I've thought about brake upgrades myself, but honestly, if your vintage ride's brakes are properly maintained and adjusted, they're usually fine for highway cruising. I mean, unless you're pushing it hard through mountain passes or something, stock brakes in good shape generally do the job.
But now you've got me thinking... anyone here actually experienced noticeable fade or issues on long-distance drives with their classics? I've done a few 4-5 hour trips in my '68 Mustang and never had any real scares. Maybe I'm just lucky—or maybe I'm not driving hard enough to notice?
I did have a buddy who swapped drums for discs up front on his old Camaro. He swears by it, says the pedal feel alone was worth the hassle. Personally, I'm skeptical about how much difference you'd really feel on a casual road trip, but hey, maybe he's onto something.
Curious if anyone's done similar swaps and noticed a real-world improvement in braking performance on long hauls. Or is it mostly peace of mind?
"Personally, I'm skeptical about how much difference you'd really feel on a casual road trip..."
I get where you're coming from, but honestly, pedal feel alone can make a bigger difference than you'd think. A buddy of mine swapped drums for discs on his '66 Chevelle, and after driving it myself, I gotta admit—it felt way more responsive and predictable. Maybe it's not strictly necessary for highway cruising, but when traffic suddenly slows down or someone cuts you off... that extra confidence is pretty reassuring.
I get where you're coming from, but honestly, pedal feel alone can make a bigger difference than you'd think.
I see your point about pedal feel—it's definitely noticeable. But from a practical standpoint, if you're mostly doing relaxed highway miles, the difference might not justify the cost and hassle. I had an old '72 Dart that I drove cross-country twice with drum brakes all around. Sure, discs would've been nice in stop-and-go traffic, but honestly, keeping the drums properly adjusted and serviced regularly made them plenty reliable for long-distance cruising. Just my two cents...
Totally get the drum brake thing—my uncle swore by them on his old Falcon. He'd always joke that discs were for people who didn't know how to plan ahead. 😂 But seriously, I think a lot depends on your driving style and comfort zone. I did a road trip in my '68 Mustang a few summers back, and even though it had drums all around, I never really felt unsafe or anything. Just had to remember to give myself a little extra stopping distance, especially coming down mountain passes.
Speaking of long trips, anyone ever had issues with vapor lock on hot days? My Mustang used to give me fits whenever temps climbed above 90. Ended up wrapping the fuel lines and adding a spacer under the carb, which helped a ton. Curious if others have found simpler fixes...
Had a similar issue with vapor lock on my old Dart a couple summers ago—temps climbed into the mid-90s, and the engine would sputter like crazy after stopping for gas or lunch. Ended up insulating the fuel line and rerouting it slightly away from exhaust components. Not exactly a simpler fix, but it was pretty cheap and solved the problem completely. Definitely worth the peace of mind on longer trips.
