scarebird adapters

jseth83 · 2014-12-26 09:46

Has anyone on here used the scarebird adapter kit? There were some negative reviews online for other makes and models but I haven't find anyone that actually used them on a 57. They look like just what I want and I already have the correct wheels for it. .....

ROKuberski · 2014-12-31 10:54

I was going to ask the same question. I could not get your link to work, but here, they are selling them on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/390677071242?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I don't have the wheels, but have looked for them and can't locate anything in the Denver area salvage yards. If I did not have a fairly new set of 14" whitewalls, I would go ahead and change to 15" wheels. I did find this, but I will need to make sure it will clear the caliper and will accept the stock wheel covers. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wvi-62-461204/overview/

A while back, I bought an adapter to install a power brake booster and dual master cylinder for my car. I currently have the dual master cylinder on the car and it works fine, but I NEVER got the power boost unit to work right. I verified that the boost unit works and the linkage was correct. It was a frustrating experience. I still want to improve my brakes, but I am afraid that if I put in disk brakes, I will need a power boost unit. Is that correct?

On eBay, there is also a kit to install disk brakes on the rear too. It seems pretty complete and is not all that expensive.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201233595055?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Rich

lalessi1 · 2014-12-31 17:07

I have mid '70s Torino (I think) spindles and front disc brakes on my Custom. They are 11" rotors and I believe they clear 14 stock style wheels. I am using 15" rims now but my car had 14" Cragars on the front when I bought it. I have a dual master cylinder (probably off the same donor car) and no power brakes. The car stops well, considerably better than the useless drums. Pedal effort is higher than I would like though so I have been considering a hydraulic brake booster. Vacuum boosters should work fine if you have vacuum. I would try to figure out what is wrong with your booster setup. A spindle change may be the way to go, you can use stock Ford parts and it can be inexpensive if you can find spindles.

rmk57 · 2014-12-31 17:59

Quote from: lalessi1 on 2014-12-31 17:07
I have mid '70s Torino (I think) spindles and front disc brakes on my Custom. They are 11" rotors and I believe they clear 14 stock style wheels. I am using 15" rims now but my car had 14" Cragars on the front when I bought it. I have a dual master cylinder (probably off the same donor car) and no power brakes. The car stops well, considerably better than the useless drums. Pedal effort is higher than I would like though so I have been considering a hydraulic brake booster. Vacuum boosters should work fine if you have vacuum. I would try to figure out what is wrong with your booster setup. A spindle change may be the way to go, you can use stock Ford parts and it can be inexpensive if you can find spindles.

Not really cheap as you think. The donor car I used was a 69 Torino and the only thing I reused were the spindles and dust shields. Everything else is new, calipers, rotors, brake pads and brake hoses. I'm into the whole swap for about $300 and that doesn't include the ball joint reamer. Also forgot new wheel bearings to.

lalessi1 · 2014-12-31 18:38

I agree. I just replaced everything on mine around...$300. I was thinking if you can come across splindles you might get discs and calipers that can be reused. You still must buy all the stuff if you get a kit and the kit cost plays a part in the whole cost.
I actually have been a little concerned about suspension geometry on my car because I have had conflicting info on whether the Torino spindles lower the car and alter bumpsteer. My car had 'em so I used 'em. I tried to compare what I have with pictures and concluded I wouldn't worry about for now. It took a while for me to find the correct hub/disc, Ford has a million variations. I bought parts for a '74 Gran Torino after talking to the guy at Drop'Em & Stop. He had heard those spindles mess up the geometry but then again he is selling spindles. The spindles I have don't seem to have lowered the car though so I think they are close to correct. The calipers and rotors I have are very heavy to no advantage and I don't like the way the calipers center themselves, but it is nice having Ford stuff on the car.

rmk57 · 2015-01-01 10:54

That's part of the reason I stayed away from the 72 and up Torino stuff, the spindles and all the hardware got really heavy compared to the earlier ones.

68-73 Mustang, 68-71 Torino basically use the same spindle and hardware and they have the same ride height as the 57 spindles.

ROKuberski · 2015-01-01 11:45

One of the reasons that I was drawn to the scarebird brackets was that the spindles do not require replacement. Their price seems a little high for those brackets, but they do save replacing some parts. I have already done a complete rebuild on the front end, new bushings on the upper and lower control arms, new ball joints, new tie rod ends and new wheel bearings.

I contacted scarebird and they indicate that the Mustang rotors will fit the original spindles. If so, that's another plus.

To the best of my knowledge, and that only comes from reading on this forum, the original wheels will not work with disk brakes. If they would work with some caliper/disk combination, that would be great. Has anyone used stock wheels on a disk brake setup?

The power boost unit for the '57 Fairlane sits about 1.5" higher than stock in order for the boost unit to gain clearance on the exhaust manifold. To accomplish this, they furnish a lever arrangement that transfers the lateral force upward. This lever arrangement causes a doubling of the peddle effort to produce the same force on the master cylinder. The power boost unit should more than overcome that added effort, but my experience was that it did not.

As to vacuum for the power boost unit, I have sufficient vacuum through the vacuum booster on top of the fuel pump. However, living at about 5,800', that does reduce what is available. That being said, power brakes do work at this altitude and even higher.

Bottom line for me is that, yes, my stock brakes work. Likely almost as well as they did from the factory. However, there is no comparison to a car with disk brakes. I would like to upgrade this system.

I also want to install power steering at some point and that does not seem to be a big deal either. The only unresolved issue for me is what to do for the horn as the wire down the center of the steering column will have to be cut off. I've thought about crossdrilling a small hole through the shaft and bringing out the horn wire above the cutoff point and installing an isolated copper or brass collar which could then be used as a rotating contact for the horn. Seems like a lot of work, but then the horn ring would still work.

Rich

lalessi1 · 2015-01-01 13:29

Rich, I have a stock spare tire/wheel with a 7.50 X 14 tire no less. I will try it on my discs and see if it fits. (I really probably need to know)!

It will be in the next day or so. Also look at the "More horn wiring information" thread in the "General Discussion Section" Dec 16 this year. plus there is a lot more on horn wiring on this forum.

lalessi1 · 2015-01-02 14:20

Rich, No go on the stock rim on my setup. The reason is not what I expected.. though the hole in the center of the stock wheel is 2 5/8", the hub requires 2 3/4" minimum. I am running 15 X 7 Vintique steel oem style wheels/ dog dish caps. That hole is 3 1/16".

That said I don't believe a stock 14" wheel will fit even if the center hole is bored larger. My rotors are 10 3/4 in diameter, the calipers are beveled on the outside edge. Even these brakes require AT LEAST 12 3/4" inside diameter at around 1'' from the mounting face of the wheel. (I made a template).

ROKuberski · 2015-01-02 22:15

Thanks for taking the time to do a test fit. I am wondering if other brake options use a smaller diameter disk. Other's on the forum say that the 75-80 Granada 14" wheels will work on a disk brake system.

What about it guys? Would someone with a disk brake system and 14" wheels chime in with the specifics of your installation.

Thanks,

Rich

hiball3985 · 2015-01-03 09:19

When I saw Bill Whitmore's Ranchero he had Granada discs and I believe he used the Granada 14" wheels. I think some people have turned down the hub OD to get the 57 rims to fit.

Rich, have you tried hooking the vacuum supply directly to the manifold? The vacuum through the fuel pump which is for the windshield wipers doesn't seem like it would supply enough volume to me, just a thought..

I have the Granada discs, non power, and it stops like a charm..

BWhitmore · 2015-01-03 09:52

Jim - you are correct, Granda rotors, GM Cavalier calipers, and 14" Granada wheels.

hiball3985 · 2015-01-03 10:26

Quote from: BWhitmore on 2015-01-03 09:52
Jim - you are correct, Granda rotors, GM Cavalier calipers, and 14" Granada wheels.

Good to see you Bill, Happy New Year......

jseth83 · 2015-01-03 12:19

I have Granada 14" wheels and they clear multiple disc setups that I've tried them on. I used to have granada discs and I liked the stopping but HATED the ride drop. I like the way the car sits stock so I liked the scarebird concept, but I'd like to hear from someone that used it to be sure about the quality of the adapter brackets.

hiball3985 · 2015-01-03 12:28

Quote from: jseth83 on 2015-01-03 12:19
I have Granada 14" wheels and they clear multiple disc setups that I've tried them on. I used to have granada discs and I liked the stopping but HATED the ride drop. I like the way the car sits stock so I liked the scarebird concept, but I'd like to hear from someone that used it to be sure about the quality of the adapter brackets.

Agreed, I'm constantly hitting my sway bar on driveway entrances and dips crossing gutters.

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scarebird adapters