Looking for advice on disc brake purchase

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robjkc

robjkc

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I currently own a 64 Dart GT and am looking at getting the 4 piston setup (Kelsey Hayes) or something similar at some point in the future. I've only had the car for one day so maybe I should just wait a while.

I came across this setup that came from a 69 Dart. It includes the 4 piston caliper (SBP), control arms, sway bar including shipping for about $450. Based on the date they are probably not Kelsey Hayes but I'm not sure.

Do you think I should considering buying these parts or just hold off for now? I don't even know if these would work well with my Dart, and if I could still run 14" rallees with them. Thanks for the help!

Here's a picture or the parts:

parts.jpg
 
ALL a bodies up to 72 used kelsey hayes calipers. Price sounds good. WHat's nice is your getting a COMPLETE setup.
 
robjkc.
I think that's a decent price to pay for all those parts, that are included in the picture.
Even though your most likely going to be needing new rotors, (they look worn, and chewed up), and rebuild kits to go through the calipers.
The sway bar most likely won't fit on your 64 Dart GT as its "narrower" than the 67-69 other A body cars. So that sway bar is going to be to big from center to center measurement.
Whatever you can't use, you shouldn't have any trouble in selling off the unused parts, or just keep them.
The lower control arms with the sway bar mount tabs on them, are worth decent money individually, along with the sway bar.
You found a good stash of parts. Good hunting. Good score.
 
Are the balljoints in good shape? (tight)
These do work with 14 inch wheels btw

Either way, I paid 300 for my kelseys as they were in good shape and the car never stopped better (65 valiant)
I would get em, as you can always resell later if need be, and they are fairly easy to rebuild if they need a rebuild.
Sway bar wont work but the lower control arms are a nice piece to have also, like hemi71x said
my $.02
 
Only with 14 rallyes or disc brake steel wheels. Drum brake steel wheels won't fit.
 
There is another complete Kelsey - Hayes setup on Moparts, listed last month under Abody Parts for sale, by a seller named omnicrazy. That setup has almost everything brand new, the owner switched his Dart to the LBP setup, and is just unloading his SBP stuff. He asked somewhere in the $500 vicinity but that was quite negotiable.

You can purchase new SBP rotors from Centric (see Rock Auto) for reasonable prices (recently some members bought these rotors for $21/each!).

Calipers are also available from Centric in the ~ $60 each range...NAPA now sells rebuilt K-H calipers for ~$32 each!~

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks all for the advice! After driving the car for the first time the drums aren't that bad but discs sure would be nice. Sounds like the Kelsey Hayes are what I want to get, especially since I want to run the 14" Ralleys.

Sorry for my complete ignorance, but I just started learning about the brake and suspension systems last week. I've re-posted the picture below with numbers on each part. I didn't number the rotors, calipers, and upper control arms since I'm pretty sure about those, but wasn't too sure about the rest of the parts in the picture. I also take it that #7 is the sway bar that wouldn't fit my car. If anyone is completely bored and wouldn't mind identifying the other parts in the picture that would be great. I get my 64 Dart Service manual today in the mail so maybe I'll figure all this out soon.

parts.jpg
 
Ok, here ya go.
1 & 5 Are the lower control arms with the sway bar mount tabs.
2 Is called a strut rod.
3 Is the idler arm
4 Is called the center link, or drag link.
6 & 8 are the disc brake lower ball joints.
7 Is the sway bar.

There are 3 sway bars for the A body cars.
65-66 cars
67-72 cars
73-76 cars

No sway bar before 1965 that i am aware of on an A body.
 
hemi71x said:
Ok, here ya go.
1 & 5 Are the lower control arms with the sway bar mount tabs.
2 Is called a strut rod.
3 Is the idler arm
4 Is called the center link, or drag link.
6 & 8 are the disc brake lower ball joints.
7 Is the sway bar.

There are 3 sway bars for the A body cars.
65-66 cars
67-72 cars
73-76 cars

No sway bar before 1965 that i am aware of on an A body.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks hemi71x! So for the kelsey hayes swap I would just need the rotors, calipers, lines, backing plates, spindles, upper control arms, and lower ball joints from the picture. It looks like he has all that there. Maybe I'll ask if he would sell that part of the setup. Thanks again!!
 
The upper and lower control arms that you already have on your 64 are the same thing that are in the picture.
You don't have to change any of your control arms to swap over to those disc brakes.
Just install the disc brake spindles between the upper and lower control arms.
You would change your lower control arms to the sway bar tabed ones in the picture, if you want to add a sway bar to you car. If your not interested in adding a sway bar, leave the LCA's alone. If the ball joints are still nice and tight, get them also. You will need them, or your ball joint mounting bolt holes on your 64 can be drilled out from 1/2 inch to 9/16 inch. That's the difference between drum brake, and disc brake lower ball joints. The mounting bolt hole diameters to the spindle.
If you want to add a sway bar at a later date, the 65-66 sway bars, show up here in the for sale section, or Moparts, bigblockdart.com, and e Bay, or place a "wanted" ad. Just need to keep looking. Good luck to you.
Jim V.
 
Great score on the parts! The only thing I don't see that you will need is the disk brake proportioning valve. When I re-built the brakes on my 66, I was also told the disk brake master cylinder is different. I had some difficulty tracking down a re-build kit for my master cylinder. Kanter had a different part number for the Disk and Drum cars.

Since the single piston disk brake master cylinder was only used in 65 & 66, this may be a good time to consider going to the dual cylinder master cylinder. If you shop in salvage yards, look for a master cylinder where the rear fluid well is larger than the front. Get all of the underhood lines along with the proportioning valve.

I recently converted my 73 over to disk brakes. Oddly, the DB master cylinder and proportioning valve were already on the car.

propvalve.jpg
 
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