1962 - 1967 Chevy II
Disc Brake Conversion and
Front End Rebuilding Reference Page
| | 1962 - 1967 Chevy IIDisc Brake Conversion and Front End Rebuilding Reference Page |
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There are plenty of kits out there to upgrade your first generation Chevy II brakes, but I thought they
were very expensive for what is in the kit. The only other problem is that the donor parts that you need from
a 68 - 74 Nova are getting scarce. I took my time and found some parts. One of the hardest parts to find was
the caliper bracket. You can buy the caliper bracket new from the "kit" companies. Once again, this is the
expensive route. The best way is to find a donor car from your local junkyard or search the want advertisements
for an appropriate vehicle.
After researching and asking a lot of questions on
Steve McNabb's Chevy II/Nova Question & Answer Page and
Scott Windle's Nova Reference Site,
I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my front brake to the 68 - 74 Nova brakes.
You will need the parts from any one of these vehicles (Single Piston Calipers Only):
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It turns out that all of the "2-bolt GM intermediate disc spindles" are the same, whether it is front or rear steer. The difference between the disc spindles and the drum spindles of the same era is the height of the upper mounting boss. You can replace a disc spindle with a drum spindle if you machine off the boss by 0.550". But, in order to install one of these spindles on an 1962 - 1967 Nova, you need a lower ball joint adapter.
They are all interchangeable, as long as they have the detachable steering arms such as a Nova, Chevelle, Omega, etc. All of the caliper brackets will be the same.
There is two ways to accomplish the swap. You can use the 68 - 74 Nova spindles or you can modify your
62 -67 Chevy II spindles. If you go with the 68 - 74 Nova spindles, you will have to buy a special ball-joint
kit from Global West
Total Cost of Parts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $348.00
You can follow along as I try to illustrate the project:
First off, I removed the hood because I will detail the engine compartment. Take note of the master cylinder,
since that will be replaced with an 8-inch power booster and new disc/drum master cylinder.
I stripped the car of the fenders, grill, bumper, etc. It would be easier to
take pictures and document the changeover. I will also take the time to detail the rest of the front end
and suspension pieces when I reassemble it.
After removing the front fenders and front items such as the grill, filler panel, and bumper; I removed the
front wheels and took a snap shot of the two sides.
Take a look at the mint green over spray that the last guy left. Is this attractive or what? For those
taking notes, the front shocks are 90/10 Lakewood Drag Shock. They work well.
I unbolted the upper and lower ball-joint nuts. I removed the brake drum and front brake parts.
Remove the backing plates and all brake hardware. Remove the outer tie rod. Then use a pickle fork to remove
the spindle from the ball-joints.
Remove the spindle assembly out. At this time, you can do the same to the driver's side. After removing all
of the parts, I stamped the sides left and right, in order not to confuse them when I reassemble the front.
This would be the ideal time to take your spindles to a machine shop with your 68 -74 caliper brackets.
(More on that modification later.)
Gee, I wonder why my car would never hold a front-end alignment? The bushing here is the original, can
you tell? The years have dried out the bushing. The polyurethane bushings are long overdue. I will be
sandblasting all components and painting them in a single stage urethane.
Below are a list of parts purchased and the price that I paid:
I stripped the car of the fenders, hood, grill, bumper, etc. My purpose was to detail the engine compartment.
I also thought it would be easier to take pictures and document the changeover. I will also take the time to
detail the rest of the front end and suspension pieces when I reassemble it.
I have noticed that my stock bushings were no longer. I ordered a front-end rebuild kit from
PSC (Performance Suspension Components). I ordered the
poly-graphite suspension bushings in the rebuild kit. The kit comes complete with all the necessary components
and instructions. Follow along and check out the pictures for more detail.
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Brakes tapped since January 15, 2001.