74 charger needs some stoppign power

[acelondon]

So after i get my new Center Link in, my car now needs to avoid further accidents. My last accident, which was me getting run off the road by a cop, could have been saved in two ways: Teach cops that SUV's dont corner at 80mph in a 35, or by me having power brakes.

My current setup is a 1974 Dodge Charger 318 SE
Front Disc
Read Drum
NO POWER.

first time my mom drove it she almost ended up in a lake, took her two feet to stop it. Thank god its an auto, or u couldnt do the two foot thing. I am strong enough to push the pedal, but the car still doesn't stop well. I understand its stopping a whole lot of car, but are their any good tips out there on how to make it stop faster?
P.S. i have locked up the wheels before, so i might have all the braking power, but no grip...

Power breaks would be great, but when i tried to install them, i got a mastercylinder and booster from Advance Auto Parts that was matching to the car, and it didnt fit! any ideas?

[Ghoste]

Did you change the input rod from the pedal to the mc when you tried to change over to power?

[acelondon]

it came with an input rod, and it was the wrong one, it was FAR too short, i jsut sent the booster back and called it a job for another day

[Ghoste]

Perhaps that other day has come? 

[acelondon]

I do plan to actually do the brake upgrade now. I'm done with school for this term, so now i can work! I want to supercharge my 318, but i gotta upgrade the brakes first. It really needs it, and my parents wont let me upgrade the engine till the thing stops.

[Steve P.]

I think you have a problem with the brake system on your car now. Not that it is not sufficient when working properly, just NOT WORKING PROPERLY..

Did your car come stock with NON-POWER discs?

Have you checked your brakes? Front and back?

Has someone put a POWER master cylinder on your NON power car?

Are your brakes adjusted properly?

Are your drums/rotors too thin?


I ask all of these Q's as a non-power disc/drum set up should stop your car without any trouble at all. POWER  BRAKES is a false statement. Power ((( ASSISTED )))) is what they should be known as.  Power ASSISTED brakes are no better than NON power assisted brakes. The assist is just exactly what it implies. It will ASSIST your leg.   If you have a bad back, hip, leg, ankle or foot, OR you are just incredibly weak, then you could probably use POWER ASSISTED BRAKES...  Otherwise you need to look for the problem with the brakes you have.. 

[acelondon]

Did your car come stock with NON-POWER discs?
yes
Have you checked your brakes? Front and back?
new pads/shoes wouldnt hurt, but they look ok
Has someone put a POWER master cylinder on your NON power car?
i (read "professionals at Midas") replaced it once, but it was the same part, so i believe it is the NON POWER cylinder
Are your brakes adjusted properly?
Midas adjusted them last month, and they have never been strong
Are your drums/rotors too thin?
they look fine

Like i said, i can make the brakes lock up if i try, but the car is so heavy its hard to actually stop the car. But from what i can tell, its only the rears locking, because i could turn just fine last time it happened.

[Steve P.]

1) The master can look the same for power and non-power. Did it feel harder to stop after they changed it??

2)  (PROFESSIONALS AT MIDAS) only means that a person that collects a pay check from Midas worked on your car.  I knew a guy that worked his way up to manager of a MIDAS long ago. He knew ALLLLLLMOST as much about cars as he did brain surgery...   

3) Q. was (drums/discs to thin? A. They LOOK fine...     You need to measure them.. If they are too thin they will act like someone greased them..

4) Making the brakes lock up is NOT what it's all about. Stopping the car completely IN control and in a safe distance is.

If you are driving a car that is hard to stop, DON"T DRIVE IT. You could be killed and/or kill someone else.  If the car doesn't start, you are safe. If it doesn't STOP, you could be dead..... Brakes are not to be taken lightly.

You say you can lock them up, but, only the rears. Well about 70% of your braking power is loaded to the front brakes. Locking just the rear is not good. This means that something IS wrong. Heavy car or not, the car should be able to stop IN CONTROL....

Check everything. If you don't know how or don't have a GOOD understanding of your cars brake system, take it to someone that does.  If you want to learn about your system pick up a book on your car. Read all about the brake system and start looking for the problem.

In most cases it will be a very simple repair or replacement. It sounds like your front brakes are not doing much if anything. This can be for a few reasons. I can walk you through everything, but I can't draw any pics. on here and having a book on your car is a huge must. Besides, once you have fixed one thing it makes it easier to tackle the next and the book will help again and again...

Good luck..    Oh wait. No beer till it's all fixed.. 

[dukeboy_318]

check out your lines too, the front ones might be clogged with rust and gunk.  Your calibers might need to be looked at too.  id say get some measurements, then go from there.  Also check your porportioning valve or replace it, their like 20 bucks at autozone or napa.

dukeboy

[acelondon]

Thanks guys, ill try some of your ideas and post again.

[bordin34]

I didn't know that power brakes were an option on 74 SE's every one I have seen has had them. My 74 SE has power brakes, but the rears will lock up before the front. This is a common problem, it was even in an article I read for a 73 SE, under hard braking the rears locked up..

[acelondon]

I pulled the driver's front wheel and i got this:

http://71.60.181.175:81/Charger/Brakes/  (its safe, just a folder of jpegs on my server.)
They are 4.0MP so u can see the grit of the rust.
Forgive the load times.

This Rotor is about 1.01inch thick. Should i park the Charger and go buy some new rotors in my Saturn?(the satty has power brakes lol)

[terrible one]

Woah! Where'd you get those close-ups of the Tulsa Plymouth?! 

Looks like you've found the source of your problem.

[Nacho-RT74]

Woah! Where'd you get those close-ups of the Tulsa Plymouth?! 

Looks like you've found the source of your problem.

[Charger1973]

Get a quote on all the brake parts you will be shocked how cheap some of that stuff is to replace. 

[Nacho-RT74]

Get a quote on all the brake parts you will be shocked how cheap some of that stuff is to replace. 

and worths EVERY PENNY!!!

PLUS, easy to replace

[terrible one]

From RockAuto:

Calipers:
$22.38 each after $5 core charge

Pads:
$13.36 per set

Rotors:
$40.76 each

[acelondon]

Amazingly, my friend tom and i determined that the front brakes actually do move, and do apply pressure. I'm going to start with new rotors and pads. Are my calipers Pin Type or Slide Type?

[dukeboy_318]

do they have a 4 inch long pi nthat holds them on or a mall bolt with a metal piece to hold them on

[acelondon]

if its really that simple, then i suppose pin type.

[Tom_440]

Hopefully the new parts will resolve your stopping issues.  If the pedal is still really hard, and there is no line blockage or problem with the combination valve, it is possible the bore of your MC is really big.  A MC with a smaller bore would give you more pedal travel, but it would take less pedal pressure to make the car stop.