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 Heres our 64 Fairlane...  Heres our 64 Fairlane as purchased. |
 Look what a difference just...  Look what a difference just wheels and tires make. |
 This is the main hardware...  This is the main hardware at the wheel for our disc brake conversion. Four-piston calipers, new rotors, and caliper mounting brackets are the main components. Everything else down to the last detail is furnished including rotor shields, master cylinder and brake lines, a proportioning valve, and all bearings and seals. Theres no hunting around before we begin. |
 After the car is safely on...  After the car is safely on jackstands and the wheel has been removed, disconnect the flexible brake line from the steel line up at the support bracket. Use line wrenches to avoid rounding off the fittings. (You may wish to use WD-40 or a similar compound on the connection beforehand). Remove the horseshoe clip holding the flex line at the bracket. |
 Remove the four nuts from...  Remove the four nuts from behind the drum backplate. The studs may come out also. This doesnt matterit all has to come off. |
 Off comes the dust cap, cotter...  Off comes the dust cap, cotter key, and spindle nut. The whole drum assembly will now fall off into your hands, leaving the exposed spindle. |
 Clean off all old grease from...  Clean off all old grease from the spindle. Place the caliper mounting bracket over the spindle first, caliper mounting holes forward as shown, followed by the rotor shield. Both parts are marked for left and right side, and they fit only one way. Use the four new bolts and nuts supplied, one bolt being longer than the rest. Bolt heads should face outboard. |
 As we turn our attention to...  As we turn our attention to the rotors, pack the inside of the hub and the inner bearing with the best-quality high-temperature wheel bearing grease. In the rotors, the races are already in place, so install the inner bearing in its race. |
 Next, install the inner grease...  Next, install the inner grease seal by tapping it into position with a hammer. Easy does it here. Tap around the entire circumference to seat the seal evenly. |
 Install the rotor on the spindle...  Install the rotor on the spindle gently, pressing to get the inner seal over the shoulder at the back of the spindle. A little clean grease on the seal will ease installation. |
 Pack the smaller bearing with...  Pack the smaller bearing with grease also and install it onto the spindle, pushing it back into its own race. |
 Place the large flat washer...  Place the large flat washer over the outer bearing and thread the castle nut onto the spindle. While turning the rotor, torque the nut to 1725 lb-ft, back off one half turn, retorque to 1015 lb-ft. Move the castle nut slightly to allow insertion of the cotter key, install the key, and bend over the ends to lock the key in place. |
 Next is the dust cap. Be sure...  Next is the dust cap. Be sure to position the cap as evenly as possible and tap it into place using a small hammer and screwdriver, tapping carefully around the outside edge. Youll get it after a few tries. |
 Before we install our calipers,...  Before we install our calipers, we put the brake pads in place and installed the pad cover, which holds them in position. |
 We also put the new flex brake...  We also put the new flex brake line on the caliper at this time. Dont overlook the small copper washer supplied under the hose port plug. Tighten the line into the caliper washer first. |
 Place the caliper over the...  Place the caliper over the rotor and into position. Use the new supplied bolts and dont forget the lock washers. Get each bolt started before tightening. Check for any interference between the caliper and rotor shield. Slight trimming may be required. If all is well, tighten the caliper mounting bolts down to 4560 lb-ft. |
 Connect the new flex lines...  Connect the new flex lines to the existing steel line at the support bracket. Install the new horseshoe clip into position, retaining the flex line solidly. Snug your connections with a line wrench. |
 Repeat this procedure on the...  Repeat this procedure on the other side of the car, and were done at the wheels except for bleeding. Here we see a caliper mounted on the front of the Fairlane. Now lets go up underhood. |
 This photo shows most of our...  This photo shows most of our underhood goodies, as well as the rotor shields and flex lines. Youll be amazed at the excellent quality throughout the kit. |
 After disconnecting the brake...  After disconnecting the brake lines at the master (use a line wrench), remove the old screw topstyle master cylinder from the car. With just two bolts, it will come right off the firewall. |
 Bolt the new master into place....  Bolt the new master into place. You may wish to clearcoat the unit to keep it looking spiffy, because the cast iron will rust quickly. |
 Remove the old distribution...  Remove the old distribution block after disconnecting the lines. We cant overemphasize the need for a line wrench here. Once you round off the brass fittings, youre in for a lot more work. Install the new distribution block in the same manner and location as the old one. Connect all the new lines per the included diagram, including the nifty variable proportioning valve. On the master, the lower exit port operates the two front brakes. The upper port goes to the proportioning valve, with a line going from the valve to the rear brakes. This valve allows for adjusting the rear brakes relative to the front. After a few stopping tests, its possible to achieve perfect balance between the front and rear brakes. This means you can adjust to prevent the rears from locking up prematurely. Bleed the entire braking system very thoroughly. |
Allow us to introduce our '64 Ford Fairlane two-door sedan. It's a 500 as well as a scarce "post" version of the car. This pre-Mustang road warrior was destined for great things in the form of the Thunderbolt and was Ford's first line of defense during the horsepower wars in a pre-Mustang world. We love the hurly-burly aesthetic of the car. It has a sort of sturdy, masculine aura, and the car reminds us of the English bulldog with its lovable ugliness.
We invite you to follow along in Mustang & Fords with the old Fairlane as it undergoes the transformation from corn cob to prom queen. To find each of the stories on this car as we post them, simply click on "Search" on the home page, then select How To, and finally choose Ford/Fairlane/1964 from the dropdown menu. Hit Submit, and the system will pull up the full list of '64 Fairlane stories.
The first step was to replace the leaky tires and steel rims of various sizes. We chose to go with the timeless American Racing Torq Thrust "D" wheels. They're beautiful and make just the right classic musclecar statement.
BFGoodrich 225/60-15 Comp T/A ZR-4s complement the Torq Thrust wheels perfectly. Look at the improvement with nothing else but Torq Thrust "D" wheels and BFGoodrich T/As. It's amazing, changing our whole perception of the car. On a car with as much power potential as this V-8 Fairlane, we had to wonder, what could we do to upgrade the ancient drum brakes originally furnished on the car? New drums and metallic shoes would be one way to improve the system, but this would still leave us with the problems of fade, overheating, pulling to one side when wet, and high pedal effort. In truth, there is only one way to go for optimum braking performance--a conversion to front disc brakes.
In years past, this would have been a difficult undertaking. You would've had to improvise, gathering parts from all over to engineer a conversion. On a '64 Fairlane, disc brakes were not available, so there are no direct Fairlane disc brake parts to order from Ford.
We know of one chap who scours the boneyards looking for all the stuff he needs to complete a conversion. He has most of what's needed, but he is stalled because the lower ball joint stud size on his '64 Fairlane is different from that of the Lincoln Versailles whose parts he's been scavenging.
When we talked about our quandary with Auto Krafters of Broadway, Virginia, the staff assured us that help was on the way. Compared to a Mustang, a '64 Fairlane is pretty obscure. However, Auto Krafters is a Ford component resource that has nearly everything to help you with many postwar-model Fords. Its list of catalogs is a long one. Not only does Auto Krafters offer a large selection of Ford components, its technical assistance and customer support are excellent. Auto Krafters furnished a front disc brake kit made by Stainless Steel Brakes to fit the Fairlane and provide sure, safe stops every time. All the guesswork is eliminated, and the installation is straightforward.
The kit is a direct transplant of the '65-'66 Mustang kit, so there's nothing untested about it. It has the four-piston calipers and all of the Ford-type hardware found on the '65 disc-brake Mustang. It's a super-sanitary setup that represents a quantum leap forward in braking improvement. Everything is included in the kit, so let's get started.