Quote Originally Posted by Matthyj View Post
This is just my opinion on what I would do on your project:
Scrap the idea of reusing your old donor brakes, split open the piggy bank for those $30 rotors and the $40 each calipers.
Then get the weld on axle brackets from Speedway for $10 each, or if you have extra time fab your own, get some more $40 calipers and your rear is done.
As for the anti-loc brake feature, nice idea but if it doesn't work right you wasted a ton o'dough and labor. I kicked around the idea in the 90's when I built my roadster and didn't go with it after realizing its partially electonically controlled. I know its safer but we did have brakes for almost a 100 years without anti locks....
Last but not least, put the parts off your donor on ebay and reclaim most of what you just spent... And if or when you ever sell your rod the next owner will thank you the first time he ever has to buy a new part and thank you everytime he drives it for just using a ifs crossmember and not swapping a donor clip under it, you will actually add value to your ride and not bring it down in value when the future owner hears "stub swap" (I know nobody ever plans on resale including me)! Just my thoughts, with the availablity of aftermarket suspension parts this just isn't needed on most rods anymore, Tech is an expert in this as well as someothers on here but you would be making this thing way more difficult than what it needs to be it appears to me.
I hear what you're saying, Matthyj. That is why I have made myself crazy with these decisions. The end result of the back and forth indecision, is that I have sort of identified my "mission and vision statements" for the project. I have sort of settled on a "theme", if you will. The theme I am working on is creating a 1937 Dodge Bros business coupe, as if had been built in 2005 (the year of my donor car).

I fully appreciate that the use of aftermarket stuff simplifies the project dramatically, and probably adds value, as evidenced by my decision to go with some form of M2 front end. It makes me squirm a little though, as this is my project, and I hope to learn as much as possible from it, and make it unique to me. As for whether I need ABS or not, you're right, probably not. But I would argue that there is little or no cost to the ABS, if I can get it to work. There are lots of things on a modern car that are unnecessary, but that doesn't mean they are not worthwhile.
I am not sure where you find $40 calipers, but the existing ones on my donor are already paid for.

I greatly appreciate your taking time to contribute to the discussion. Please continue...