sway bar interference when converting to disc brakes

[pb24]

I have a 68 charger with power drum brakes. I have the spindles and brake caliper adapters from a 73+ A body. My car has the factory front sway bar and I've read  if you mount the calipers forward facing they will hit the sway bar or you can swap the left and right spindle and mount the calipers toward the rear to alleviate this problem. If you do mount them toward the rear what brake hoses do you use and how do you route them. I've read the Mopar Action article Disc-o-Tech and they recommend not doing it. Has anyone done this modification and do you have any pictures

[Charger RT]

I used 71 B body discs on my 68 and the front mount calipers do hit the sway bars. I left the calipers on the front and swapped in a 70 K frame I had and used the 71 lower arms and 71 sway bar. In 70 they moved the sway bar inward to clear the calipers.
Tim

[Back N Black]

I have the 73 A-body set up with the calipers to the rear with no problems. I used the flex lines from a 71 Road Runner.

[Chryco Psycho]

there are 3 different calipers too  one has a straight flare hose , others use banjo fittings allowing the hose to come of at a 90* angle from the caliper . You may have to try different cailper applications to find the right combo . Mount the caliper to the rear still , by swapping spindles , make sure the bleed hole is at the top of the caliper .

[Patronus]

Very interesting... Will I have problems running a disc conversion on drum spindles?

[pb24]

Thanks everybody for your help. Back N black i looked at the pictures of your brake setup on your website great pictures. So can you tell me what year and model your calipers are from and what year and model you used for your master cylinder and brake booster. At the bottom of page 11 you wrote " here is the list of the  brake conversion" but theirs nothing their can you attach a list to your reply? Thanks

[elacruze]

I have the 73 A-body set up with the calipers to the rear with no problems. I used the flex lines from a 71 Road Runner.

+1

[Chryco Psycho]

Very interesting... Will I have problems running a disc conversion on drum spindles?

A lot of the conversions are designed for drum spindles , but in 68 -69 have to have the caliper to the rear to clear the sway bar .

[pb24]

Does anybody else have any experience with this modification. A parts list of the type of brake hoses,calipers, and brake booster and master cylinder to use and any pictures would be helpful. Is this still the best way to go using spindles off a A body for converting drum to disc or are the aftermarket systems better.

[BrianShaughnessy]

Does anybody else have any experience with this modification. A parts list of the type of brake hoses,calipers, and brake booster and master cylinder to use and any pictures would be helpful. Is this still the best way to go using spindles off a A body for converting drum to disc or are the aftermarket systems better.

If you can afford 4 piston calipers and larger rotors and the larger wheels that sometimes are required to fit them....  well...  bigger is better.

Basically you're just updating production 1960's drums for production 1970's discs.     It's better...  just there's a lot better out there.   If you can afford it. 

[pb24]

Its not so much a money issue. I have the spindles and the caliper brackets but having a hard time trying to figure out what other parts in need. It seems that i have to swap the right and left spindles so the calipers dint hit the sway bar but this creates routing of the brake hose issues and I'm not sure what brake booster master cylinder and rooters to use.

[pb24]

Anybody else have any input

[bull]

I'll take some pics of mine tonight. My setup uses Dodge St. Regis (1980 I think) brake hoses and they clear fine.

[Steve P.]

This is an oldie, but a goodie!!!!!

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

[bull]

Ooops. Forgot to post my pics the other night.

These pics are all of the passenger side. The first is with the wheels turned all the way to the left. The 2nd and 3rd pics are of the wheels turned all the way to the right and the last one is with the wheel straight.

[pb24]

Bull thanks for the pictures. I wast just reading the book B-Body Performance Upgrades by the guy you owns AR Engineering in is book he talks about using rear hung calipers that where designed for later F-Body cars but you have to make custom brake hoses it looks like a nice setup. What setup are you using? What type of calipers and are you using a stock hose?

[bull]

Calipers - 1970 Challenger. Rebuilt.
Rotors and caliper adapters - 1972 (I think) Fury. The rotors are new, adapters are used.
Hoses - 1980 Dodge St. Regis. New.
Spindles - 1973 Dart (disc brake). Used.

[twalker]

going through the same thing, very helpful Bull - thanks!!

[68charger440]

Calipers - 1970 Challenger. Rebuilt.
Rotors and caliper adapters - 1972 (I think) Fury. The rotors are new, adapters are used.
Hoses - 1980 Dodge St. Regis. New.
Spindles - 1973 Dart (disc brake). Used.

I did my conversion using a 73 Dart a couple of decades ago. My driver's side spindle is now shot due to a worn out wheel bearing that cut into the spindle and needs to be replaced. I can't remember if I had to put the Dart's right spindle on the left side and the left one on the right side during the swap. I don't want to order a driver's side Dart spindle if it is actually a Dart passenger side spindle. Do you remember if the spindles were swapped to the other side during the conversion?
Thanks

[Kern Dog]

I've read the Mopar Action article Disc-o-Tech and they recommend not doing it. Has anyone done this modification and do you have any pictures

With all due respect to Rick Ehrenberg, he can be a stubborn ass.
I've dealt with "brainy engineer" types that figure if the math shows it one way, THAT is the only way.

I have a '70 Charger and even though there is clearance to mount the calipers forward, I chose to mount mine toward the rear. I used hoses for a 1988 Dodge Diplomat. They had rear mounted calipers.

I did the same with my other '70 Charger: