UPDATE on 1965 Sedan de Ville disc brake conversion

[BlackCads]

Hi all
I finalized the disc brake conversion on my 65 Sedan de Ville today -- I have to say I am VERY pleased. The car now stops like any large heavy automobile (think Chevy Suburban, Silverado). No more "creeping" at stop lights or on hills. A firm,light foot on the brake pedal is all that is needed. I now feel confident in any traffic condition. I will be driving the car over the next two weeks & will update this if necessary but so far this has greatly enhanced my enjoyment of driving this car.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Congratulations on getting the task done, and for letting us know.

Bruce.

[savemy67]

Hello BlackCads,

Love the typo in your post's title.  Just how fast can you go in an "1865" Sedan DeVille, that you need disc brakes?

Christopher Winter

[BlackCads]

Oops... bad eyes!
I did the brakes not because I like to go fast but because of the notoriously bad Boston drivers where I live!

[savemy67]

Hello BlackCads,

I agree that you probably need a modern braking system if you are driving in Boston.

Did you do the work yourself or did you have a shop install the conversion?  Did you use a kit or were parts gathered from different sources?  Once the parts were in hand, how long did the conversion take to install?  Was any machining or fabrication required, or was the conversion strictly a bolt on application?  Any pictures?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Thanks.

Respectfully submitted,

Christopher Winter

[bcroe]

Hi all
I finalized the disc brake conversion on my 65 Sedan de Ville today -- I have to say I am VERY pleased. The car now stops like any large heavy automobile (think Chevy Suburban, Silverado). No more "creeping" at stop lights or on hills. A firm,light foot on the brake pedal is all that is needed. I now feel confident in any traffic condition. I will be driving the car over the next two weeks & will update this if necessary but so far this has greatly enhanced my enjoyment of
driving this car.

That is a great upgrade, for the best reasons.  You are now declared
an official GURU of 60s Cad disc brake conversions. 

One of the issues I have had with brake systems, is the rears locking
up before the fronts, not good in bad weather.  Hope you do test this
out when its slippery.  Even stock, my 79 Eldo (all disc) was so bad it
wasn't safe in bad weather.  I put in a rear proportioning valve a
couple decades ago, made the final adjustment in snow.  Bruce Roe

[BlackCads]

Hello BlackCads,

I agree that you probably need a modern braking system if you are driving in Boston.

Did you do the work yourself or did you have a shop install the conversion?

I researched & ordered the kit myself. I got the kit from CaddyDaddy in CA.
https://www.caddydaddy.com/1961-1962-1963-1964-1965-1966-1967-1968-cadillac-drilled-slotted-front-disc-brake-conversion-kit-with-booster-master-cylinder-all-models-except-1967-1968-eldorado-fwd-new.html
Since good brakes are such an essential safety item I had my local mechanics do the installation. They actually have experience withers conversions having done them on their own cars as well as other customers.

Did you use a kit or were parts gathered from different sources? 

All the parts except for the splitter to the front lines were included. The kit includes all new bearings, seals, bolts, castle nuts, even new cotter pins.

Once the parts were in hand, how long did the conversion take to install? 

The conversion took roughly 2 days, although my job was interspersed with others.

Was any machining or fabrication required, or was the conversion strictly a bolt on application? 

The kit is a bolt-on kit. It is remarkably simple. One removes the original drums and backing plates, bolt on the caliper brackets, mount the discs and bolt on the calipers. Then you install the new booster, which has the proportioning valves installed and plumbed. The only additional part that was needed was the splitter from the proportioning valves to the front calipers. Once everything was installed it worked perfectly. I have to say I am very pleased with the kit and the performance of the brakes so far.

I should add that the booster produces very high pressure in the lines. Last year I replaced my brake lines with stainless and I'm glad I did that. You will also need at least 18" of vacuum at the booster in order for it to function properly. This should not be an issue for most of us.

Any pictures?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Thanks.

I am going to try to attach some pictures. I am doing this on an iPad so I'm not sure if it will work. If it doesn't I will try again when I get home.

Respectfully submitted,

Christopher Winter

[BlackCads]

That is a great upgrade, for the best reasons.  You are now declared
an official GURU of 60s Cad disc brake conversions. 

One of the issues I have had with brake systems, is the rears locking
up before the fronts, not good in bad weather.  Hope you do test this
out when its slippery.  Even stock, my 79 Eldo (all disc) was so bad it
wasn't safe in bad weather.  I put in a rear proportioning valve a
couple decades ago, made the final adjustment in snow.  Bruce Roe

You flatter me -- I am no guru. Those who preceded me before the bolt-on kits became available are the real pioneers.
So far so good with braking response. I have not detected any lock-up or other anomalies with the brakes. The proportioning valve was adjusted by the manufacturer for a front disc / rear drum set-up. My mechanic did not have to do any further adjusting after installation. I've put about a hundred miles on the car since the conversion and the brakes feel great.

[cadillacmike68]

Nice.

Expensive but nice.

However, what do you do when the rotors wear out? Do you know what year range and model there are from? Same with calipers. Did any part info come with it?

The only really hard part to find is the disc brake caliper mounting bracket. Those were only made for 1969s and 68s that had the optional front discs.

Your steering knuckle and arm are the same from 1961 thru 1969, which is why that kit is listed for 61-68. Front discs were standard equipment on 69 and in 1970 the steering knuckle changed from a three piece assembly to a one piece. It looks like the mounting bracket is new manufacture, as are the rotors, but can you tell us what info if any is on the calipers?

Replacing the booster was a good idea as well.

I converted the 1968 first by getting the 1969 backing plates, with the steering knuckles. But then on further research I found that I could use the 1970-71 one piece design if I got the changed camber eccentrics, 1970-71 lower ball joint and 1970-71 outer tie rod end.

Cadillac changed the angle of the dangle on these three items and the 1970 knuckle would not bolt in to the 1968 with the originals.

Then upon further research I found that I could use the half as expensive 1972-76 rotors with a simple rear seal change and milling down of the inner dust shield lip in the center. I notice that there is no inner dust shield in this kit.

[bcroe]

It certainly would be good to know what common car parts are
equivalent to the pads, rotor, caliper, and bearings of the conversion
kit.  I have never worn out a rotor, but they can rust from inside
the air passages out, and the weak spot crack some day.  The real
"wear" on many parts is service guys being so anxious to turn
things, after a careless owner grooved it. 

Bruce Roe

[savemy67]

Hello BlackCads,

Thanks for the reply and the photos.

Christopher Winter

[BlackCads]

It certainly would be good to know what common car parts are
equivalent to the pads, rotor, caliper, and bearings of the conversion
kit.  I have never worn out a rotor, but they can rust from inside
the air passages out, and the weak spot crack some day.  The real
"wear" on many parts is service guys being so anxious to turn
things, after a careless owner grooved it. 

Bruce Roe

I checked with my mechanic about replacement parts. The components were all packaged in plain wrapping and shipped directly from CaddyDaddy (no drop-shipping). Pads are common and can be obtained at any auto parts store. The rotors I believe are custom made for this application. Since the rotors are drilled and slotted they cannot be turned. If I needed new rotors I would probably have to get them from CaddyDaddy. The same is true of the calipers. I could probably get the bearings locally, but I'm not sure. If I ever needed replacement parts other than pads I would most likely get them from CaddyDaddy.
Although I do enjoy driving the car, I don't use it nearly as much as my daily driver. I am anticipating getting quite a few years out of these brakes.