Is upgrading a early bay to front discs worth it?

[Koeppler]

Reckon I should ask before my tax return burns a hole in my pocket.

I’m talking about no booster just doing like a CSP kit. Looks plug and play except for the check valves in the master cylinder. Less maintenance maybe better brakes. Is the braking that much better than drums without the booster? Or is it like you just don’t have to diddle with the front drum adjustments anymore and braking power is the same?

[SGKent]

I personally don't think so. Ask Robbie or Colin. They went a lot of miles with just drum brakes. It takes more than just swapping the drums for rotors. Yo have to balance the braking too, and the disk buses also have brake boosters.
_________________
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George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[danfromsyr]

IMO it would really depend on HOW and WHERE you drive.

the power brakes add another level of comfort in the Mtns..
and in 'fast traffic' where other cars have HUGE brakes and drive with a go/no-go mentality

me I hate taking the 55mph 'divided' highway that has stop lights.. cause the yellow/red is NOT timed for the braking capabilities of our antiques in mind. and @55mph you're going to get rear ended by just about everyone.. so you roll at 65mph to be more comfortable.. but again can't brake in time for the yellow/red
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[SGKent]

look up the stopping distance on your bay and compare it to modern cars. The 71 - 79 bays stop in the same distance as modern cars, Drums require adjustment to work at an optimal level. I think Gary (aeromech) has added a booster to some drum brake buses and he said that was worthwhile.
_________________
Canned Water - the new California approved parts cleaner (except in a drought in which case rub it with sand).

George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[airschooled]

If a stock VW boosted disc system came up for a good price, I would jump on it. I've driven three aftermarket disc setups on early bays and don't think I would part ways with that kinda cash and free time/shop expense for the meager payoff, unless you were daily driving a loaded bus for work down hills every day.

NYCynthia's bus got a booster, because she weighed so little her body lifted off the seat before the brakes could lock up, even though the drums were working fine. That bus is my favorite early bay to drive now, though it still needs an annual brake adjustment.

Robbie
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[bsairhead]

Having owned a 68 and a 71 without a working booster not much difference. My 71 with a working booster Night and Day.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

I would add a factory disc brake setup to a bus in a heartbeat. I did it to my 70

non assisted disc brakes like that on a T3 or Ghia are fine for a light car but having driven aftermarket setups in the past, they really weren't all that much better than drums (in my opinion) other than you didn't have to keep them adjusted.

I wouldn't part with the $$ for an aftermarket kit
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[aeromech]

I have a customer named bill. His 1968 bus had been converted years ago to 1971 front discs and 1971 rear drums. Braking sucked.

Last year Bill had me install a booster. Bill is very happy now.

Going back a couple posts to Robbie (airschooled). Robbie was referring to a 1968 bus owned by a very small Chinese gal named Cynthia who was from New York. Cynthia was having a very hard time stopping her bus with all her effort. We installed a brake booster in her bus and it made a huge difference. She retained her original 1968 drum brakes and just added the booster.

I’ve done this mod many times with good results.
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[PatJr]

I put the CSP kit on my '70 van
I can't say I like the disk brake kit but I can say for sure I hated those drum brakes. peddle pulsating, puddles terrified me, and going down a hill I still shiver thinking about that ....

I have 14s on my van, if I had 15s I would have put a kit on with the Wilwood calipers (https://www.wilwood.com/)

imho ymmv
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1970 Transporter a orange one
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[SGKent]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

[KTPhil]

I am going belt and suspenders on my '69. With no RPVs, the drums sucked, even with new everything (shoes, M&S cylinders, soft lines), so figuring out what I have and what was done by POs (like a cheap, rusted aftermarket backing plate, etc) has been an adventure.

So I went with this front disc kit:
https://type-emotorsports.com/collections/featured...-brake-kit

Note this kit is the adapters and bearings, NOT the calipers, rotors, pads. Kit is $$$ but very well made, and it then uses common (cheap) GM components that you can get at Rockauto or your local FLAPS (they are THAT common). Total out the door for all was about $750 (including this kit). Bolt-on with little or no trouble at all, less than a 1-day job.

Uses the stock early bay wheels so I didn't have to buy all new wheels and tires to make the disc conversion. Installing '71 stock discs would mean five new wheels and tires.

This kit made a big difference, but with no RPV on the rear drums, pedal travel is still long. But it stops from 65mph quickly, and has no fade, mushiness, or pulling, so it's a great first step.

I am having Gary install a booster next month or so. In the process the correct master and RPV will be installed so the rears will do their job properly, and it should then be among the best stopping vehicles I have!

I know I will like the discs with their almost zero maintenance, the lug studs instead of nuts, and the lack of fade. And parts replacement will be easy and cheap down the road. The booster will make it easy to drive, but I also like that it will stop well should that system malfunction, and isn't a band-aid for poor brakes.

[jakokombi]

I bought a used CSP kit and installed it on my '70 last fall and was pleased with what seemed a mild improvement.
After the first long trip this year I have to say that the improvement was far greater than I thought.
Maybe it's the lessened brake fade, maybe the pads are bedded in better, I don't know, but I think they were definitely worth the 500.00 I payed.

Llke Skills says, what are your choices today? I can't trust replacement brake parts so it makes sense to use a system of oem calipers and pads from other manufacturers.
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70 Sunroof Kombi
85 Motherfukinvanagon
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[PatJr]

[ATP]

[Koeppler]

[KTPhil]

GM used those parts for 10-15 years on several models.
I ordered them all on Rockauto and they were in stock.

[notchboy]

[Koeppler]

[rosevillain]