Eldorado brake calipers

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gmrocket
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 9:49 am
TOA Membership Number: 880
Years Owned: 1967 Toronado Deluxe - owned this car since 1995 and am the second owner. Sadly it was cosmetically gorgeous but mechanically and electrically a mess when I got it. It was a feature car at the 1997 Olds Centennial but still wasn't running right then until Sparky Kalkhoff and I swapped out the wrong cam for the correct original. Everything electrical was repaired over the years until the point where the cosmetics became a mess. It's now undergoing its second restoration with lots of new metal to address years of rot courtesy of its Northeast PA roots.
Location: Mississippi

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby gmrocket » Sat Jun 18, 2022 3:43 pm

Definitely easy enough to swap the Eldo lowers in so I’ll just plan to do that. Appreciate it, Mikel!
Gregg L
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe

User avatar
gmrocket
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 9:49 am
TOA Membership Number: 880
Years Owned: 1967 Toronado Deluxe - owned this car since 1995 and am the second owner. Sadly it was cosmetically gorgeous but mechanically and electrically a mess when I got it. It was a feature car at the 1997 Olds Centennial but still wasn't running right then until Sparky Kalkhoff and I swapped out the wrong cam for the correct original. Everything electrical was repaired over the years until the point where the cosmetics became a mess. It's now undergoing its second restoration with lots of new metal to address years of rot courtesy of its Northeast PA roots.
Location: Mississippi

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby gmrocket » Wed Jul 06, 2022 9:17 am

Goofy question here for those in the know as I start collecting parts for my front-end rebuild: any thoughts on using drilled/slotted rotors vs. standard one-each smooth ones? Rock Auto has Dynamic Friction drilled and slotted rotors for about $70/each. Seems like a no-brainer to spring a few extra bucks to better help our behemoths stop.
Gregg L
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe

Mikel
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:26 am
TOA Membership Number: 100
Location: New Haven, CT

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby Mikel » Wed Jul 06, 2022 9:52 am

In my experience slotted rotors are noisier and tend to generate more vibrations.

User avatar
gmrocket
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 9:49 am
TOA Membership Number: 880
Years Owned: 1967 Toronado Deluxe - owned this car since 1995 and am the second owner. Sadly it was cosmetically gorgeous but mechanically and electrically a mess when I got it. It was a feature car at the 1997 Olds Centennial but still wasn't running right then until Sparky Kalkhoff and I swapped out the wrong cam for the correct original. Everything electrical was repaired over the years until the point where the cosmetics became a mess. It's now undergoing its second restoration with lots of new metal to address years of rot courtesy of its Northeast PA roots.
Location: Mississippi

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby gmrocket » Sat Jul 09, 2022 11:50 am

Thanks Mikel - my only experience with them is on the various BMW M cars I’ve owned over the years.
Gregg L
TOA #880
'67 Deluxe

Kendicott1
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue May 10, 2022 6:16 am
TOA Membership Number: 0
Years Owned: Would like to aquire 1966,'67 or '68.

'66 Toronado brake calipers

Postby Kendicott1 » Tue Jul 12, 2022 5:02 pm

I'm looking to upgrade my front drums to discs, will they fit with the original wheels/rims, or will i need to get another set??

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Otto Skorzeny
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Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:41 pm
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Years Owned: 1966 Toronado

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:29 am

1966 wheels won't work with disc brakes.

I wouldn't consider disc brakes to be an upgrade.

Most people think that discs provide a shorter stopping distance. This is not true. In many cases, disc brakes result in longer stopping distances. Dump trucks, semis, etc. all use drum brakes for this reason.

The only advantage that disc brakes have over drums is that they don't overheat as readily with repeated high speed braking. Unless you plan to race or autocross your Toronado, a disc brake conversion is a waste of time and money in my opinion.

Properly set up and adjusted drums on a '66 Toronado provide all the stopping power you'll need for normal driving.

Willysnut1959
Posts: 107
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 11:01 am
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Years Owned: 1966 Toronado

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby Willysnut1959 » Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:33 am

I agree with what Otto said. Due to all the clatter about how terrible the drums brakes are on our Toronados, I replaced every component of the braking system on my car. I now find that braking is the least of my issues with the car.
Marty, St. Louis, MO

Mikel
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:26 am
TOA Membership Number: 100
Location: New Haven, CT

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby Mikel » Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:48 am

I don't do three panic stops in a row or drive down mountains without engine braking, so brake fade is not a big problem for me.

In my '66 everything was in good order, but the biggest difference I noticed was in threshold braking. It is much easier to accomplish with disk brakes than with drum brakes that self-energize at different rates.

But to each his own.

slkalo
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:31 am
TOA Membership Number: 263
Years Owned: 1967 Toronado deluxe

Re: Eldorado brake calipers

Postby slkalo » Tue Sep 27, 2022 5:43 am

There are several brake service companies who can rebuild any old car drum brakes to modern standards. The reason old car drums stop our toros like "an old car" is the materials and set up. Modern performance brakes in Semi's are using modern high friction pad composition and turned in equipment to match, exactly the arc of the lathe surfaced drums. This process is not cheap but is way better than just new shoes, which only come in the lowest level of friction material. The drum set up, by the way, has a much greater swept area than the period discs, which is why it was used in the first place. We are upgrading our rear drums this way, but converting to modern front discs to just bring the brakes up to date. The downside is of course wheels to go over the new disc brake setup.


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