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Reply to "My Speedster replica brakes suck"

For the best braking performance, adjust the rear brakes frequently, and work at getting them as close as possible, as the less travel the shoes have the better they will work, and make sure that the adjustment is the same from side to side. After first adjusting them, get into the car and step on the brake pedal a few time to center the shoes in the drums. Now go back and adjust them again. Check them every 1,000 or so miles until you get a feel as to how far you should go between adjustments. With new shoes- they will 'wear in' to the drum diameter so the first 2 or 3 adjustments will be sooner. 

Rear discs will be a definite improvement. As well as better performance there's no periodic adjustments to do. If you never (and I mean never- not for a moment) take your car above legal highway speeds and never push your car anywhere close to it's limits (which is hard to not do- after all, as Stan says, it does say Speedster on the side!) then you will probably never need more than the Karmman Ghia discs and type 1 drums you have now. But all it takes is the occasional moment (and I mean literally just a moment), and you can find yourself in trouble. If you think you might (even occasionally) test your car's capabilities, maybe an upgrade is a good thing. It may even save your life.Brakes- drum vs disc swept area 

And yeah, give yourself more room and remember that this isn't a modern car with the newest technology. 

Hope this helps. Al

@Jack Crosby- in your post you mean brake hub, right?

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  • Brakes- drum vs disc swept area
Last edited by ALB
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