Thread: Just how Old are Disc Brakes???

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Yes guys and gals that is what I would like to know. When did Disc brakes first appear on mass produced cars and when did they start being used on the early hot rods?? Some people question whether disc brakes are traditoinal on cars been build to say a 60's style of car? I like the look of the hidden discs in the finned drum brake look. I have smallish solid rotors with chrome calipers on the front of the Bucket from a Mk3 Zephyr (English Ford from the mid 60's) and wonder if I have it wrong trying to accomplish that 60's look.

This is from Wikipedia - and they started on cars earlier then I thought:

"Modern-style disc brakes first appeared on the low-volume Crosley Hotshot in 1949, although they had to be discontinued in 1950 due to design problems.[1] Chrysler's Imperial also offered a type of disc brake from 1949 through 1953, though in this instance they were enclosed with dual internal-expanding, full-circle pressure plates. Reliable modern disc brakes were developed in the UK by Dunlop and first appeared in 1953 on the Jaguar C-Type racing car. The Citroën DS of 1955, with powered inboard front disc brakes, and the 1956 Triumph TR3 were the first European production cars to feature modern disc brakes.[2] The first production car to feature disc brakes at all 4 corners was the Austin-Healey 100S in 1954.[3] The first British company to market a production saloon fitted with disc brakes to all four wheels was Jensen Motors Ltd with the introduction of a Deluxe version of the Jensen 541 with Dunlop disc brakes.[4] The next American production cars to be fitted with disc brakes were the 1963 Studebaker Avanti[5] (optional on other Studebaker models), standard equipment on the 1965 Rambler Marlin (optional on other AMC models), and the 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C2). The 1965 Ford Thunderbird came with front disc brakes as standard equipment."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake

The rears on my '31

Dave & I were typing at the same time...

The early '50s Chrysler ones in Daves reference were very similar in concept to the holy grail of traditional hot rod brakes......the Kinmont. Which in turn were a spin off of earlier aircraft design. For the kinds of rods we mortal folk deal with though I'd say early '70s is when that trend started, the ones from Volvos were "the hot ticket" requiring only a small change to the spindle and an appropriate mounting bracket for the caliper.

Here's a little info on the Chrysler system from Ausco Lambert. http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Brakes/lambert.htm

Wow thankyou guys for that. I honestly did know that they went back to the late 40's and that the English were the first to experiment with the concept of disc brakes. So when some know it all at a run comments about my disc brakes,I can give them abit of a history lesson. Aleast I have English Discs on my bucket and the Mk3 Z car was first released in 1963 so I can settle for that.
Does those hidden discs inside the Buick lookalikes make the wheel track wider if one changed from discs to those on an already build car?

"The first caliper-type automobile disc brake was patented by Frederick William Lanchester in his Birmingham, UK factory in 1902 and used successfully on Lanchester cars. However, the limited choice of metals in this period, meant that he had to use copper as the braking medium acting on the disc. The poor state of the roads at this time, no more than dusty, rough tracks, meant that the copper wore quickly making the disc brake system non-viable (as recorded in The Lanchester Legacy). It took another half century for his innovation to be widely adopted.

Modern-style disc brakes first appeared on the low-volume Crosley Hotshot in 1949, although they had to be discontinued in 1950 due to design problems. Chrysler's Imperial also offered a type of disc brake from 1949 through 1953, though in this instance they were enclosed with dual internal-expanding, full-circle pressure plates. Reliable modern disc brakes were developed in the UK by Dunlop and first appeared in 1953 on the Jaguar C-Type racing car. The Citroën DS of 1955, with powered inboard front disc brakes, and the 1956 Triumph TR3 were the first European production cars to feature modern disc brakes."

The first production car to feature disc brakes at all 4 corners was the Austin-Healey 100S in 1954. The first British company to market a production saloon fitted with disc brakes to all four wheels was Jensen Motors Ltd with the introduction of a Deluxe version of the Jensen 541 with Dunlop disc brakes. The next American production cars to be fitted with disc brakes were the 1963 Studebaker Avanti (optional on other Studebaker models), standard equipment on the 1965 Rambler Marlin (optional on other AMC models), and the 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C2). The 1965 Ford Thunderbird came with front disc brakes as standard equipment.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

Does those hidden discs inside the Buick lookalikes make the wheel track wider if one changed from discs to those on an already build car?

Only by the thickness of the fake drum that fits over the hub. The real issue with those is wheel fitment. They are BIG by comparison to without them. I don't recall the exact numbers, maybe someone on here has them and can pipe up, but backspace and diameter are both issues. Many 15" wheels won't fit unless they have little backspace.