Help selecting '70 drum to disk conversion kit

[AKcharger]

I've done a search on front drum to disc conversions and now I'm even more confused...seems people who do the conversion immediately  run into problems! To make maters worse, there doesn't seem to be any "safe" sources, every kit is bad. Now granted many posters are old so maybe the company's got better, that's why I need help.

So my priorities are in order
1) complete, bolt-up kit that will let me keep my 14 inch road wheels, no sourcing multiple parts on my own
2) reliable and safe
3) cost
4) originality

Sources I was considering are:
- Captian jack on eBay - complete kits, great price but not sure of quality/performance
- one of the kits (manufacturer unknown) from classic auto or year one
- SSBC - but I've hear a LOT of bad about these kits
- do an a-body conversion - would be fine if I could find a source that has all the parts, I don't want to be huntin' around for bits and pieces

Guys??

[twodko]

I've bought 2 disk brake conversion kits from Master Power Brake.

The first kit was for a 69 Chevelle, the second one was for my

69 Charger I just had installed a few months ago.

These kits are outstanding in quality, price and are "no surprises bolt on".

$1100 complete and MPB's customer service is excellent.

Of course there are other conversion kit vendors out there

offering far more expensive kits but unless you have deep pockets

they're just not worth the several hundreds more. If you like the

look of a brightly painted caliper you can certainly paint it yourself.

I did mine with red high temp Rustolem and they look great.  

[John_Kunkel]

Doc Diff's kit fits 14" wheels.

http://www.doctordiff.com/10.95-front-disc-brake-kit.html

[bill440rt]

I've bought 2 disk brake conversion kits from Master Power Brake.

The first kit was for a 69 Chevelle, the second one was for my

69 Charger I just had installed a few months ago.

These kits are outstanding in quality, price and are "no surprises bolt on".

$1100 complete and MPB's customer service is excellent.

Of course there are other conversion kit vendors out there

offering far more expensive kits but unless you have deep pockets

they're just not worth the several hundreds more. If you like the

look of a brightly painted caliper you can certainly paint it yourself.

I did mine with red high temp Rustolem and they look great.  

Excellent "stock"- type brake kit.
Just not sure if they are compatible with  14" wheels. 
That's going to be the OP's biggest dilemma, finding one that fits 14" wheels.
Might want to look into Dr. Diff's kit as JK has suggested. 

[AKcharger]

OK Good info guys, thanks!

So I keep my power drum booster with Dr. Diff? I'll need to talk to those guys, that's the best deal so far. Only draw back is have to change the Spindle...and if I'm going to change out the spindle why not change out the ball joints and if I change out the ball joints why not do the bushings ect. ect.

[charger_fan_4ever]

OK Good info guys, thanks!

So I keep my power drum booster with Dr. Diff? I'll need to talk to those guys, that's the best deal so far. Only draw back is have to change the Spindle...and if I'm going to change out the spindle why not change out the ball joints and if I change out the ball joints why not do the bushings ect. ect.

I was just going to start my own thread as im pondering the idea of switching my 70 to front disk. Looks like one difference mine is manual drum.

I looked on summit and they appear to have a disk kit for non power assist ?
Never knew that existed.

[bill440rt]

OK Good info guys, thanks!

So I keep my power drum booster with Dr. Diff? I'll need to talk to those guys, that's the best deal so far. Only draw back is have to change the Spindle...and if I'm going to change out the spindle why not change out the ball joints and if I change out the ball joints why not do the bushings ect. ect.

I was just going to start my own thread as im pondering the idea of switching my 70 to front disk. Looks like one difference mine is manual drum.

I looked on summit and they appear to have a disk kit for non power assist ?
Never knew that existed.

Check out MP Brakes for their manual disc conversion kit. Nice kit, super easy to install. Performs well.

[charger_fan_4ever]

OK Good info guys, thanks!

So I keep my power drum booster with Dr. Diff? I'll need to talk to those guys, that's the best deal so far. Only draw back is have to change the Spindle...and if I'm going to change out the spindle why not change out the ball joints and if I change out the ball joints why not do the bushings ect. ect.

I was just going to start my own thread as im pondering the idea of switching my 70 to front disk. Looks like one difference mine is manual drum.

I looked on summit and they appear to have a disk kit for non power assist ?
Never knew that existed.

Check out MP Brakes for their manual disc conversion kit. Nice kit, super easy to install. Performs well.

Thanks for the heads up Bill. 

[Dmichels]

What about Scarebird? There brackets bolt to the drum brake spindle and lets you use off the shelf rotors and calipers I was thinking about them for myself They seam to get decent reviews. They are not original type
Dave

[AKcharger]

scare bird and MP huh? will have to look at that. A pal of mine did his '68 Charger and said he did the '73 Dart spindle swap. I looked at that and it looks cheap till you add rotors, calipers, dust shield hoses, bearings ect. Rapidly turns into same price as the kits plus will it all work together??

[gtx6970]

I used 1979-80 Volare/aspen stuff on a 1969 charger .( original bendix disc brake car btw )

works like a charm

[AKcharger]

OK, well I pulled the trigger on Scarebird. Once installed I'll be sure to share my experiences! 

Thanks

[John_Kunkel]

I wasn't aware that Scarebird had added the econo setup to clear 14's. I've used their stuff before and was very pleased.

[AKcharger]

yup, talked to them at length and since I've yet to come across any horror stories about their stuff I thought it worth a try. It's a little bit "Frankenstein" but when I bring the car down again in 5 years of so for a full resto I'll replace everything. The drums on now really are a safety hazard

Uses:
Scarebird backing plate on drum spindle ($75)
Lincoln rear rotor
Cavalier caliper
Chevy Hoses
...Everything else stock and untouched supposedly

[stripedelete]

I'm the Bill's Volare swap.  Very happy. No complaints. 

Before I found the Volare parts I researched the kits with much the same criteria; effective/safe, parts availability and compatibility with 14 inch rims.

MP was it.  Called them.  A body parts, so, if they go away you can still do a brake job.  They have an asterisk on the rim fitment.  The said 14 Inch Magnums may require some machining on the rotor but they will fit.  Give them a call they can explain it.

On the Volare swap; spindle, rotor,  shields, caliper X 2 = $40.(pull-a-part) Used the calipers as cores.  Bought new pads and rotors ( and calipers) cheap.   

[AKcharger]

Well if I had more parts connections here in Fl I'd go the Volare  route but I'm still "networking"

[stripedelete]

Google pull-a-part.   Great thing about the south, it actually it still comes off with a wrench, regardless of age.

[AKcharger]

I agree always love junk yards but it's a time vs. money thing...right now not enough time to search.

[Nacho-RT74]

I think you get here all the info to be on DIY area, including the search

http://www.moparaction.com/tech/archive/disc-main.html

cheap and easier that you can think

[John_Kunkel]

Those parts have become very scarce in most locales.

[AKcharger]

Got the Scarebird brackets today and placed order for brake parts from Rockauto. So far total cost for bracket and all parts (minus -proportioner valve) $231

Question: I think I have a disk master cylinder already, I have a large rear and small front reservoir for my drums...isn't the drum Master cylinder supposed to have equal sized reservoirs??

[Dmichels]

I think you are correct the drum brake ones have equal size bores. It is really just for the extra fluid needed for a disc brake set up when they wear down. Most important is the proportioning valve. Do you have a picture of the cylinder?
Dave

[jaak]

Got the Scarebird brackets today and placed order for brake parts from Rockauto. So far total cost for bracket and all parts (minus -proportioner valve) $231

Question: I think I have a disk master cylinder already, I have a large rear and small front reservoir for my drums...isn't the drum Master cylinder supposed to have equal sized reservoirs??

What rotors do you have to order for the scarebird conversion (what year/make/model)?? You got me thinking about doing this conversion on my 68 (I was planning on using the front drums for a while, but considering this).

Jason

[Nacho-RT74]

Have a question!!! isn't your 70 an R/T ? I thought al R/Ts got front disc! or was still an option?

Once more about conversion, my suggestion is STILL stock parts available around on the cheap LOL.

You can get even slotted and drilled rotors on stock parts list ( Centric... I got mine ).

Rockauto gets you everything stock... but the spindles and caliper brackets ( I guess also dust shield )... get just that and go to regular parts shops for the rest still on Mopar parts service list... rotor, bearings ( inners and outers ), grease seals, grease cap, calipers and relater parts, pads... Honestly will be easier in the future for service, goingt to any local parts shop.

just in case and not highjacking, just in case... does somebody know where to find a caliper bracket ( pin kind ) and dust shield for laters B bodies ? I'm planning upgrade for bigger rotors.

If somebody find those parts on the cheap, just let me know ( drilled and slotted rotors are available for these too, Centric on RockAuto )

[Nacho-RT74]

oops didn't noticed you already got the adapter bracket AND NON MOPAR RELATED PARTS 

[AKcharger]

- Dmichels see picture below...Disc reservoir???
-JAAK uses 1990-91 Lincoln MarkVII rear rotors. Parts for the conversion are ridiculously cheap (See attachment) I did have to hunt for the bolts a bit but got those from NAPA fro $10. Stand-by till I get this finished and I'll let you know it it's worth it :-)
- Nacho My '70 is a 500, 10 inch drums all around. If I'm not mistaken R/T's came standard with 11 inch drums but Many people opt'd for the discs.

I know, I know if I'd hunt around for the Late model A-body parts I could do it that way and it' would be correct BUT I need a fast and easy way to make the change to discs for safety reasons. I'm gone 3-4 days a week for work so I have limited time to play. I know myself too well, if I start tearing apart the front end I'm not going to stop and the car will be one jacks for months, if not longer. I made a promise to myself that any project from here on out will take no longer than 1 weekend. The car will be done, road worthy and garage cleaned before I go to work.

[Dmichels]

looks like a disc cyl to me What are you using for a proportioning valve? You HAVE to use one to prevent rear wheel lock up
Dave

[AKcharger]

I ordered one of those generic ones with the knob

[jaak]

Have you installed your parts yet? Please keep us updated.

Jason

[AKcharger]

Sorry...Working on painting my '72 Ram charger hood...stand-by!

[AKcharger]

I'll make up a full report on this when complete...right now I'm at a work stoppage for studs, the drum studs are too short and I'm having a heck of a time finding longer ones...who would have known there were so many different knurl sizes/lengths/grips ect!  

Anyway the basic swap out went well.

[b5blue]

OH Crap.....not covered or even mentioned in instructions?     I'm doing Disk o tech soon and keep digging for details missed myself! Same one weekend parameters. Just to get the correct calipers I ended up ordering 6 to get correct R and L ones.    (I feel your pain!) 

[AKcharger]

Well, the Stud Swap out is in the instructions but not mentioned anywhere in the advertisements or tech specs before the purchase. certainly an unpleasant surprise especially since the car gets to sit on jacks for the next week voiding the whole idea behind this swap (one day and done) and not running around sourcing all kinds of parts on my own
My very premature feedback is if you want an UBER inexpensive disc swap this is it but it's not as quick and easy as I expected.

[stripedelete]

Really?  The Local Chrysler dealer or NAPA don't have Mopar wheel studs?

[b5blue]

Really?  The Local Chrysler dealer or NAPA don't have Mopar wheel studs?

They won't be stock Mopar I think.....Non stock applications send you wandering for "like this but different." Even with the Disc O conversion Rick spells out in great detail the less likely to find pin caliper type parts but skims over the exact nailed down slider part numbers/applications. (There are a few variations, you need to know what the parts house is trying to give you.)   
  Of course it's Super Bowl Sunday to boot, hard enough to find stuff on a Sunday anyway! 

[AKcharger]

 

Exactly. as soon as I started wandering "off the reservation" using parts from all of the big 3 all bets are off. The entire NAPA catalog came up zero. Summit has .625 and .685 knurled studs, but I need .650. So I'm dead in the water. I wrote to scare bird's tech line...let's see what happens  

[jaak]

Exactly. as soon as I started wandering "off the reservation" using parts from all of the big 3 all bets are off. The entire NAPA catalog came up zero. Summit has .625 and .685 knurled studs, but I need .650. So I'm dead in the water. I wrote to scare bird's tech line...let's see what happens  

Man, that sucks. Something as small as wheel studs (a detail most wouldn't think of), holding you up like that.

Jason

[Nacho-RT74]

thinking on the Disc-O-Tech deal... and wondering about dust shields... do you know if 10.80" and 11.75" rotors shares same piece? I think the obvious answer is they shouldn't, but I can't see easy to find these shields for big rotors.

AND YES THIS IS KINDA A HIGHJACK... Sorry! LOL

[Dmichels]

can you ream the holes in the hub for the larger stud?

[AKcharger]

Unless scarebird has some tricks I'll go .625 on the one hub and drill out the other to accept the .685 studs, ordering them today from summit

[Dmichels]

Why are you going small on the one hub? They are going to be loose

[AKcharger]

Not by choice, one was .625 the other .650 not sure what the deal is, maybe they've been that way since the factory, we'll wait, one would have had left hand threads. Well, for whatever reason they're different.  So I'm getting 5ea .625 for one hub and they'll press right in and 5ea. of the .685 and I'll drill out the .650 holes.

[Dmichels]

 
good luck
Dave

[AKcharger]

Next weird one... the drivers side rotor is too close and wheel drags (.366 Pax side/.108 drivers side) I'm thinking the hub that had the .625 studs might be to blame...anyway next stopping point.
I made a mistake on this one...

Oh, and those longer studs...their too long had to get new lugnuts 

[AKcharger]

 

[Dmichels]

What is your overall review on the conversion? The lack of info on the studs sucks, they should have defiantly put that in the directions. (by the way what's the part numbers in case I do this) The funny hub was an unknown. Were there any other issues?
Dave

[AKcharger]

This would have been a snap had it not been for the weird hub and studs.  In hind sight the lugs don't need to be changed either, I suspect it's a liability thing.
Now I fixed the gap, used a 5/16 wheel spacer between the hub a day rotor...worked fine . The NEXT issue was on test drive I had an awful wobble. What happened is the .685 studs had a fat, none threaded area at the base that was fatter than the hole in the rotor. Well when the wheel was torqued down some studs held, some pushed through and cocked the wheel ..hence the wobble.
Waiting for some donated hubs from B5blue,  that should close this out.

[b5blue]

I'm hoping final parts make it here this week so I can use the 3 day weekend to do swap and get alignment over by Monday PM. (That would free up the parts you want.) 

[AKcharger]

Woo hoo!

[Dmichels]

Any updates?
You said the lugs did not need to be changed? Lugs or studs?
I have been thinking about this kit for a while.
Dave

[AKcharger]

Hi Dave, No progress, waiting on B5 for his old hubs, I don't want to mess with the STUDS anymore (sorry if I said lugs)

I'm going to do a complete write-up on it as soon as it's finished but I'd recommend this set-up it if you're looking for a fast and cheap kit. The odds are you're hubs are fine and if you don't replace the studs I'd bet you could have the conversion done in less than 4 hours if your a competent mechanic.

If your in a hurry PM me for questions/photos or wait a week or so and I'll have it all spelled out for ya'

[fy469rtse]

nah , please dont pm ,
share with all , I'm learning from this as well as others on here , Look at how many views you have had on this
i have questions as well,
like what are those calipers , size of rotors , what wheel size minimum do you need to go,
i have stock front disks and looking to up grade ,
those calipers are a nice tight fit ,

[AKcharger]

nah , please dont pm ,
share with all , I'm learning from this as well as others on here , Look at how many views you have had on this
i have questions as well,
like what are those calipers , size of rotors , what wheel size minimum do you need to go,
i have stock front disks and looking to up grade ,
those calipers are a nice tight fit ,

FY469, if you already have factory discs THIS CONVERIONS IS NOT FOR YOU. The original set up is at least the same in performance and there's no mystery when getting replacement parts.  But since you asked:
-Calipers are off a 1992 Chevy Caviler. While not sure of size they are pretty much the same size as I've seen on other V-8 type cars, in fact the pads look a little bigger
- I think the rotors are 10.25 size looks fine for any V-8 application
- Min wheel size is 14' that's one of the prime reasons I went with the kit, most all others required I go 15's and I wanted to keep my Rallye wheels