How do I convert 70 charger drum to disc break setup

[troy.70R/T]

Well I have read alot of stuff on disc break conversion and some seem to answer some questiopns but not all of them and I just want to make sure I do mine right. So hear are my questions. I Have a 70 Charger R/T 440 I thought they all had disc breaks on the front if they were an R/T but not sure. First question is what cars and years will work to make this a CORRECT conversion. Also does anyone sell an after market kit with everything? Will I need new spindles? will my old power booster work? Also I want to make sure that I am using the right rod for the power booster to master cylinder. Any help is appreciated I am just trying to avoid some of the nightmares that some of you have had. Thanks Troy

[bull]

Not all R/Ts had disc brakes and your old power booster will work but not your master cylinder.

There's enough stuff out there to do just about anything you want. You can use your old spindles with certain kits or get new ones with other kits. There are probably about 15 different choices right now. Try Scarebird, Baer, Wilwood, etc. Also, have a look at this: http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/archive/disc-main.html

Scarebird makes a bracket which allows you combine what's used in the link above with your original spindle. You would then get single piston calipers and rotors at any parts store among other things.

[troy.70R/T]

    Well I learned alot about the conversion and it will take meawhile to get the parts togetherbut in the meantime I need a Master cylinder to get my car going for the summer. Below is a paragraph that was in the artical From what the paragraph says I sould got to the parts store and ask for a master cylinder for a 1974 Volare with disc brake setup?  I should be able to use this master cylinder wiht my drum brake until I can get them converted shouldn't I???  thanks for the help. Troy 


>> In the mid-1970s, Chrysler eliminated the rear brake residual pressure valve from the master cylinder. Its function was to prevent any air from sneaking into the system via the rear wheel cylinder cups. In its place, Chrysler substituted "expanders" in the rear wheel cylinders. (Expanders are dish-shaped steel inserts that exert outward pressure on the cups.) If you should decide to use a master cylinder from a 1975-up car, be sure you have the expanders in your rear wheel cylinders. For at least 20 years they have been universal in all replacement wheel cylinders and rebuild kits.

[bull]

Actually, Napa sells a new disc brake master that looks pretty close to the original:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,30312.0.html

[mikepmcs]

    Well I learned alot about the conversion and it will take meawhile to get the parts togetherbut in the meantime I need a Master cylinder to get my car going for the summer.

I have the drum drum master cylinder you need.  I had drum, put a wilwood disc brake set up on it etc.... 
PM me your address and I'll send it to you.

Mike

[troy.70R/T]

Thanks Mike but I am looking for the power disc M/C I have power drums right now but am converting it to disc. I think I will try to go with the 71 and later M/C since my breaklines are in the left hand side. If I can't find one I will try Napa. Thanks for the link Bull. Troy

[bull]

Oh, I forgot about that. I have one at home like what you want for my car... one that dumps out the drivers side. I'll post the part number when I get home. It looks the same as the Napa M/C I told you about but has the holes on the other side.

[troy.70R/T]

Ok thanks but I think I found some help in another thread but not sure yet.  I ordered a M/C for a 71 Roadrunner with power disc breaks it should be here in a couple days. But if it no trouble please do post the Numbers. Thanks again Troy

[bull]

It's a new M/C from AutoZone by Dynapak (Fenco), P/N NM1672. It's for a '73 Dart. The box says it's a product of the USA so I will reluctantly assume that means it's made in the USA, but I won't swear to it. It also comes with a cool bench bleeding kit.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalog/parts/partsProduct.jsp?displayName=Master+Cylinder+%28Brake+System%29&itemId=prod10595&navValue=14400007&parentId=cat10005&productId=486235&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=486235_0_0_&filterByKeyWord=NM1627&categoryNValue=14499999&isSearchByPartNumber=true&categoryDisplayName=Brakes&store=2236&skuDescription=FencoNew/MasterCylinder(BrakeSystem)&fromWhere=&searchText=NM1627&_requestid=415210

[troy.70R/T]

Thanks for the P# Bull. If the one I ordered does not look right I will give that one a try. I am only going wiht the one from Advance auto because it is new and has a lifetime warranty.  So any Idea on what Front discs I should ask for for my conversion?

[bull]

Well, first we need to know which conversion you're going to do. Are you doing the moparaction swap I linked above? If so you'll need a pair of mid 70s E- or A-body spindle/steering knuckles and a pair of late 70s caliper adapters from anything that has an R, W, X, or S as the first letter in the VIN (Fury, Charger, Magnum, etc.). Or instead of that you could just buy the Scarebird caliper adapters to use on your drum brake spindles. From there you buy a pair of 11.75" rotors for the R, W, X, or S VIN cars mentioned above and some Challenger calipers.

I have a complete parts list at home. When I get there I'll post what all I used.

[troy.70R/T]

Yes bull that is the swap I am going to do. I just figure I might as well buy the rotors and calipers new If I can find some kind of part number to order or at least beable to theel the parts store what kind of car I Am ordering parts for. Still haven't got my M/C yet. Thanks again

[bull]

Here's what I got:

2 Spindles: 1974 Dart (used) $90
2 Caliper adapters: 1977 Fury pin style (used) $36 incl. shipping
2 Rotors: 1977 Fury (new) $91.21
2 Calipers: 1973 Challenger (rebuilt) Loaded with new semi-metallic pads, pin fastener set, etc. $129.98
1 Disc Brake Master cylinder: 1973 Dart (new, as mentioned above) $81.99 incl. shipping
2 Hoses: 1980 St. Regis (new) $30.98
2 Oil seals: 1977 Fury (new) $3.49
2 Outer wheel bearings: 1977 Fury (new) $8.50
2 Inner wheel bearings: 1977 Fury (new) $11.18
1 Wilwood Proportioning Valve: $42.50
1 Wilwood Residual Pressure Valve (10 psi): $16.46

[b5blue]

Wile your shopping parts check out NAPA's rotors, last time I was in there they had a display showing their rotors compared to "others" and they really looked allot better than the low dollar ones I got for my swap! Don't know what they charge for them, I wish I had waited and not gotten cheap ones.

[troy.70R/T]

Thanks for the list Bull the list is a big help. And thanks for the tip b5blue I will definantly look at the Napa rotors. I will post a want ad but just thought I would ask if you know of anyone who has any caliper adapters? Pin style of course. And again thanks for the help Bull.Troy

[bull]

One other thing you'll quickly notice when installing this setup (as mentioned in the moparaction link I posted above) is that this setup will bump into a stock sway bar if installed correct. Now I use the term "correct" loosely because many people will swap the spindles side to side which moves the calipers out of the way of the sway bar and it works fine. The moparaction article warns against doing that but it's not a problem. The other thing you need to make sure of is that you install the calipers so that the bleeder valve is up top. It sounds obvious but I've seen some people flip them over upside down and then wonder why they can't bleed all the air out of the system.

[b5blue]

Hey I thought it WOULD clear on a 70!! 

[b5blue]

I just checked the link again...it said PRE 70 sway bar would interfere! (He and I should be OK)

[troy.70R/T]

Well I went looking for some parts yesterday and ordered a set of Calipers for a 73 Challenger from Advance Auto. For $25.00 each they are rebuilt and have a limited lifetime replacement. when I get them I will take some pics and post them to see if you can see if they look correct. I also checked on some rotors at Napa. And The guy had to go and ask me If I was looking for Fury or Grand Fury rotors cause there was a diffrence. Here is what I found they were both 1977 and 11.750 Diameter. Part# 4885579 Was for the Fury and the rotor thickness (where the pads grip) was 1.00 thick. For the Grand Fury (Part # 4885563 it was 1.245 thick.  The over all height was also diffrent. The Fury one was 4-55/64 high and the Grand Fury was 4-63/64 high. Both were $72.00 there was also a premiun one avaliable only for the Grand Fury for 87.49 (part #85563) the guy told me that the only diffrence with the premium one was that it was probably made in the USA. Any thoughts on which ones are right?

[b5blue]

Premium...you want USA or Can. made! Mine are from India or some other such place, they started rusting as soon as I took them out of the box. Re check the link and figure out the model letters, try a different car name  or wait till you have everything else and you can do a mock up to test it, make sure you get the ribbed ones.

[terrible one]

FWIW, the '73 Dart master (I used that one too) is available NEW (not refurbished) at NAPA for like $35 or $40 if I remember correctly.

[mikepmcs]

Pretty sure that is the one I used too,  and from Napa, and it was that price.

[bull]

Did you guys get the one with the lines coming out the right or left side? The master cyls with the lines coming out the right side cost less for some reason but I wanted to keep mine with the stock look. When I priced it out through Napa it was pretty much a wash price-wise.

[mikepmcs]

Mine were out the driver side.

[richRTSE]

I don't know the quality of the parts this guy uses, but he sells a complete kit for $400. I started to price it out myself and couldn't beat it. I may use him when I convert my '70 over to discs.

http://shop.primoclassics.com/product.sc?categoryId=2&productId=1