Really i plan on keeping the 6 and having a cruiser that actually stops….years ago i had a 69 dart that i did the 11 3/4” i think from a cordoba if i remember right, manual m/c setup from the disc-o-tech article and they worked well, i went with 15” cragars sbp and already had the 10” rear brakes… …now with this car it’s how to go about the whole thing/package with what wheels to use, and how to address the rear brakes too, ……..meanwhile i dont have tons of spare time to be hunting down parts in yards, even though im not worried about the cost, its mostly because im not looking to do anything crazy and i know the parts aren’t crazy $, its just getting the right stuff
given what you're stated goals are: keeping it /6 and a cruiser, and having something that stops are relatively attainable goals.
the yards are pretty barren these days, but there's still some bits around. while the aftermarket has stepped up with some stuff that previously was unavailable, prices have gone up
tremendously from "years ago" on both new and used parts.
i'd upgrade to big bolt pattern all around and here's how i'd play it if i were in your shoes:
>73~76 discs up front
this would entail upper control arm, spindle, lower ball joint, caliper adapter, caliper, splash shield, and hoses. if your upper control arms have been recently rebuilt or you feel the bushings and ball joints are in good condition, and you are okay with reusing them, then keep those in place and use a sleeve to adapt the small ball joint to the spindle. the later big ball joint arm is available new, either aftermarket stamped or several versions of tubular at different price points depending on what they offer. or rebuild a set of 73~76 arms.
keep the lower control arms as is, again if you feel the bushings are in good nick let 'em ride. or rebuild. keep everything else stock, rebuild as necessary.
aftermarket sway bar up front, upgrade to standard V8 torsion bars at a minimum or big block, but i wouldn't go much bigger than that.
out back is where you'll need to make a harder decision, and making the choice now between having discs or drums can save you fair amount of faffing about down the line if you start drum and then upgrade to disc.
it also boils down to whether you care or not who the manufacturer of the rear end is. if having a ford differential under your mopar is something that makes your stomach turn, that's fine and understandable. just understand that you're going to open your wallet that much more for a mopar rear end.
of course, the option is still that you could pluck a 7.25 from the yard rebuild the brakes and throw it in and run it till it pukes.
no matter the rear end, i'd upgrade the rear springs. nothing wild, just some nice V8 units. and snap fresh shocks on all the way around if it needs.
with wheels, the front is easy: stock 14" steel wheels will fit. because it's big bolt pattern, nearly any aftermarket rim will as well. out back, the choice of the rear end (and if disc brake) may dictate your rim size. although, 15" should clear most anything brakes wise, special attention needs to be paid on specs due to different rear end width and the limiting factor of the wheel well.
a lot of this boils down to how much you want to upgrade (drums v disc), build in future proofing (parts availability), peripheral costs (rims, upgrading components), the big time v money costs such as: buying UCA's outright v rebuilding or spec'ing out a rear end v hunting one down online or in the junkyard.
the parts are out there, some of it is easy to come by and some not so much. making a battle plan and deciding where your compromises are from the start helps you not waste time, energy or money by getting the right parts the first time.
all this is to say, let us know how we can help.
thanks for coming to my ted talk.
