings from the sawed-off wheel cylinder were removed.
Now the spindle was thoroughly cleaned with some brake cleaner. All grease and metal shavi
The first step is to bolt down the caliper bracket onto the spindle.
Instructions are provided with the kit.

At the top of the caliper, there is a provided spacer that will need to be installed.
Here are a couple of different shots of exactly how the bracket should fit. Notice the arrows pointing to the spacers: One on the top of the bracket and the other on the bottom.
Here are a couple of different shots of exactly how the bracket should fit. Notice the arr
With the brackets in place, pack the wheel bearings in grease and slide on the rotor. Don't forget to add the seals, which we almost forgot to do.
With the brackets in place, pack the wheel bearings in grease and slide on the rotor. Don'

All the necessary hardware such as bearings, spindle nut, and seals are provided in the kit. The grease cap however, was a mere hair to large to fit into the rotor.
All the necessary hardware such as bearings, spindle nut, and seals are provided in the ki
You could use the old stock cap, or rap it a few times with the hammer to bend it into shape. We used a hammer.
You could use the old stock cap, or rap it a few times with the hammer to bend it into sha
Now comes the fun part: installing the calipers and fitting them to the discs.

Now that both sides of the car have the new disc brakes installed, the last part is to install the wheels.
Now that both sides of the car have the new disc brakes installed, the last part is to ins
The nagging thought that plagued my mind during the install was "Will the stock 14-inch wheels fit over the new calipers?" Guess what? They didn't. I took a peak at Performance Online's Web site and read that most 14-inch wheels will not fit this application. In the words of Homer Simpson, "DOH!" At this moment the install has come to a halt.
The nagging thought that plagued my mind during the install was "Will the stock 14-inch wh
In our next issue, we will install the new booster, get some larger wheels, and test the stopping ability of the new brakes. In the mean time, the wagon will sit in my driveway, on jackstands with no wheels. I'm sure the neighbors are going to label me an "Appalachian American" once they see a car on stands in my front yard. To complete the look, I think I may leave some scattered parts about the yard and maybe an old fridge.
In our next issue, we will install the new booster, get some larger wheels, and test the s