recommended disk brake kit / new wiring harness ?

[apollo18]

hello everyone! i have a 1962 corvette and for the past couple years me and a local friend whos a mechanic have been working on it slowly slowly and we are almost done getting it all ready. i drove it for the past year in the summer and everything si good so far but the mechanic recommended we do a couple more things so i wanted to get some input on what kit/brand i should buy:

The car sometimes has a ground/wiring issue that it doesnt want to turn over sometimes randomly even when the battery is brand new and fully charged and some of the wiring is also frayed and not in the best condition so we thought of changing the wiring harness, he told me to look to order the under dash wiring which should replace the majority of the wiring for the engine and majority of the vehicle. so for this should i just get original corvette c1 replacement or is there an aftermarket company that makes better wiring?

secondily he recommends i get a disk brake conversion kit in which we can keep the drums in the back but have discs in the front with a dual master cylinder or something. his reasoning was that if i ever lose a master cylinder atleast i still have the other one that is working etc. he also said i need to get a proportional valve so that we can keep disks in the front and drums in the back, something along those lines. so for this kit is there a recommended brand or maker or does it not really matter? i dont really need performance just standard brakes


thanks!

 

[BlueCruiser]

The starting issue could be a bad ground, solenoid on starter or an ignition switch with attitude. A random problem is really hard to diagnose. I would start with easy fix's first- ground wires then solenoid then ign switch. Problem is you will have to carry all this stuff around until the problem rears it's ugly head.
Disc brakes are great c/w dual master and proportioning valve. The valve modifies the flow of brake fluid to balance the disc and drum configuration. We used an adjustable type of valve.I will look up the info tomorrow . Let me know if you need the details
Bob & Gina

 

[Rruuff Day]

hello everyone! i have a 1962 corvette and for the past couple years me and a local friend whos a mechanic have been working on it slowly slowly and we are almost done getting it all ready. i drove it for the past year in the summer and everything si good so far but the mechanic recommended we do a couple more things so i wanted to get some input on what kit/brand i should buy:

The car sometimes has a ground/wiring issue that it doesnt want to turn over sometimes randomly even when the battery is brand new and fully charged and some of the wiring is also frayed and not in the best condition so we thought of changing the wiring harness, he told me to look to order the under dash wiring which should replace the majority of the wiring for the engine and majority of the vehicle. so for this should i just get original corvette c1 replacement or is there an aftermarket company that makes better wiring?

secondily he recommends i get a disk brake conversion kit in which we can keep the drums in the back but have discs in the front with a dual master cylinder or something. his reasoning was that if i ever lose a master cylinder atleast i still have the other one that is working etc. he also said i need to get a proportional valve so that we can keep disks in the front and drums in the back, something along those lines. so for this kit is there a recommended brand or maker or does it not really matter? i dont really need performance just standard brakes


thanks!

Do you have full power to everything else when this happens? Headlights, etc.?

 

[apollo18]

The starting issue could be a bad ground, solenoid on starter or an ignition switch with attitude. A random problem is really hard to diagnose. I would start with easy fix's first- ground wires then solenoid then ign switch. Problem is you will have to carry all this stuff around until the problem rears it's ugly head.
Disc brakes are great c/w dual master and proportioning valve. The valve modifies the flow of brake fluid to balance the disc and drum configuration. We used an adjustable type of valve.I will look up the info tomorrow . Let me know if you need the details
Bob & Gina

yeah its very random but i know alot of these wires are fraying and not in good shape so ill just be better off for peace of mind to replace the harness, yeah could you let me know what kit you used? would make it easier to order something that i know works good for a fellow c1 er

 

[apollo18]

Do you have full power to everything else when this happens? Headlights, etc.?

yeah it seems to keep power and then randomly it starts after keep trying to start it. no noises when it doesnt start and then randomly the starter clicks and it fires up

 

[Rruuff Day]

yeah it seems to keep power and then randomly it starts after keep trying to start it. no noises when it doesnt start and then randomly the starter clicks and it fires up

I'd check as many ground points on the car as I could, battery cable clamps, then start tracking back from the solenoid. If starter brushes were bad, or it was jamming, should be able to hear it when you turned the key. Shame it just wouldn't quit altogether. It would likely be easier to find the culprit. Good luck. Let us know how you make out.

 

[BlueCruiser]

You wanted wire harness and brake conversion kit info.
The wire harness I used was a complete front to back replacement from Lectric Limited. I looked around and found that some people used electric including Jay Leno. Go to their website www.lectriclimited.com and they have a comprehensive list of possible combinations. I used a kit #VS6200 D1original design harness.There are quite a few options available. Their plasticized wiring diagram is attached to the wall and is very handy when tracking wires since you can use erasable felt marker pens to follow the wires.We liked the finish and fit of the connectors and attaching hardware. We had the dash and cluster out when we did the dash wiring--made the job a little easier also my wife has smaller hands and could reach the instrument light sockets and plug ins.
On hindsight I would replace the tungsten bulbs with LED's. I even made a LED cluster to fit in the courtesy light so the lens did not get too hot and melt.
Bob & Gina
PS Brake stuff coming in another missive

 

[BlueCruiser]

Brake stuff
I converted the single master to a dual master a long time ago. The disc front conversion was two years ago and I just pieced it together whenever I thought about it. It was not a priority.Since we live close to the US boarder I just had the stuff drop shipped td Blaine and picked it up at my convenience. If I did it again I would buy a conversion kit. The kit would include Master cyl, adaptor from firewall to master, push rod, adjustable proportioning valve, brake lines, flex lines to calipers, calipers, hardware for calipers, spare set of pads and mounting brackets c/w grade 8 bolts and washers. I also flushed out the rear lines and cylinders and used silicone brake fluid, it doesn't destroy your paint finish. With the kit instructions are very detailed. Pictures if you want or need.
Bob & Gina

 

[apollo18]

thanks for all the help! but do you guys recommend any certain brand for the aftermarket brake conversion kit? or doesnt really matter

 

[61ratvette]

Hey apollo 18, i have but not completed installing all the lectric wiring harness . did rear harness last year. got front disc brake kit from corvette central. stops me better than the drums for sure . also put in sterroids power steering. since getting my zo6 the 61 has been sitting on back burner. sitting in container with no power. hopefully one day i will stop working so i have more time for the toys