1966 Chevy Chevelle Brakes - Super Chevy Magazine

Our "ready-for-the-grave" patient at the start of these installations was a factory-stock '66 Chevelle begging for much-needed upgrades. You could tell that no one had rolled under this car, as the stock bushings were still in place, as were the factory springs, and four-wheel drum brakes. An unsightly and hazardous combination, ABS Power Brake had in the answer to our failing drums in the form of their complete front and rear disc brake package for A-body cars.

Joe Juliano, the owner, loves the look of his 15-inch Cragar wheels and made only one stipulation through all this, and that was to keep them on the car. Luckily, ABS has a kit matched specifically to our needs. Its kit supplies everything you need to complete the project from 11 and 10 3/4-inch rotors, calipers, mounting brackets, dust shields, power brake booster, and accessories designed specifically for a small wheel combination. Because of bracket fitment issues, the fronts are actually the smaller of the rotors by 1/4-inch.

Our before and after testing proved that this Chevelle was now a much safer, more fun automobile to drive, and that was our one and only concern. Joe is not going to be digging this Chevelle deep into corners or going fender-to-fender on the road course (although it was enjoyable to beat up). Our mission was to stop this Chevelle safely on the street and put the days of braking for 400 feet behind us. Best of all, when Joe finally does eat up a set of rotors and pads, a simple run to the local parts store will supply all he needs to do the swap in his driveway.

The disc setup was also going to help us cosmetically. Looking through a five-spoke and getting a face full of rusty drums isn't anyone's idea of a gorgeous setup. It just so happened that our gold calipers matched the paint so much so that the final look of the car was absolutely phenomenal.

Check out the kit we received for the front suspension complete with single-piston calipers, 10 3/4-inch rotors, bearings, hardward, and 8-inch dual bendix style brake booster. We check ahead of time with ABS Power Brake to ensure that its brake kit would work with the Detroit Speed & Engineering suspension setup and as we expected, we had no trouble mating the two. Clearance between the caliper bracket and spindle was tight, but there was enough for us to feel comfortable with it.
Check out the kit we received for the front suspension complete with single-piston caliper
Up to this point, we had the DSE front and rear suspension in and were staring at a bare spindle. Both the DSE and ABS drop spindles would have worked here, but we used DSE's simply because it is a part of suspension kit and maintains the geometry of the upper and lower control arm.
Up to this point, we had the DSE front and rear suspension in and were staring at a bare s
First and foremost, we bolted the caliper bracket to the spindle as per the directions. These will actually bolt up quite a few ways, but only will work. Make sure that the caliper is positioned up towards the fender, and to the back of the car. We lubricated all bolts upon installation and ensured that the mating surfaces were properly snug. This is most important on any disc brake assembly as a small misalignment will cause an angle of contact between the rotor and pad and ultimately, lead to poor braking and an uneven wear pattern.
First and foremost, we bolted the caliper bracket to the spindle as per the directions. Th

Next, we set the rotor on a table and greased both it and the bearings. It is essential that both the front and rear bearings of the assembly are packed with grease, ensuring there is limited metal-to-metal contact, and thus limited wear on the mating surfaces.
Next, we set the rotor on a table and greased both it and the bearings. It is essential th
We then slid the front brake rotor over the back-side bearing and followed it up with the front side. These 10 3/4-inch rotors will provide plenty of stopping power on the street--far more than the stock drums. Also, they are versatile in that you can use a rim as small as 14-inches if you so desire. Yes, the owner is bucking the latest "bigger is better" trend here, but he likes the classic look of 15-inch Cragar SS wheels.
We then slid the front brake rotor over the back-side bearing and followed it up with the
After installing the washer, we bolted the assembly to just before snug and installed the cotter pin through one of the two holes through the spindle and the ridges of the castle nut, ensuring that our assembly was not going anywhere. At this point, the rotor assembly is complete. Give it a good spin and ensure there is no binding in the unit.
After installing the washer, we bolted the assembly to just before snug and installed the

The caliper/pad assembly followed. Installation of the caliper is completed using two bolts from the backside. Shims are provided in case the rotor does not align with the center of the caliper. Luckily, we did not need any shims and were ready to start working on the brake lines.

Up front, we made all lines as our connections on the calipers were in different locations, as were the connections on the new booster. Steve Ficacci of Hillcrest Exxon made quick work of the brake lines going to the calipers and mounted them out of the way using a factory bracket.

Like the front, the rear brake kit provides us with versatility to use a small-diameter wheel. It comes with 11-inch rotors, calipers, brackets, emergency brake provisions, and flexible brake tubing. Relatively easy to install, this is definitely a good project for the may-chanics among us to tackle on a free weekend. With a set of jack stands and some patience, you'll be drum free in no time.

The installation begins by removing the old drum brake assembly and pumpkin cover as you will need access to the C-clips to remove the axles. This is necessary to remove as our caliper bracket mounts to axle flange.

Our bracket gets installed using all new hardware and will sit the bracket towards the rear of the car. It is essential to set the calipers in this way to ensure the emergency brake cable has a straight, bind-free connection from the front of the car, as we will show later on in the install.
Our bracket gets installed using all new hardware and will sit the bracket towards the rea
Next, we popped the 11-inch rotor in place and secured it from falling by screwing on a lug nut by hand. "The rear braking system installs quickly and can only go on one way. This makes installation of the hardware fly by. The real time is going to be spent running and bleeding all the brake lines," said installer Steve Ficacci of Hillcrest Exxon.
Next, we popped the 11-inch rotor in place and secured it from falling by screwing on a lu
Next, the caliper is set into place and is held by two four-inch bolts running through the caliper bracket and to both sides of the caliper ensuring a secure mating.
Next, the caliper is set into place and is held by two four-inch bolts running through the

As was the case up front, make sure there in no binding while evenly tightening both the top and bottom caliper bolts. Once completed, check that the rotor is centered between the brake pads and is not rubbing on either of them.

We then tackled the flexible connections running from the calipers to the braking system. Take your time when installing these as you need to ensure a good connection between the line and caliper so it won't leak. Welding a bracket to the rear end housing provided a simple mounting location on the rear.

At this point, our front and rear disc brake swap was complete. Last but not least, we set the wheels on the studs, crossed our fingers, and torqued them down. We had plenty of clearance on both as our 15-inchers can be swapped for 14s if wanted.

Our installation continued in the engine bay as we plucked the factory manual brake booter. Check out the size of the new unit next to the factory one. ABS Power Brakes's 8-inch, 1,400 psi Super Stopper brake system provides stopping power like this car has never seen thanks of a double-diaphragm design with proportioning valves attached. Can it get any easier? The Super Stopper brake system is "powered" by the vacuum of the engine and stores pressure to assist in braking and thus providing power brakes. Note: Be certain that your engine creates enough vacuum to supply such a unit. ABS recommends this unit only if the engine makes over 16 psi of vacuum at idle. We were making 16-17psi.

We were worried that this larger unit would give us clearance issues so we test fit it into place. The only area of concern was the inner fenderwell, as the proportioning valve was sitting awfully close. Luckily, with some creative brake line construction, we were able to ease our worries.

The booster kit installs using four bolts to the firewall and ABS provided all new hardware to do so. It took some time running all the brake lines and making the correct bends, but it's well worth the time, as we knew the kit would be leak-free afterwards.

The real test was out on the road. "It was like a sensory overload. I drive the car if its not raining or snowing so needless to say, I am in the car a lot. When we went for a test drive afterwards, I didn't know what to do other than enjoy the car. Between the DSE suspension components and ABS power brakes, the car now turned, stopped, and rode like a champ. I no longer had to prepare for a stop light some 500 feet ahead of time and pray that the brakes will work," said car owner Joe Juliano.

Check out the finished product through the wheel. What a drastic improvement over the factory drums. We performed some before and after brake testing at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and as we expected, the results were dramatic. There was a 37-foot differece in braking from 60 mph, from 169 feet to 132. You couldn't really ask for much more.