Can anyone tell me what makes and models were equipped with aluminum brake drums? I understand I can save a substantial amount of unsprung weight with these. I plan on going disc at some point but if I can cannot find the discs on the next junk yard hunt then I'll at least look for the alunimum hats.

Joseph

Finned aluminum drums were used on the rear of 83 up Camaros for a fiew years.
I think they are too small for the front.
David

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Check my web page for First Gen Camaro suspension info:
David's Motorsports page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/)
First Gen Suspension Page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/first_gen_suspension.htm)
67 RS 327
69 Camaro Vintage Racer
65 Lola T-70 Can Am Vintage Racer

David,

Do you know anything about the aluminum Buick finned brake drums that were used on some of the old fifties cars I think?

Seems that I read, it was SOTA back then to use them on street rods way before there were any sort of factory discs to use.

I've read where they polished up beautifully behind Buicks Roadmaster factory wire wheels, plus stopped great for drumbrakes because they wre sooo big and wide. Just curious. pdq67

I've seen them on some street rods but don't know anything about them.
You could easily spend more than discs fooling with them.
I'm shure the junkyards have been depleted of all the good front ones years ago.
Adapting the backing plate and brake anchor pin to a Camaro would be as much work as mounting discs. You might be able to find something the same size as stock Camaro drums in aluminum.
Discs are out there and for just a couple of hundred dollars per pair of spindle assemblys. I saw a couple of sets at the swap meet at Pleasanton.
David

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Check my web page for First Gen Camaro suspension info:
David's Motorsports page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/)
First Gen Suspension Page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/first_gen_suspension.htm)
67 RS 327
69 Camaro Vintage Racer
65 Lola T-70 Can Am Vintage Racer

[This message has been edited by davidpozzi (edited 12-02-2000).]

Hey I just got off the phone with my local Car Quest store & the brake shoes are the same size as a 1985 with the aluminum drums & Sam said it was a direct fit for my 67 & they are less than 30 thirty dollars each in stock at all times. Are theses as good as the old iron ones???

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johnny

[This message has been edited by johnnyr (edited 12-04-2000).]

[This message has been edited by johnnyr (edited 12-04-2000).]

Never messed with them, but do believe so. As long as they have the same width. pdq67

I have no idea, you might check with a parts store and see if the shoes are the same.
The diamiter might be different?
David

------------------
Check my web page for First Gen Camaro suspension info:
David's Motorsports page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/)
First Gen Suspension Page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/first_gen_suspension.htm)
67 RS 327
69 Camaro Vintage Racer
65 Lola T-70 Can Am Vintage Racer

I know that some of the 81-87 Buick Regals had rear aluminum drums. I had a 83 T-type that had them and see them on regular Regals here and there. Maybe even some of the same body style had them too like the Cutlass and Grand Prix.

I had a '65 Riviera that had them on the front.

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'69 RS SS 396 375hp L78 Convertible, M22, 3.31 posi, deluxe interior, gauges, rosewood wheel, AM-FM,fold down seat, tilt wheel, SS wheels, console mounted 8 track player, chambered exhaust
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1169124&a=8603468

Try pricing those aluminum drums at the parts store, and hang on to your shorts!!! http://www.camaros.net/forum/eek.gif I was going to use them on my Chevelle, but at over $100 bucks each, I passed. I got the steel ones for now, and I'm going to upgrade with disks anyway.

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Bing
1956 Chev 150 2dr sedan 302ci
1965 Chev Malibu 2dr hdtp 496ci
1967 Chev Camaro 327ci
Check 'em out at: http://www.members.home.net/mgbing/cremcars.html

I went out to the local Pick-a-part last weekend and found some aluminum drums. They were not as light as I thought they would be, around 10lbs. less than the cast iron drums/pair. I decided against them and just picked up some other stuff I needed.

Joseph

I think that you might find that the aluminum drums are half cast-iron for strength where it counts like in the hub and shoe wear area.

I was up at MotorWheel, Lansing, MI once and watched them "rotary-spin cast" the cast-iron ones they made at that time. It was facinating, They placed the open-top brake drum mold on a slant, started it spinning and ran liquid cast-iron in it and let it spin til full and hard. pdq67