Tri-Five Disc Brakes & Spindles


The installation of disc brakes on hot rods and muscle vehicles that were originally equipped with drum brakes has become rather prevalent in recent years. The decision on which path to take my 1955 Sedan Delivery came down to a few things: I wanted reliable brakes, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money doing it. Atop all of that, I was well aware of the fact that I needed to lower it by a couple of inches!
Tri-Five Disc Brakes & Spindles
Brake conversion kit and 2″ drop spindles for 1955-57 Chevy cars were the two options I chose for my project. There are various methods of lowering the vehicle, but drop spindles are the most effective in my opinion. You are not altering the camber or control arm geometry in the same way that a lowering spring would be. I’ve also added an inch pin to the spindle, which means that all of my wheel bearings, rotors, disc brake pads, and other parts are now readily available at any local auto parts store!
Transferring the ball joints/tie rods from your old spindles to your new spindles is a straightforward process that requires little more than a screwdriver and some time. If your old ball joints, bushings, and tie rod ends are worn out, vendors can provide you with replacement parts. Caution should be exercised when upgrading the brake system on a stock Tri-5. It is recommended that the master cylinder be upgraded simultaneously. These vehicles all come equipped with single reservoir master cylinders, which presents a significant safety hazard if your brake system develops a leak. I like to utilize the Corvette-style master cylinder and non-adjustable proportioning valve , which are available.
I had a slight advantage in this situation. Fortunately, I had many projects going on in parallel on the car at the same time, so I had complete access to everything when installing the spindles and brake package. You may encounter some difficulties, but they are typically nothing that a liberal application of penetrating oil and/or heat cannot resolve. Pretty soon, you’ll have a lot of parts as well, as well as a brand new chassis ready to receive your new glittering parts.