by L60Boerne » Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:43 am
Greetings to all Patrolees,
It goes without saying brakes are important and simply can't be unreliable in town or facing a steep hill climb. If you have an old brake system Justin's upgrade will deliver reliable front disk brakes and I am glad I made the switch.
Today I can report the full front disk brake conversion is complete for Command and Control Vehicle 5 (CCV5). It works perfectly. Thank you Justin! CCV5 is my 63, which is my favorite for Colorado. The conversion requires the following scope.
A). Disk Brake Set Up from Justin
B). New Front Brake Lines
C). New Wilwood Master Brake Cylinder with Justin's baseplate adapter
D). New Wheel Rims
Justin was tireless in his efforts to research the parts required and we will patrol together when his Patrol begins to roll. He drove down and worked through the first attempt at installation. We learned a lot, mainly that you must have the right master brake cylinder and you will need new wheel rims as the OEMs rims do not have the space required for the disk brake calipers.
Now that Justin has the disk set up completely lined out the most tedious aspect remaining is the brake master cylinder (MBC) and it is not quite as straight forward as you might think. Justin brought two MBCs to Eddie's shop but I ended up buying a 3rd. Maybe I have one you need? I'll bring it back in April. The MBC design points are the plunger rod length and fitment to the space and bolt hole pattern existing.
Though Justin was very eager to drive all the way to CO to complete the conversion I just couldn't work it out. Rene finished the project and frankly I wanted a master mechanic to ensure my brakes are perfect. Justin is a great helicopter pilot but I needed a brake specialists to tune my brakes as the trails around Lake City demand that respect.
Last word on this conversion. Though expensive, it is worth every penny if you have a "iffy" original set up. If you go down this path you will end up with a reliable brake system and that is worth more than the price of admission, flat land or not.
Rolling and Patrolling,
L60Boerne
If your Patrol has an old
63 Soft Top - Command & Control Vehicle 5 (CCV5)
65 No Top - Presidio Patrol (CCV4 -sold)
65 No Top - Santa's Sleigh
66 Soft Top - Phoenix Patrol (CCV6) For Sale
66 No Top - Pinto Patrol (CCV7)