Newbie - Brake Advice

[truk820]

Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for the wisdom...I'm sure I'll be reaching out more in the near future as my build becomes a reality.

I'm about to pull the trigger on the following car: Jeep : CJ 2door in Jeep | eBay Motors

although I'm concerned about doing a brake upgrade from drums to disc. I'm a newbie and never done it before, willing to dive in head first but not sure how realistic the upgrade will be (or an engine rebuild for that matter). Are there any threads that address the difficulty? Would you / would you not recommend I give it a whirl?

 

[alpha6]

This thread may help give you an idea.http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f2/converting-power-brakes-11799/

Welcome and the jeep looks in pretty good shape from the pics. Check out that engine really well as it showing 100k even on the milage I suspect the odometer stopped turning at some point. Also, check behind that diamond plate for how extensive the rust is so you have an idea if there is enough metal left to repair the body if that's in your plans.

Good luck. Let us know how things turn out.

 

[IOPort51]

Are you sure you have drums on the front?? I know some 77 did but I wonder about a V8 with drums.

that is an original white roof, do you have the doors to go with it?:drool:

 

[Wrangled13]

Are you sure you have drums on the front?? I know some 77 did but I wonder about a V8 with drums.

that is an original white roof, do you have the doors to go with it?:drool:

My '79 has front drum with a AMC 304 ... Not sure what is up with my Cj though.

 

[truk820]

Well...bad news. The buy didn't pan out so it's back to the drawing board. Thanks for the info though - I'll continue my search!

 

[dauntless89]

I'll give you some advice from my Jeep Journey.

My rig is a '69. Manual drum brakes and no power-assisted steering. I thought it was so vintage and cute and I had to have it.

Then I took it on the trail after going through it head to toe and fixing it up a bit. Nothing was in terribly bad shape, but add a small lift and the lack of power assisted steering gets really fatiguing. Add some 31's and nose over a 40 degree decline a couple times and it's downright terrifying, having to literally stand on the brake pedal to keep from dying.

I'm currently in the process of retrofitting my old Jeep with power discs and power Saginaw steering, amenities which have been standard on most passenger cars for the last 30 years. Because of the way my rig is laid out, I also have to retrofit a Bronco heater box, convert to a hydraulic clutch, replace my entire steering setup, and redo the front half of my exhaust. All to get what has been standard on CJs for 20 years. This isn't a total deal breaker for me because I love fabricating, working on my rig, and inventing solutions where no common "mod" or "swap" exists, but for someone less skilled or inclined it could be a serious case of buyers remorse.

I love my Jeep, and nothing could ever make me sell it, but if I were to do it all over again, I'd pick one that had modern brakes and steering on it from the factory. Something to think about.