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  #1  
Old 04-11-2003, 02:28 AM
Dart_Swinger Dart_Swinger is offline
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Default A-Body Disc Brakes

Quick question, all the front disc brake conversions i see for the a-bodies are up to '72, i have a '73 so can i just bolt on a set of '72 spindles to mount the conversion to?

Adrian
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Old 04-11-2003, 10:42 AM
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I always thought it was in 73 that the upper control arms, spindles and bolt pattern was changed on disc brake a bodies. Is the 72 you are parting a big bolt single piston car?

Read this article to end your confusion (maybe).

http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/archive/disc-main.html
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Old 04-11-2003, 11:23 AM
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Thats a good question,
In 1973 the changed the spindles and ball joint configuration. I am suprised that your car has drum brakes. It may have been swaped some time in your life for its factory disc setup. I know the discs will not fit without the proper ball joints a spindles. I would say going the other way wont work either. I would say you need the newer style hadrware from a 73 and later car. I dont think you have what it takes. As for the 72's back, the reason for there packages there the most common with drum brakes, more like a conversion package.
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  #4  
Old 04-11-2003, 12:26 PM
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I believe 6 packin is right, you need the upper control arm and knuckle from a 73 or newer with discs to convert your car.

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Old 04-11-2003, 02:26 PM
340duster1 340duster1 is offline
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In 73 if you didn't order disc brakes, you got drum brakes with small bolt pattern. I am not sure in the years after this, as I think at some point disc became standard. I had a 1973 scamp /6 auto with minimal options and it was small bolt pattern and drum brakes all around. I have seen other cars as well.

The best swap info is located here: http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/archive.html
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Old 04-12-2003, 04:31 AM
Dart_Swinger Dart_Swinger is offline
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First:
Thanks for the posts guys.

Okay, my '73 Dart is all original, drum brakes and all, and i don't have a '72 that i'm parting...with that out of the way, i read the article you guys posted and it didn't seem to me that it was pertaining to a-bodies just that you needed a '73-76 a-body spindle and i would rather buy a complete kit, so is it possible to interchange '72 disc spindles for my '73 drum spindles....its seems like they should just bolt on considering that an a-body is basically an a-body is an a-body. But, that might just be my optimism coming out.

Adrian
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Old 04-12-2003, 04:38 AM
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They just wont bolt on. A disc spindle uses different ball joints than a drum spindel. If you have the right ball joints then you can swap. What you have is an early A body using up the left over drum stuff while discs were phased in. It should be the same '72 drum spindle on your car so the kits should fit. Hope that clears it up for you.
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Old 04-12-2003, 04:55 AM
Dart_Swinger Dart_Swinger is offline
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Excellent, thanks again for the info guys.

Adrian
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  #9  
Old 04-13-2003, 06:01 PM
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Default drun

It must have taken them a while to use up the drum brake small bolt hole because my 74 scamp has drum brakes small bolt hole that i'am looking to change over . Any one know if the kit from AR engineering to put viper calibers on the older drum spindles would be any cheaper than a conversion kit?
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Old 04-13-2003, 06:09 PM
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Default drun

It must have taken them a while to use up the drum brake small bolt hole because my 74 scamp has drum brakes small bolt hole that i'am looking to change over .You might check into the kit from AR engineering to put viper calibers on the older drum spindles I don't know if itwould be any cheaper than a conversion kit but I believe you can use your existing spindles.
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Old 04-14-2003, 01:45 AM
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'73 and later A body drum knuckles are not the same as '72 and earlier A body drum knuckles. UBJ is different and so is the inner wheel bearing.

Putting '72 knuckles on a '73 A body would be going backwards. The upper ball joint changed in '73 to the bigger b body style. The '73 and up brakes are much better than the '72 and earlier ones so don't go backwards.

'73 drum knuckles are valuable to guys who want to run the Viper conversion since they have the big UBJ and the bigger inner wheel bearing. If you want a stock brake setup then swap your '73 drum knuckles for '73 disk knuckles and bolt on the factory brakes.
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Old 04-14-2003, 06:39 PM
70 net440 70 net440 is offline
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I'm converting a 70 Swinger w/discs to large bolt pattern 73 discs. I've got the discs, upper control arms and spindles. Are the calipers the same or will I need the 73 calipers?
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Old 04-14-2003, 10:38 PM
AndyF AndyF is offline
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You need '73 or later calipers. Good thing too. The early 4 piston calipers are expensive.
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Old 04-14-2003, 11:13 PM
70 net440 70 net440 is offline
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Well I'm glad I grabbed the 73 calipers for cores. It's just that the breaks on the car work fine, we just want to go to the larger bolt pattern for more wheel selection.
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Old 04-15-2003, 03:20 AM
Dart_Swinger Dart_Swinger is offline
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Okay, i probably should have said this when i first started the thread but what i'm wanting to do is take my drum disc '73 dart and purchase an aftermarket brake swap kit, this is for a street/strip mostly strip car. I'm not looking for orginality i just want performance in the simplest manor. However, the conversion kits i have found are for '72-later drum darts. In a previous post someone stated that my spindles should be leftover '72 parts. If this is so, and i would agree, then a '72 kit should bolt right up, right?

Thanks,

Adrian
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  #16  
Old 04-15-2003, 03:26 AM
Dart_Swinger Dart_Swinger is offline
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So i'm looking at a wilwood disc brake kit, would this work:

**Mopar “A” Body Drum Spindle, 1965-1969, Mopar “A” Body 10” Drum Spindle, 1970-1972**

I think i have a 10" drum i'll have to measure it tomorrow.

A
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  #17  
Old 04-15-2003, 05:16 PM
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You have 10 inch brakes. 11's only come on the bigger B and C body cars.
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  #18  
Old 04-15-2003, 11:34 PM
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Ahhh.....you guys are awesome, thanks again
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Old 04-16-2003, 05:41 PM
68426GTS 68426GTS is offline
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Can yuo use any parts off a F body for the brake swap are the brake parts on the aspen left over from the dusters
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  #20  
Old 04-16-2003, 06:29 PM
340duster1 340duster1 is offline
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The aspen spindles are 1" taller than the abody ones so don't use them as it messes with the geometry
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  #21  
Old 04-16-2003, 09:19 PM
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340Duster1 is correct. The F body soindles are 100 percent not compatable. They will only fit on the F,M,and J codies that they were designed for. The physically will bolt on, but the distance between the A arms are longer and the spindle it'self is not at the same height on the spindle arm mount.

This would create all sorts of misalignments. Not to mention that an alignment shop would never get it within correct specs to align the wheels. This is a big not to do swap. If you will do a search on here you will find many post telling you not to do this sort of swap. It is very dangerous.
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  #22  
Old 04-17-2003, 12:20 PM
68426GTS 68426GTS is offline
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thank you very much for the info
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