Back in our October 2006 issue on page 103, we did a tech story on how to slow down a 16-ton '68 Bel Air wagon. And just like Tennessee Ernie Ford sang, "16 tons and whaddya get, another day older and deeper in debt." Now when it comes to the getting older part, there is nothing we can do about that, but deeper in debt? Now that is something we can control by using what has been touted as the "poor man's disc brakes."
Master Power Brakes, to be specific, has an advertised 11-inch inch pre-assembled rear drum setup that will fit GM 10- and 12-bolt rear ends. Discs they are not, but poor men we are, and these are an affordable alternative upgrade. Before we get started there are a few loose ends to tie up, namely wheels and tires.
If you read part one of this story, you may remember us installing the Performance Online disc brakes in the front of this war wagon in our humble residential driveway. After the said install, the stock sized wheels were just not going to fit over those new disc brake calipers so off we went looking for wheels and tires that would not only fit the bill but look as good as they worked.
I suspect that I'm like many car guys and have always liked the classic looks of wheels from the muscle car era. No carved aluminum circular saw blade looking wheels for this car. We choose the ever popular and timeless looks of the Cragar SS 5-spoke wheel. Only this time around things are just a bit different. The Cragar SS is now available in sizes larger than 15 inches. We had to test fit a set of 17x8 wheels on the front of the wagon, but when the steering was turned from lock to lock, there was between a 1/4 to 1/2-inch of clearance from the edge of the tire to the fender lip, and that was just a bit too close for comfort, so we chose to use the 17x7s on all four corners of the car.
 When it came time to install...  When it came time to install the rear brakes, we found ourselves back in the remodeled Primedia Tech Center with "Installation" Jason spinning the wrenches. |  The install of the Master...  The install of the Master Power 11-inch drums is a pretty straightforward process. Right out of the box the backing plates are fully assembled, saving time and possible frustration. Since our Chevy was a wagon, it already came with 11-inch rear drums. |  Since the axles will have...  Since the axles will have to be removed along with the old backing plates, draining the differential is the first task in the install. Simply unbolt the cover and let the gear oil drain. Removing the ring and pinion is next. |
 With the differential drained...  With the differential drained and disassembled, the drum and axles will need to be removed in order to unbolt the old backing plate. |  |  Once the brakes shoes, springs,...  Once the brakes shoes, springs, clips and e-brake cable are out of the way, remove the four bolts holding the backing plate. Believe it or not, the e-brake cable proved to be the more troublesome part to remove on account of the tapered fitting that attaches to the backing plate. |