Bob's Studebaker Resource Website

Bob's Resource Website

Turner Brake Install - 1970 Avanti



In June,1997, I attended the AOAI/Studebaker International Meet at South Bend. Part of the techno-weenie seminar was given by Jim Turner, creator of the Turner Front Disk Brake Conversion kit for Avanti -'63 - '84. He explained in fairly good detail what was involved in manufacturing the components and to what degree he went to assure that parts would be available for some time to come. A mounting bracket for one of the calipers was passed through the room and it appeared that the engineering was well researched. There were 2 kits offered, a deluxe version which contained everything needed to complete the changeover and a partial kit omitting calipers and rotors, for those who wanted to purchase components at perhaps a better price.

I was convinced of the quality and workmanship, so I purchased a deluxe kit in September and it showed up in 2 boxes a couple weeks later. The quality is all there, along with all the parts. Not a thing to buy except new brake (silicone) fluid. The rotors even had the new bearing races installed, and the and seals still in the box. One thing that was a delight to see was the fact that the calipers are the 5.5 inch size (GM Small). They are identical to the calipers I chose for the rear of the car except that the rear has those E-brake levers. This means that I can use the same brake pads on all four wheels.

The kit wound up to be VERY easy to install, using basic skills and following the directions. The operation is described below.


A Familiar Sight. The car's up on blocks again for another modification. This is getting to be the norm.


All the original Brake Components were removed.
Those are the much mentioned quick steering arms at the lower right.


Everything was Cleaned up.


The first piece to go on was the Spindle Mount, part one of two pieces.


Here's a Rear View after mounting.


The next part was the Caliper Bracket. Both these pieces are coated with Lok-tite and torqued.


Here's a Rear View of both parts mounted.


Next, the Caliper was checked for fit.

Following this was the heating and fitting of the

Grease Seal Adapter.
This wasn't as hard or touchy as it seemed. The quality and precision of these parts are fantastic. This piece was heated with a Mapp gas torch till the flame turned the contact area cherry red. Not the whole thing was that hot. Gripped it with a pair of channel locks and walked ten feet to the car. It slipped right on. A small piece of pipe was handy to slide after it and assure the fit while it cooled. Nothing to it!


Next, the Rotor was placed and everything checked, so the bearings were packed and the


Whole Assembly tightened down.


Here's an inside view before refitting the steering arms. Stainless steel brake lines were opted for over regular rubber shielded ones.
Jim offers both with the deluxe kit and they have a banjo fitting at the caliper.

In preparation for the makeover for the car, I had planned to replace the old style Magnum 500 wheels and the revelation about the caliper interference wasn't totally unexpected. Jim Turner does include a statement about the wheel sizes on the install sheet and offered some solutions when I emailed him, so I have no complaints there. There have been statements from individuals that have installed this kit on cars with the SAME wheels and found no problems(?). This car was purchased from a dealer, so I have to assume these wheels came on the car and am completely satisfied with the Disk brake install. The original Magnum 500 wheels were discarded for a
16" alloy
5-spoke design.

These pages and programming contained therin are © 1996 - , Bob Johnstone and may not be reproduced without the permission of Bob Johnstone All Rights Reserved.
Some technical opinions are my own from experience, other informational data is from online sources with credits when available and while care has been taken to be as accurate as possible, it is offered only as a guide and caution should be exercised in the application of it.