The question came up in a recent conversation about converting a 1962 Starfire to front disc brakes. The assertion was made that this conversion requires going from a 14" to a 15" wheel. Is this true?

Can one convert to front discs brakes on the '62 SF and still retain the factory 14" wheels? If yes, where does one find info/suppliers?

Thanks,

 

There were a whole lot of factory built cars with disk brakes and 14" wheels. You have two problems.

First, GM changed the design of their 14" wheels when disk brakes were installed. If you look at the backside of the wheel, the outer rim part has a drop-down section that mates to the center disk. On wheels designed to clear disk brakes, this drop down section is located more towards the outboard side of the wheel to help clear the calipers. On drum brake cars this was not a problem and the drop down section was centered from inboard to outboard. These drum-only wheels, which you certainly have if you have the original wheels, will not clear any calipers. You can get later 14" disk brake wheels that will clear.

Second, while FACTORY disk brakes from the 1960s will clear 14" wheels, all bets are off when using aftermarket disk brake conversion kits.

 

I could not find a conversion kit for disc brakes that would work on my 57 Olds which has a similar front end as yours. Ended up going with 15" wheels.

 

You might be able to get a kit from this guy:

http://discbrakemike.com/

I've heard good things about him.

 

Good info from all. I appreciate it, and now know more than before I asked the question.

Thanks to all!

 

RE: 14" disc brake wheels- the next problem is finding them in 5x5 bolt circle. That will probably limit you to 1967-68 disc brake equipped full-size Olds. Buick and Cadillac always used 15" and I can't remember what BP big Pontiacs were using then. We know big Chevys used 4-3/4".

Then there's that little matter of Oldsmobile's clip-on wheelcovers...

I met a guy at last year's OCA Nationals who had a 1960 Ninety Eight convertible. He had installed 15" wheels and had somehow made an adapter ring to use the original 1960 full wheelcovers on those 15" wheels, and they looked great. So it CAN be done with a little ingenuity.

 

One used to be able to buy those adapter rings from JC Whitney and the like, but I can't say that I've looked for them recently.

 

another supplier of conversions is http://www.scarebird.com/ I have front and rear disc conversions on my 57 from Scarebird