I don't wish to confuse the issue of how a component is designed to perform
versus availability of replacement parts.
The '67-'68 Budd brakes are more than adequate for stopping a nearly 5,000
pound Imperial in most modern traffic situations. I have found that the
original eleven inch Full Contact brakes on my '59 Plymouth wagon are
adequate most of the time, but not when some impatient driver cuts me off
within a few hundred feet of a yellow light turning red, taking away most of
my required stopping distance for a "normal" stop. I am then required to
make an immediate and full application of the brakes and hope I don't plow
into the 2,500 smaller car that happens to have four wheel disk anti-lock
brakes. Many people don't realize and don't care that many older drum brake
cars can accelerate with, and maintain the same speeds as today's vehicles,
but require a longer stopping distance. Even with excellent drums, fresh
original asbestos brake shoes and proper adjustment, these cars were not
engineered to stop as well as today's cars. So I will not apologize for
changing the Plymouth's brakes to a commercially available front disk brake
kit that improves the car's stopping distance and a dual master cylinder as
an added safety measure. The kits were engineered to be "bolt on"
replacements. These modifications can easily be reversed if I wish to
restore the car properly to factory specifications.
Why did I convert the '59's flat head six to H.E.I. electronic ignition and
desire to convert my '68 Crown to electronic ignition? Not to gain more
performance i.e., greater acceleration and speed. It was because I drive my
cars frequently and I have found many of the points sets, condensers and
ballast resistors available today are not as good as the original factory
and replacement versions of just a few years ago. N.O.S. sets sometimes
deteriorate over time. Converting the the Plymouth did not require cutting
any wiring and the original wires are carefully tucked away, ready to be
returned to use if I ever decide to "go original."
The general public (with the exception of some "eco-terrorist" extremists)
enjoy seeing our cars cruise by. Pass a hot, tired crowd at a bus stop
shelter with a '58 Imperial and take in the smiles and looks of wonderment
your car's appearance brings to their faces. They don't care if you're
running radials or bias ply tires, if you're equipped with stock drums or an
AAJ disk brake conversion kit, if you've added dual exhaust, sway bars, gas
shocks, etc.
Believe me, if I stumbled across a low mileage, matching numbers garage
queen, I would keep it all original and not use it as daily transportation.
But then again, I'd rather see it in the hands of a purist who can afford to
keep it in museum-like condition. I'm content to drive my somewhat modified,
non-matching numbers beasts and enjoy them for the pleasure of driving. I
honestly salute the purists who take on the responsibility of restoring and
maintaining original cars for posterity. It involves awesome skill and a
great sense of responsibility. And besides, as I keep pointing out, those of
us who modify our rides are leaving the ever dwindling supply of N.O.S. and
excellent used components for fellow hobbyists who desire to keep their
machines factory original.
In conclusion, I believe that any car that is used as regular transportation
on expressways and major arterials should be able mix in with today's better
handling and better stopping vehicles. I remember a nasty accident some
years back when a young woman in one of those tiny MR2s cut in front of a
bone stock '67 GMC pick up as the lane was slowing down for merging traffic.
He locked up his rear brakes and plowed right into her. His truck simply
wasn't designed to stop in that short of a distance. Neither could the
similar '68 C-20 I owned at the time until I converted it to front disk
brakings and added metallic linings to the rear drums. The change was simply
amazing and I felt so much more comfortable driving that big "Brand C" truck
than before. Seeing that accident and knowing my truck's own stopping
characteristics made a believer out of me.
Incidently, if anybody can suggest a good source of top quality points and
condensers that won't fail at 6,000-8,000 miles, I'll keep my original
distributors in both my '68 440 and the Poly 318 in another '59 Plymouth I
plan to get back on the road! I may even change my other '59's six back to
stock.
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network