I am looking to install a disc conversion for my 67 CS.
1. Recommendations on brand? I would like to purchase a kit that also replaces the master cylinder.
2. Does this effect wheel fitment? If I purchase wheels to fit my current drum setup, will my wheels still fit the new disc setup?

Thanks,
Jim

 

Check out The Right Stuff Detailing at getdiscbrakes.com
They have a couple of choices for your car, one of which will work with 14" wheels.
If you're buying aftermarket wheels, pretty much all modern wheels will work with disc or drum brakes.

 

Any 68-72 GM A body disc set up will bolt straight on to your 67. Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Skylark, Cutlass/442. If you can find it, theres still some out there in bone yards. Theres also a lot of aftermarket pieces too as Copper128 said "The Right Stuff Detailing" has a lot of nice things.

 

Do not get the aftermarket kits that claim they work with 14" wheels, as these only use 10" rotors. The factory disk brakes came with 14" wheels and use 10.75" rotors. The trick is that there are two styles of 14" wheels, those that clear disk brakes and those that clear only drum brakes. The difference is on the backside shaping of the outer rim portion of the wheel. You do need to use disk brake wheels if you are staying with 14", but the difference in braking force is worth it. I wouldn't waste my time with 10" rotors on an A-body, especially since the parts are all custom for that kit. The factory style disks are still readily available at any auto parts store.

Here's more info.

 

This picture might help illustrate the difference. This is a 14" disk brake wheel with the stock 10.75" rotors. Note how the backside of the outer rim is shaped to just clear the caliper. The red dashed lines show the contour of a drum brake wheel, where the center drop of the rim was made wider to make tire mounting easier.

 

I will be upsizing to 15" rims. Will the aftermarket kits be satisfactory with 15" rims?

 

It depends on which aftermarket kit and which 15" wheels. The Olds SSII/III wheels are unique in that the center stamping is the same for both 14" and 15" versions. The 15" wheels use a rim that has a deeper drop so that the I.D. of the rim is the same as for the one on the 14" versions. That means that the 15" SSII/III wheels don't really provide appreciably more brake clearance than the 14" version (though both clear the factory disks just fine). I cannot speak to the clearance of aftermarket wheels since there is no standard on how the manufacturer shapes the backside of the rim, so clearance can vary.

As for aftermarket brake kits, the ones that EXACTLY duplicate stock 10.75" rotors, brackets, and calipers should clear any 15" wheel. Kits with larger calipers or rotors can vary. Even some aftermarket kits with stock size rotors use caliper brackets with some differences from stock, which has caused problems documented in this forum in the past.

 

Jim:
I have a used, factory front disc brake set-up with rotors, calipers and spindles. I bought it to convert my drums to disc and then decided to upgrade to 12" rotors and 17" aftermarket rims. It's been sitting in my shop for about 2 years now. I'd just like to get back what I paid for them - $150 plus the ride (as they say). I also have a set of brand new rotors from ILT, same deal, just want to get what I paid for them - $149 plus the ride.
PM me if you're interested.
Rodney

 

Thats a decent deal- Be aware that you'll still need a new disk/drum master cylinder & disk/drum proportioning valve, and will likely need to make up new brake hardline splices to connect up the old with the new.

 

I used ECI brake kit on 65 it uses all stock type full size parts (no down sized G model stuff like lots of kits) and it doesn't push the front wheels out wider like most kits. You do have to make your own brake lines but you can get everything else you need from them. Nice people there very helpful. 15" wheels fit fine.

 

Hey:
Stick w/ a setup that uses some type of OEM calipers/bracket and hardware. I did the complete OPGI conversion kit on my 66 Cutlass and had plenty of brakes on the high horsepower car and had no problems getting OEM style wheels to fit, life will be much easier. There are any number of CO members that help w/ original stuff if that is the direction you want to go.
Thanks Ron