Want disc brakes?

52Tom

Bigger Hammer
Jun 9, 2024
51
Kent, WA
First Name
Tom
Willys Model
  1. Aero
Willys Year:
  1. 1952
Guys - I received a reply from Scarebird's owner, when asking about front discs for the '52:
_________________
"Our WLY kit fits your application, but we do not have it in production quite yet, we are working on getting all the kits back in production, you can check the web site for updates,

Link: https://www.scarebird.com/shop/wly-...stom-bermuda-front-disc-conversion-3135#attr=

John Pasemann
Scarebird Classic Brakes
Under New Management in North Carolina"
_____________________
So I clicked on the link and in the "Get notified when back in stock" box, I sent them my email. Maybe if enough of us do that, they might produce more of these sooner...?
I must have contacted ten companies who supply aftermarket brake kits and the few that replied had nothing to offer.
 
Speaking of brakes...Has anyone found a suitable dual system M/C that fits in our cars? I really prefer the safety of having an updated master, but also know space is really tight down there.
Thanks!
 
I did that on my CJ5 by upgrading to swinging pedals. I used the swinging pedal mounts to reinforce the firewall (a bridge between the dash and firewall that the pedals hung off of) and mounted a modern dual reservior master cylinder on the firewall. By using a Ford version of the same basic master cylinder (outlets facing the engine) rather than the jeep version I was able to install the auxiliiary battery the long way between the master cylinder and the hood. It took a little research to get it all together, but that was in the days before all the info was easily sourced on the internet. I used a porptioning valve that came with the donor vehicle. I think it's basically 1974 CJ5 system. By keeping things as close as possible to something that a factory vehicle used I took a lot of the guesswork out of it. I know that upgrading and old jeep with parts from a similar newer jeep is easier than what you need to do, but with some careful measuring you should be able to find a vehicle that could donate the swinging pedals and go from there. None of this stuff is ever easy.
 
You're so right, Jeff. I put swinging pedals in a '54 Kaiser Manhattan; hydraulic clutch and reinforced firewall with an 8" booster and dual system M/C. Slicker than snot on a barnyard floor! Very time consuming but the internet makes things much easier and aftermarket companies can replicate the "old" look. Takes lots of patience. I'll look it all over again with that idea in mind, thanks!
 
The thought occurred to me, I might be able to find a pair of backing plates that would work with the '52. Not the stock kind, seen below, but plates with the star wheel (self-adjusters) at the bottom end of the shoes. Wondering if small Jeep owners who made a disc conversion might have kept your old hardware...and might the bolt pattern be the same for the spindles?

I wanted to do a disc brake conversion but getting nowhere with that. The next best thing is staying with shoes & drums but self-adjusting.
 

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From my research I only found a few limited types of spindles out there, womder if you can research the spindles and figure out what type you have.

Nothing was overly modern on a Willys or cutting edge, so these most likely cross over to a very standard spindle that folks have kits for.

The main issue I can see is that modification could require a physical wheel modification/replacement to fit disc's, then of course the hydraulic system needs to match what's going in.

I have a 2WD with the drop Ibeam is how I ran across that, and also I have an old 1957 Chiltons manual that groups the various systems by mfg and differences.

I realize you may not have a straight axle, but the spindle dims might be the same.


Lots of great info on their site.

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I've contacted at least 10 websites that specialize in classic disc conversions and only Scarebird had adapter plates specifically for the '52 to '55 Aeros but they're out of stock and not in a hurry to make more.
I contacted Speedway with photos but they said "sorry" can't help you.
If need be, I'll just try to find original front brake stuff for this car. Only promised the gentleman I'd get her road worthy again and this hunt has been kinda frustrating.
 
I get that, the stock brakes paired with the stock drive train if done up and adjusted will be suitable for the speed these probably go.

Getting the shoes fit to drums and the sort goes a long way.

Probably a fun little car to drive around.
 
While I was doing other car things, the owner of the Aero was digging around and said he believed the front suspension of my '59 Rambler sedan was the same as his '52 Willys. At first I thought, yeah right, until I looked at the comparison photos. This afternoon I took a front wheel off and tried the adapter on the Aero and it fits perfectly! The spindles are almost identical!
I'm going after this and will probably try to get the same adapter plates from Scarebird or an AMC vendor and will keep you posted to find the right way to have a more economical disc brake on our cars!
 

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UPDATE!
The owner of the Aero shoots me emails & texts from time to time, as he pokes around online, looking for solutions. I happen to own a '59 Rambler sedan that I putter around town in, and Larry said my disc brakes (on the AMC) should fir the Aero. Sure, I thought... That'd be too easy! After a back-and-forth with him, I decided to pull the adapter plate off my car and try it on his. To my astonishment, it fit perfectly! So, with his permission (he's paying for all the parts) I ordered a 'Front Disc Brake Conversion Kit, All-New Components, 1955-77 AMC, Rambler' from AMClives.com. With shipping it all comes to $1,220. Basically everything but the M/C is included and it's supposed to arrive on Monday (19th).

Now we've got to buy 5 new wheels with enough backspacing to accommodate the calipers and a master cylinder to fit that tight space Willys provided. Fortunately, Wilwood has a fantastic tech service department and they've helped me find the right stuff. I'll know what bore size to get once the parts get here and I can measure the diameter of the caliper piston - per Wilwood's advice.

Stay tuned - more to come!
 
The AMC kit does fit, however there's interference with one of the caliper bolts with the steering arm. The gent who owns the Aero happened to get from the previous owner a pair of half-inch thick spacers, allowing either up or down re-positioning of the spindles by maybe 3/4". It was just enough to clear the bolt above the arm and it all works.

Now I'm in the process of fitting a Wilwood dual master cylinder within the bracket that held the old Wagner M/C. It's bench bleeding time! I'll take some pics.
 
Slowly bench bleeding a new dual Wilwood M/C that will have remote reservoirs for fluid. Went to test fit and realized this won't work, as pedal swing will interfere with the "ears" of the new master cylinder and the side ports. BUMMER! Going to have to stick with the single system Wagner.
 

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I did the Scarebird conversion on my Aero a few years ago when Mark in Washington still owned it. Scarebird brackets, honda accord rotors, chevy s-10 4wd calipers, longer length M38 jeep studs to make up for thick rotor hats, stock wheels. Kit works great. I think Mark had a ford based kit after mine but before he sold out to someone in Arizona. Two observations, stock 4 wheel drum brakes certainly adequate for a stock Aero, BUT absolutely everyone around you in traffic is going to have power disc brakes........dual circuit master cylinder.......never found a suitable fit so i added a remote brake fluid reservoir to allow more pumps before losing all fluid/braking.
 

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Mark - That is a masterpiece! I also had to settle for a new Dorman copy of the Wagner Lockheed stock M/C and am in the process of a remote Wilwood reservoir. How did you attach a nipple on the master's fill cap? If the seal's not perfect that fluid finds a way to run out!
 
Mark - That is a masterpiece! I also had to settle for a new Dorman copy of the Wagner Lockheed stock M/C and am in the process of a remote Wilwood reservoir. How did you attach a nipple on the master's fill cap? If the seal's not perfect that fluid finds a way to run out!
The cap, I drilled & tapped in a brass barb and then tapped the vent holes & put screws in to seal them. Wrench tightened the cap , the gasket doesn't leak. Since then I see the fairly generic caps at various times with the hose barb cast right in. Lots easier than what I did. I bought a Wilwood remote kit too. I wanted a sealed system rather than a vented one, so I replaced the vent baffle in the cap with a rubber bellows from Dorman. The bellows volume is way smaller than the reservior so I just made sure to not tighten the reservoir cap when bleeding.
 
The cap, I drilled & tapped in a brass barb and then tapped the vent holes & put screws in to seal them. Wrench tightened the cap , the gasket doesn't leak. Since then I see the fairly generic caps at various times with the hose barb cast right in. Lots easier than what I did. I bought a Wilwood remote kit too. I wanted a sealed system rather than a vented one, so I replaced the vent baffle in the cap with a rubber bellows from Dorman. The bellows volume is way smaller than the reservior so I just made sure to not tighten the reservoir cap when bleeding.
Mark - I would LOVE to find one of those caps with the barb cast into it! If you see one again, please holler. :)
 
Mark - I would LOVE to find one of those caps with the barb cast into it! If you see one again, please holler. :)
The cap is sorta/almost universal for that era mastercylinders. First one I saw with the barb is that company that makes the vintage looking tin can type remote reservoir. I wanted a translucent reservoir. Used to see them around the net, ebay, etc. Name escapes me, Vintage, classic, antique, etc, etc, remote reservoir. Should turn up in a search. Then just barbed caps would turn up, naturally after mine was done.
 
The cap is sorta/almost universal for that era mastercylinders. First one I saw with the barb is that company that makes the vintage looking tin can type remote reservoir. I wanted a translucent reservoir. Used to see them around the net, ebay, etc. Name escapes me, Vintage, classic, antique, etc, etc, remote reservoir. Should turn up in a search. Then just barbed caps would turn up, naturally after mine was done.
I'll dig into it! Thank you so much, Mark!
 
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