Can't stop me now:

Brakes brakes brakes, have been on my mind.  I need to make sure they are in good shape. I have been doing a lot of research to try and determine what the correct replacement parts are for the disc brake conversion kit we used and I am getting close. When I inspect the system I will need to know what parts I need to order.

Thanks to a lot of advice from members of several 55 chevy facebook groups, I have decided that instead of buying new calipers, which really aren't that expensive, less than $30 a pop, it makes more sense to rebuild each caliper for around $9 each.  Also I will be replacing all the wheel bearings as well as the master cylinder and the hydraulic hoses. Bearings and hoses are around $6 to $8 each.  This is definitely a value added task, minimal cost for a great deal of safety and security.  The last thing I need to do is have a braking system that could fail.

Changing to power brakes isn't a hard job to do, kits are out there that just bolt in. The only drawback is the expense.  They can range from $250 to $350.  The nice thing is that I can do that down the road, having manual disc brakes instead of drums, does help stop the car better than stock.

I mentioned before, the more hands on I am with the car, the closer it brings me to my dad. When I was younger, we would do these types of repairs on the family cars and my own.  I can remember my dad helping me pack wheel bearings with grease, make sure I didn't over tighten bolts, bleed brakes...... This will bring back so many more memories.