Repower & Axle Swab for more speed

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

I have been thinking quite a bit about putting a Dana 60 Disc Brake front end under my W200. Better Braking is the main reason for doing this. It has the 4.10 gear ratio, which I think works well for this truck.

Making the old trucks steer, stop and drive a little better down the road is always a good idea. And tends to make it a little more fun to drive.

[Desoto61]

I am a big fan of Disc brakes on the front of anything.

One of the first modifications I did to my Desoto was to convert the front from the strange dual-cylinder drum brakes (which were notorious for locking up and fading badly under heavy braking) with a disk setup from a later model Chrysler. The whole setup was basically bolt-in so its easily reversed, and is also far easier to get parts for. Additionally it brought a swap to a dual circuit master from the less safe single circuit. Plus not having to adjust anything to keep them safe.

I would have been far more likely to change out the factory axles on my '46 if I could not have replaced the original drums. I did disks at all four corners, but mostly because of the improved parts availability on the rear axle. Drums on the rear I'm OK with and are better if your e-brake are the rear brakes, but there's a reason even the cheapest cars have had disk brakes in front for at least 30 years.

[W_A_Watson_II]

I agree, Brakes are one of my biggest concerns on any vehicle I build. That;s why I did them on the front of the 46 PW when I did it's Brake Job, and I did all four corners of the M to be even safer off-road in the mud and gunk.