Non power brakes

Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
I have (don't have to be more exacting) non-power brakes on my '68. Odd really considering it has power steering. Mind you the steering effort with that is fairly significant with a 12 1/2" steering wheel. Have never felt exactly over confident about the brakes on mine (especially so with close to 600 bhp) - having said that in the event of a emergency braking situation where perhaps one will simply 'hit' the brake pedal as hard as possible I'd be less concerned about locking the brakes-up. And tbh with a manual gearbox, relatively heavy steering and 'heavy' brakes it all balances itself up I guess.
 
Mad4slalom

Mad4slalom

Well-known user
Roscobbc said:
I have (don't have to be more exacting) non-power brakes on my '68. Odd really considering it has power steering. Mind you the steering effort with that is fairly significant with a 12 1/2" steering wheel. Have never felt exactly over confident about the brakes on mine (especially so with close to 600 bhp) - having said that in the event of a emergency braking situation where perhaps one will simply 'hit' the brake pedal as hard as possible I'd be less concerned about locking the brakes-up. And tbh with a manual gearbox, relatively heavy steering and 'heavy' brakes it all balances itself up I guess.
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Mine has power steering but no power brakes. Havent tested them on the road yet but vendor / restorer said no problem stopping the car, if it was a huge issue I would have hoped they would have upgraded whilst body was off . Looking forward to testing them, 👍but lets hope they are better than the handbrake 🤣👍
 
Oneball

Oneball

CCCUK Member
There’s no difference in stopping power between power and non power brakes. You just need to apply more force to the pedal for the same effect.
 
C

Chris Sale

CCCUK Member
Back when I had my '66, CK converted the brakes from non-power to power. For me, having power brakes made for a much more relaxing driving experience.

Chris Sale
'64 Coupe
 
C

Chris Sale

CCCUK Member
If you mean the approx. cost, I have no idea!

A) it was a long time ago and B) much other work was being done at the same time. All the history went with the car when I sold it.
 
CaptainK

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
My 68 Vette came to me with power steering, power windows BUT standard non-power brakes. I must confess I didn't get on with them and it gave me little confidence in the car. Yes they worked fine if you could get some good leverage on them and press the pedal firmly, but with my height I had issues moving my right foot from throttle to brake pedal and had to have my leg almost at a 45 degree angle to the side to press the brake pedal. So I couldn't press that firmly. This was highlighted more for me once when I had to back up a bit down a steep hill and I couldn't apply enough braking to stop the car rolling back (so I had to hold on clutch). However, my shorter mechanic friend said he had no issues and could apparently lock the brakes up with it.

Anyway, I bought a power brakes conversion kit from ZIP and had it installed. I personally HIGHLY recommend having power brakes as it was like chalk and cheese for me driving the car. I'm much more confident driving the car, it responds better to the brake pedal and it just seems right. Yes, its still no-where near as good as a modern car - so don't expect it to be - but in my mind it fits perfectly now with the age of the vehicle and what I expect from it. It now means I can brake more easily in the car, and its much more relaxed to do so.

Coincidentally, I have a spare power brake conversion kit exactly like mine for sale. Long story cut short, but I ended up with two of them. Its in the for sale section on this forum. If only you'd said before Christmas, I could have brought it down when I saw the folks (Cornwall).
 
CaptainK

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
Mad4slalom said:
Couldnt see it on parts for sale , if you still have it can you call or txt me 07812571262👍
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Page 2 of Parts for Sale:
Clicky Clicky

Its from ZIP Corvette and was sold as a kit for a 1968 model. However, I believe ZIP's conversion kits are actually all identical - the instructions they give out are actually for a later model as the 1968 model has a different brake switch to the 1969 and onwards models. And in there it says something like "for a 1968 model X part isn't required" or something like that.

Here's the link to the exact ZIP kit I have - you'll note in the text it says its for 1968-1973 and for 1968 models only you need to adapt the stop light switch:
ZIP Power Brake Kit
 
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