Taking the scene by storm in the last three years, '67-'72 Chevy trucks are everywhere now, with amazing examples showing up from Florida to California. No other truck exemplifies the limitless possibilities of these trucks better than the Matt Eye Memorial Truck being built by the talented crew at IF Custom in Sylmar, Califiornia. After talking with shop owner Cary about what we at Truckin' could do to help with the project, he mentioned needing brakes for it. After contacting Stainless Steel Brakes, the shoot was arranged and the parts shipped. Arriving at IF, Matt's truck was in pieces and the crew was working on it from front to back. Bed off, hood off, fenders off, dash torn apart, and the newly installed MagnaCharger supercharger ready to be fired up, poor old Matt's truck was in need of some love. Lurking behind the 22-inch Detata wheels were brakes from a 5-lug disc conversion 30 years ago. This truck really needed more stopping power, especially with the new blower.
Opening the SSBC boxes, we were all pleasantly surprised and impressed with the extensive and complete kit. Included in the A126-34 conversion kit were new 13-inch directional rotors, 4-piston Force 10 calipers, Hawk brake pads, Western 2-inch drop spindles, a new 9-inch power booster, a master cylinder, upper and lower ball joints, stainless brake lines, bearings, and all the necessary hardware. The Stainless Steel products were a huge improvement over previous kits we've used in the past, and besides the caliper mounting brackets, everything bolted right up like it was supposed to. For $2,800 it's hard to beat an entire setup with big rotors and calipers. Check out Issue 9 when we swap the rears of Matt's truck to discs with new calipers, also from Stainless Steel Brakes.
Here is the brake kit with...
Here is the brake kit with everything we needed to update the '68 into a formidable stopping machine.
Check out the small stock...
Check out the small stock discs lurking behind the 22-inch Detata wheels.
Before the brake swap, the...
Before the brake swap, the '75 Chevy spindles and 11 1/2-inch rotors were in pretty horrible shape.
With the wheels off, George...
With the wheels off, George from IF Custom began the install by removing the brake line from the calipers. Since we were installing all-new components, there was no need to remove the stock hardware piece by piece.
Using a pickle fork, the upper...
Using a pickle fork, the upper and lower ball joints were loosened and the spindles removed.
Side by side, the new 13-inch...
Side by side, the new 13-inch SSBC rotor and 4-piston caliper dwarfs the stock unit. Go big or go home!
The upper ball joints were...
The upper ball joints were unbolted from the custom IF Custom square upper control arms.
Using a ball joint press tool,...
Using a ball joint press tool, the upper and lower ball joints were pressed out and the new SSBC-supplied units were pressed in.
Ball joints in place, the...
Ball joints in place, the Western 2-inch drop spindle was bolted on.
After packing the inner bearing...
After packing the inner bearing with grease and installing the wheel bearing seal, the 13-inch rotor was slid onto the spindle.
Next up, the outer bearing...
Next up, the outer bearing was packed with grease, and the washer and spindle nut were threaded on. Because the caliper mounting bracket still needed to be installed, the spindle nut was left loose.
After a quick test-fit, the...
After a quick test-fit, the mounting bracket was hitting the spindle and did fit flush.