1968 Chevy Bel Air - Super Chevy Magazine

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 the rear brakes, we found ourselves back in the remodeled Primedia Tech Center with "Installation" Jason spinning the wrenches.
When it came time to install the rear brakes, we found ourselves back in the remodeled Pri
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.
The install of the Master Power 11-inch drums is a pretty straightforward process. Right o
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.
Since the axles will have to be removed along with the old backing plates, draining the di

With the differential drained and disassembled, the drum and axles will need to be removed in order to unbolt the old backing plate.
With the differential drained and disassembled, the drum and axles will need to be removed
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.
Once the brakes shoes, springs, clips and e-brake cable are out of the way, remove the fou

When it came time to shoehorn some rubber around those wheels, we chose to use the popular and sticky Nitto 555 Extreme ZR tire. Nitto Tires (pronounced neat-O), especially the 555 series, has a very loyal following. We checked a number of customer review Web sites where the average Joe writes in and leaves a review of their experience with the tires. Every review that we read was overwhelmingly on the positive side. We also used them with great success on our '71 Goodmark Camaro project so we were confident that these performance tires were right for us. We ordered four 245/45ZR17s. Now that we have all necessary parts, let's finish off this wagon shall we?

If the seals in the axle tube need to be replaced, now would be the best time to do it.
Now comes the moment we have been waiting for-actually putting on the poor man's binders. Drum roll, please! It's a great time saver that everything on the backing plates has already been preinstalled from Master Power. When we removed the wagon brakes we realized that it was already equipped with OEM 11-inch drums. Why then swap out one size for the same size?
Now comes the moment we have been waiting for-actually putting on the poor man's binders.
When compared, the drum lining of 38 year old brakes vs. the lining of new drums should show obvious size differences. The 38 years of being turned vs a set of new drums with superior semi-metallic brake shoes will give that extra stopping power we all look for.
When compared, the drum lining of 38 year old brakes vs. the lining of new drums should sh

We made sure to adjust the position of the shoes as they sit inside the drum before sliding the drum back on for a snug fit.
We made sure to adjust the position of the shoes as they sit inside the drum before slidin

Success! The wheels the tires and the 11-inch drums fit perfectly.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Clean the differential cover, re-seal it and fill 'er up. Now you can officially say these brakes are installed.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Clean the differential cover, re-seal it and fill 'er up. Now you
Now it's time for the Performance Online booster, master cylinder and proportioning valve, which were left over from our October issue.
Now it's time for the Performance Online booster, master cylinder and proportioning valve,

Here is shot of the new prop valve. At Harrison's Restorations we decided to install it in nearly the same location as the OEM valve. In order to make this work, it was not going to be a simple bolt in procedure.
Here is shot of the new prop valve. At Harrison's Restorations we decided to install it in
In order to do this job right, the right tools and equipment are necessary to finish the install with minimal amounts of frustration. Those tools are brake line benders and a flaring tool to flare the ends of the cut line, several sections of various sized brake tubing fittings, couplers and adaptors which we purchased at a local parts store.
In order to do this job right, the right tools and equipment are necessary to finish the i
While this proportionimg valve accepts the same sized OEM lines that may already exist on the vehicle, the threaded fittings on those OEM lines were vary different in size from the threaded openings on the prop valve.
While this proportionimg valve accepts the same sized OEM lines that may already exist on

The booster from Performance Online comes with an extra long plunger for universal fit reasons. We had to trim ours down in order to attach it to the brake pedal on the other side of the firewall. You can reuse the fork, which attaches to the brake pedal or run to the local parts house and get a new one, which is what we did.
The booster from Performance Online comes with an extra long plunger for universal fit rea
If you are going with all drums on the vehicle, a new booster, master cylinder and proportioning valve are not needed. The OEM setup should work fine, however, when using a disc/drum setup, new hardware is required to make all the binders function properly. We ran out of time in the Primedia Tech Center, so once again we found ourselves turning to our friend at Harrison's Restorations to help us with the install of the booster. Harrison's helped us do a custom install of this unit.
If you are going with all drums on the vehicle, a new booster, master cylinder and proport
If you are going with all drums on the vehicle, a new booster, master cylinder and proportioning valve are not needed. The OEM setup should work fine, however, when using a disc/drum setup, new hardware is required to make all the binders function properly. We ran out of time in the Primedia Tech Center, so once again we found ourselves turning to our friend at Harrison's Restorations to help us with the install of the booster. Harrison's helped us do a custom install of this unit.
If you are going with all drums on the vehicle, a new booster, master cylinder and proport

The first thing we did was to cut the rear brake lines and remove the odd sized threaded fitting.
The first thing we did was to cut the rear brake lines and remove the odd sized threaded f
After removing the odd fitting the proper sized 5/8th fitting is slid on and the tube is re-flared. This was a bit of a challenge on account of the limited working space.
After removing the odd fitting the proper sized 5/8th fitting is slid on and the tube is
Bummer! While flaring the old brake line, the flare cracked. This could affect the way the line seals, and we don't want brake fluid pushing past. If this happens, re-cut and re-flare yet again.
Bummer! While flaring the old brake line, the flare cracked. This could affect the way the

We replaced the driver's side brake line and attached it to this T fitting you see here. The T fitting has both the passenger's side and driver's side brake lines attached while one line runs directly into the bottom of the new prop valve.
We replaced the driver's side brake line and attached it to this T fitting you see here. T
Now comes the crowning moment. When all lines are cut, flared and attached you can say this install is done like dinner. And it's a clean looking setup too. Thanks, Harrison Ortis for the help.
Now comes the crowning moment. When all lines are cut, flared and attached you can say thi

Oh wait there is one more thing. It's time to bench bleed the master cylinder, but not on the bench. We detached the lines on the bottom of the master cylinder, attached some rubber hoses and ran the hoses up into the reservoir. Then we pumped the brake pedal till there were no more traces of air bubbles. After that we bled the entire system, before driving around. Now that this wagon will start and stop, it's time to start making it look less ugly-stay tuned.
Oh wait there is one more thing. It's time to bench bleed the master cylinder, but not on
Next we installed the dual master cylinder, cut, flared and bent new lines from the master to the prop valve. We saved the 5/8th threaded fittings that came with the booster/master combo and re-used them. To put it simply, all we had to do was lengthen the hard lines from the master to the new prop valve location.
Next we installed the dual master cylinder, cut, flared and bent new lines from the master

The low-profile Nitto NT 555 tire has an extremely wide contact patch, and with a specially-formulated compound it gives the driver superb grip. Designed from race tires, the Nitto 555 gives us our best bang for the buck in the performance area.
The low-profile Nitto NT 555 tire has an extremely wide contact patch, and with a speciall
Few things beat the classic styling of the Cragar SS wheel. We used a 17x7-inch version on all four corners. Why use Cragar when there are literally hundreds if not thousands of wheels to choose from? With this vehicle, I want to keep a more "period correct" look when it comes to aesthetics; quality is great, too
Few things beat the classic styling of the Cragar SS wheel. We used a 17x7-inch version on
Outta the box, brand new (not refurbished) Master Power 11-inch drums and backing plates come assembled and ready for action. And that's just how we like it. Why did we choose Master power and what's the advantage? First we choose Master Power Brakes because of their affordability and performance. As advertised on Master Powers website, they run $400 dollars.
Outta the box, brand new (not refurbished) Master Power 11-inch drums and backing plates c

SOURCES
Master Power Brakes 254-1 Rolling Hills Rd. Mooresville NC 28117 704-664-8866 www.mpbrakes.com	Snap On tools www.snapon.com
Cragar Wheels www.cragarwheel.com	Nitto Tires 6261 Katella Ave., Dept. MMFF Suite 2C Cypress CA 90630
Harrison's Restorations