1962 Buick Skylark suspension and brakes

[Revhead]

My 62 Skylark convertible has been upgraded with a later year Rover engine.  Rover bought the engine and kept making them into the 80's with more HP. But the car still has a single master drum brake system. Spooky!!!! 

I am considering options including upgrading to 5 bolt wheels. 

At a minimum, does anyone make a power brake conversion that doesn't require moving wiper motor or other mods? There are two studs coming out of the firewall on either side of the master.  I am assuming those were there from factory for a power brake option.

How about a front Disc Brake conversion with matching 5 bolt rear drums? 

Any bolt-on suspension mods so it actually drives like the light weight sports car it could have been. Nothing radical, heavier sway bars and better shocks ?

 

I read somewhere that Corvair disc brakes will fit on the spindles, but some issue?? 

 

New to the club and may be offending people by not keeping it original.  I have other cars, majority kept original.  She will stay original looking with all the funky fake fender vents.  This one just seems to be so perfect for minor mods to make it a road worthy daily driver.  

 

Suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

[Larry Schramm]

I would agree on putting a double master cylinder, but the rest of the work IMO is really unnecessary.  If all of the brake and suspension components are repaired/ refurbished to original factory standards, the car will run and stop fine. 

I am confident is saying this because I had a '63 Skylark and never had any issues with braking except on ice. 🙂

[joe_padavano]

I have a 1962 F85 wagon, which is the same suspension and brakes. I converted to a dual circuit master cylinder. The car is only 2,700 lbs. You don't need power brakes if the shoes and wheel cylinders are maintained and adjusted properly. The one change I did make is downsizing from the OEM 1" master cylinder to a 7/8" dual circuit master cylinder. This dramatically increases braking force without the need for power brakes (which don't fit in that car). There's also no need to spend the money converting to 5 lug wheels either. I've got 14" wheels on mine with 195/70-14 front tires and 205/70-14 back tires. I've had those tires on the car for 12 years now and it handles just fine. The dual circuit M/C has been on since 2019 and I've driven the car on several long trips (including a 2,600 mile, nine day trip) with zero brake issues. Don't believe the aftermarket hype.

Edited November 5, 2022 by joe_padavano (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

5 hours ago, Revhead said:

 

I read somewhere that Corvair disc brakes will fit on the spindles, but some issue?? 

Um, like the Corvair never had disc brakes?

 

I agree, those drums will stop just fine. Finding a mechanic that understands what was a common braking system 40 years ago might be harder.

[joe_padavano]

14 hours ago, Revhead said:

I read somewhere that Corvair disc brakes will fit on the spindles, but some issue??

The 1961-63 Y-body front spindles use the same wheel bearings as do the 1964-72 A-body cars, so the rotors from those cars could theoretically be installed, though this obviously doesn't account for disc offset relative to the hub and clearance to the spindle itself. Of course then you need to build custom caliper brackets, convert the rear brakes to five lug to match, find wheels to clear this custom setup, and figure out an M/C and proportioning valve setup to ensure you don't run into premature lockup under panic braking. Here's a word of advice: most aftermarket brake conversions I've seen are NOT particularly well engineered, and the hamfisted installations by "mechanics" who then can't even bleed the system properly are legend in online forums. If you personally have the skills to engineer and fabricate a properly matched brake system, go for it. No one will argue that the tiny OEM drums on these cars will work better than PROPERLY ENGINEERED AND INSTALLED disc brakes. The all-caps part is the key. Few systems I've seen qualify. And let's be honest. How exactly do you plan to use this car? If it only gets driven on weekends to cruise night and maybe for ice cream in the summer, are you REALLY going to need such an upgrade? You'll spend $2K doing this. Again, my car with OEM drums gets driven a lot, in traffic and at highway speeds, and has zero brake issues. On Power Tour we drove a very hilly, winding stretch on VA 58 in southern VA, and the brakes worked just fine. I'll add that my driving style might be classified as "aggressive".

Edited November 5, 2022 by joe_padavano (see edit history)