66 galaxie with finned aluminum front brake drums

[junkyardjeff]

Many years ago I was at a old junkyard and thought I seen a 66 galaxie 4 door sedan that had finned aluminum brake drums on the front,was I seeing things or did Ford experiment with finned aluminum brake drums in the 60s.

[Lanny]

I'm gonna go out on a limb, and say No, at least Not on a 4 door sedan.










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[darrell]

gm did but i never saw any on a ford

[The Chief]

I believe in 1963 & 1964 they were available as a taxi option, I don't know about 1966.

[bobss396]

Possibly a police car or taxi option, I know these came with very wide front shoes are were hard to get even 40 years ago.

[junkyardjeff]

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I wish I would have grabbed them or took some pictures but it was about 20 years ago,it did look like it was a old taxi or police car.

[Lanny]

Disc brakes were available in the Mid-60's so, I'm pretty
sure '66 would have had discs, for HD brake applications.








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[bobss396]

'66 may have been the 1st year for those 4-piston Kelsey Hayes front discs.

[junkyardjeff]

Maybe it did have disc brakes and there was a Buick sitting next to it with the finned aluminum drums but for some reason thought the 66 Ford had the aluminum drums. There was something unusual about the 66 Ford and maybe seeing it with disc brakes is what it was and the more I think about it the 66 was not a galaxie but a cheaper custom model,this was back in the early 90s so my memory is getting a little more fuzzy every year.

[Ford blue blood]

65 Birds had disc, believe disc were available on 65 Mustangs as well.

[Ole Don]

One thing to remember, of 1000 identical cars, there may have been no two alike.

[mobileparts]

Lincoln DID have Finned Aluminum Drums --- maybe that is what you saw -- if it was in a Ford junkyard !!!!!!!!
I actually have some Front FINNED Aluminum HUB & DRUMS !!!!!!!!

[junkyardjeff]

I thought I seen aluminum drums on a 66 galaxie or custom but it could have been any car,it was a junkyard with a little of everything in it and back to the 30s. What ever I seen it was not usual for what ever it was is all I can determine now.

[paul2748]

My 66 Fairlane (390) had drums all the way around. My 68 Torino (390) had discs in the front. Between 65-67 Ford made the transition to all discs.

[paul2748]

My 66 Fairlane (390) had drums all the way around. My 68 Torino (390) had discs in the front. Between 65-68 Ford made the transition to discs in the front.

[bobss396]

Discs on Fords weren't that popular until they went to the single-piston design, around 1970, IIRC. They made a quantum leap in 1973 to a nice sliding-caliper type. The older ones were prone to binding up.

[[email protected]]

Yes,Ford did produce a few cars with finned aluminum brake drums. At least in 1965. I know for sure because I installed them. Don't know about 66 because I left Ford in November right after model change and didn't install any on the 66 models. I worked the night shift on the frame line in the Hapeville (Atlanta) assembly plant and in 1965 installed aprox. 110,000 front brake drums. Twelve pairs were finned aluminum. We typically ran 54 cars per hour 8 to 10 hours a day. I assume these were high performance cars but on an assy. line you don't have time to run around and check out that kind of stuff. You stay in your work area and keep your job up with the line. The frames came down the line upside down and crossways with the front end hanging off on my side. The color of the brake shoe return springs clued me as to which drum went on, 2-1/2" or 3". The finned aluminum drums were so special the line foreman (a man named Trout) brought them around whenever we ran a pair of them. In a minute and six seconds I installed the bearings, seal, and greased them then put them on the spindle, installed the nut and washer and ran the nut down. That's for both front drums. The next man adjusted the nut preload and installed the retainer and cotter pin. It was a real fun (ha-ha) job. That's why I left before the year was up.
P.S. - some things never change - now I'm right in the middle of a full brake job on my 64 Fastback. Believe me, brakes were a lot easier when I was 20 years old, now I'm 75 and it's tough.
CORRECTING MATH - we ran 110,000 cars while I was at Ford but I installed both front drums. So my total was 220,000 drums installed. There were no disc brakes on full size in 65 and the first 2 months after the 66 model change there were no disc brakes on full size Fords or Fairlanes. We ran 3 Ford frames and one Fairlane unibody on the same assy. line

[junkyardjeff]

I should have grabbed them.

[5851a]

I sure like the 'I was there' posts. Thanks for sharing.