I want disc brakes, HELP

[RedBaron68]

Hello, I am new to this forum so I was not sure were to post this. I have a 68 Charger with a /6 motor and little drum brakes all around. My goal is to swap in a v8 and improve the overall handling of this car. But befor I do the motor I want better brakes. Can anyone tell me what is involved with a disc swap or provide a link to a page with the details? Also would like to know the names of the cars out there that have the 11 inch brakes that can be swapped in. Thanks!

[PRO]

For 11" disc youll need 73-76 A body spindles and caliper mounts, and bolts(2 for mount each side,2 for caliper each side) and get the dust caps and spindle hardware(flat retaining washer,lock nut and cage)and pad hardware(used is ok but new is hard to find) buy everything else new or rebuilt for a 73-76 Duster/dart youll need 2 rotors,all 4 wheel brgs and races and seals,2 cotter pins,wheel bearing grease,Brake cleaner,Brake pads,calipers,brake hoses, youll also need a disc brake master cylinder and you may need a proportioning valve from a 68 charger(or any 68-74 b body)with disc but not always,you can try it w/o it but if your rear brakes lock up before your fronts then install it.Remember to clean the rotors with brake cleaner on the pad surface even though their new,keep all grease off the brake pad surface and to lube the brake pad to caliper mount mating surface lightly with marine grade lithium.That'll do it......PRO.....

[kekoakeakane]

What PRO said. This link may help Disc Brake Conversions I am right in the middle of gathering parts for this conversion and here are some of the things that I've found.

1. Loaded Calipers from Carquest came with new Pin Bolts
2. The lower knuckle bolts (5/8" dia) are not easily replaced. Grade 8 bolts of the same size have too thick of a head and may cause interference problems.
3. Clean all threads and use lots of penetrating lube when disassembling the parts you are going to reuse. See (2)
4. Some people have said that 79 Diplomat hoses work for the hose routing issue if you have to mount the calipers on the rear (vice front) of the disc. The 79 Diplomat hose is a Banjo Type hose. The problem that I'm having is finding the correct Banjo Bolt for my application.
5. The 11" rotor setup will not fill ALL 14" rims. The setup that I have came off of a car with stock 14" rims, but will not work on my 14" x 7" American Slotted Mags. I'm just glad that I decided to check before starting the swap.

I'll be glad to answer any other questions you may have.

[ehostler]

kekoakeakane - What is the correct link? The site decided to censor it.

[RedBaron68]

So basicly any Dart after 73-76 will have the correct spindles. The dart had 11 inch brakes? So after I get the spindles I can go to any napa and buy the disc parts for a 73- Dart and be in the money?

[icycleboy]

If you really want maximum stopping power, consider getting the 11,75" rotors that came off late 70's B bodies, Cordobas, Furies etc. If you go to NAPA, ask for the HD rotors for a '78 cop car (a Fury). These are unicast, dont' warp, and take a hell of a beating.
I wish I had the part number, but I'm abroad now, so I don't.

You have to get the caliper adapters for these large rotors from the junkyard though. Some of these cars has slider type calipers,some had the pin type. I've done this 3 times by now, and I prefer the pin calipers. Everything else in PRO's recipe works, ie the A-body knuckles.

You can switch the knuckles from side to side to put the rotors behind the spindle. This way, you'll have more sway bar clearance -some say better weight distribution. Grind the brake hose mount off the frame rail, weld it on the proper side, and cut brake line to match. Presto bingo, your B-body will stop like you wouldn't believe!

PS Since you probably have some 14" wheels on that /6 car, you'll have to trash those for some 15"s, as that's the minimum to clear those big discs.

[kekoakeakane]

The link was to a forum on the competitors board "M.o.p.a.r.t.s.com". I don't only read one magazine and I also don't only visit one forum. Just substitute that into where the **** are. I added in the "." to fake out the software. (Old trick we used to use to get curse words on forums too) If you still can't get to the site, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.

Here's some more tidbits:
1. Take everything off of the donor car. This means you should be able to just cut the caliper brake line, disconnect the outer tie rod end, disconnect from the upper ball joint and disconnect the lower ball joint from LCA. You'll end up with the caliper (buy rebuilt and use this for core or buy rebuild kit), rotor (buy new), bearings (use new), spindle lock nut and keeper, splash shield, lower ball joint (use new), caliper adapter (11" rotor type), and the all important spindle. This way you don't have to remember to grab a certain thing, and it's easier to get home than individual parts.

2. As far as the 12" rotors go, you'll only need the caliper adapters from the donor car, so I would just take that instead of the whole assembly. BTW, don't even think of using the late B-body spindles, they're different dimensions and will screw with your suspension geometry. Just get the adapters so you can buy the 12" rotors from NAPA.

3. The only place I've been able to find the splash shield foam gasket is Year One.

4. Most parts stores (Carquest and NAPA) usually carry this stuff, but don't necessarily have them in stock. Check around. Carquest said they had to special order the rotors, but NAPA had 2 sets.

Hope this is useful.

[RedBaron68]

This is great help! How difficult to find are these 12 rotor adapters? Or will any late B body have the correct adapters, and just the rotors were different between a cop car and a standard fury. Thanks again!

[kekoakeakane]

You may have to do some looking around for those caliper adapters. Any late model 76-79 B-Body should have the adapters. These are normally easier to find than the spindles since they are less sought after. I'm not sure about the cop rotors, maybe someone else can help out there.

[451boy]

Go to the store and find the November issue of Popular Hot Rodding. There is an article in there that covers this exact conversion.

[kekoakeakane]

For those of you that would like to use the Banjo Type hose from the 79 Diplomat, I found the NAPA part number for the Banjo Bolt that fits 73 E-Body and 73 A-body calipers. The number was listed for a 73 Valiant and fits perfectly in the Caliper for a 73 Challenger. The NAPA part number is 82701. It is a 7/16" x 20 bolt with a 1/16" hole.

[RedBaron68]

Hmm, the more I dig the more options/confusion I find... Now I have come across a guy that says ALL the parts spindles included from a late F car (76-79) will bolt on.
He said the only difference was the spindle was 1/4 inch taller, but that would improve handling. Also said this type of brake has the calipers in the rear so the chance of sway bar contact is removed, and the brake hose location comes out next to the caliper which is a banjo bolt anyways. Now I am lost on which way to go..

[ehostler]

You don't want those 76 - 79 spindles. Along with messing up the suspension geometry, they will also cause excessive wear on the ball joints, causing premature failure.

[kekoakeakane]

I agree with ehostler and would not go the F body route. I haven't yet seen any proof that the 1/4" taller spindle will either improve suspension geometry or NOT damage the ball joint. Some will say that they've been running theirs for years, but I also know guys who never change their oil for years. Yes you can get lucky, but why chance it. If the 1/4" didn't make a difference, why didn't Chrysler save money on manufacturing the other ones. There is a particular engineering reason that Chrysler didn't put JUST ONE spindle on all their cars.

It's possible that the F-Body spindle would be OK, but the word of "some guy" is not good enough for me.

[cageman]

Wouldnt that change the roll center and thats about it. I know Gm guys who put longer Upper ball joints in and it improves handling alot, but hey Im just a circle track guy, maybe thats why I think that way.

[451boy]

The Volare knuckle, which is the same as the '73 or later B body knuckle is taller than the '73 to '76 A body knuckle. Otherwise it is identical and it uses the identical bolt on parts. So the guy who told you that it mounts the calipers to the rear is mistaken, since the A body knuckle can also mount the calipers to the rear.

The only difference is the height and I'm with everyone else who says "why mess with the geometry". If you don't know why you're changing something critical such as the geometry of the front suspension then don't do it. If you sit down and calculate out the new roll center and such and it is what you want for your car then go for it.

go to www.ARengineering.com for some more info on brake stuff and what is available.

[Mills]

Mopar Action has covered this swap (11.75 rotors to a B/E Body) several times. It even outlines the entire parts list required to do it. Cost is about $350.00 $US to make your B-body stop near to today's cars. I you want, I can copy the article and fax the pages to anyone that wishes. I've done this swap, and it is very simple. Oh yeah, the proper spindles to keep your suspension geometry are the '72 - '74 E-body spindles (according to the article - my car seems fine)

Mills

[451boy]

'73 to '76 A body knuckles are the same as '73 to '74 E body knuckles. We always refer to these knuckles as A body knuckles though since if you ask for E body stuff it costs more. Casting number is 3402626 and 3402627.

Go to a wrecking yard and ask for '73 Cuda stuff! Much cheaper to go ask for '75 Valiant stuff.