CrashTheRedneck Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Well the weather warmed up some so I found myself pulling the Datsun out of the barn. I'm thinking on making it drivable this spring and rebuilding it as I go. The old 1974 Datsun 620 has drum brakes all the way around and I would like to switch to pads. Which direction would be best to go? Order parts from a newer (does the 721 even had disc brakes?)Nissan truck? Does somebody make a conversion kit? What are my best options? And yes I'm pretty dead set on getting rid of the drum brakes, it's a personal preference. Quote Link to comment
Noflers Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 http://www.silverminemotors.com/datsun/datsun-620-520-521-310/brake-upgrades That stuff is spendy, but there's a guy around here who makes brackets for this. Mklots is what he goes by on here I think... 1 Quote Link to comment
flatcat19 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Mzlotz, beebani, and krecs all make brake kits for the kingpin trucks. Search. Tons of info here about disc conversion. I will also say...My drum brakes all the way around feel great for what they are. Keep them adjusted properly and you should have no worries. 2 Quote Link to comment
2wheel-lee Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 I can completely understand why it's your personal preference. I just despise working on drum brakes. They work fine, but I just don't like them. And if looks is a concern, you gotta have discs front and rear, right? Unfortunately, most of the kits use an Isuzu rear parking brake caliper. The downsides for this is that the parking brake cable doesn't work well with that arrangement. I think few actually complete that part of the installation. The other downside is if you're planning on lowering the vehicle a lot, the caliper hits the frame. I went with the Wilwood parking brake caliper. Though there is a bracket for the Wilwood caliper, it doesn't work well with the stock cable, and I think frame clearance for lowered vehicles may be a concern. I ended up making my own bracket. Quote Link to comment
G-Duax Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 I will also say...My drum brakes all the way around feel great for what they are. Keep them adjusted properly and you should have no worries. That's about a monthly task..... but I drive the crap out of mine. Can't wait to get m Z32 NA calipers, beeboni adaptors, and Honda Passport disks on the front. Just need to find larger wheels to fit over them. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 Get a good front brake set up and you won't want to bother with the rears. The fronts do 80% of the stopping anyway. Rears are along for the ride. Face it, at 60 MPH in a panic stop with the brakes locked up it doesn't matter if drum or disc. For all the rest of the time disc are easier to change the pads, don't need adjusting, fewer parts and are easier to modulate close to lock up than drums. Another advantage you are not likely to need is resistance to fade as they get hot. 2 Quote Link to comment
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