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.
Following this was the heating and fitting of the
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
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