Thoughts on Drum to Disc Conversions…

-
Monstro_bjj

Monstro_bjj

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2022
Messages
46
Reaction score
27
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Hi guys,

Being fairly new to the Mopar game, I am having some difficulties trying to figure out what to do about converting my front 10” drums to discs on my 72’ Swinger. There are so many kits and options out there, it’s hard to figure what would be a good option. I am not too familiar working with disc brakes without a booster, so I’m thinking of getting a kit with a booster, as opposed to getting a manual valve kit.

Don’t need anything fancy, just something that’ll stop the ole’ girl. Any thoughts? Obviously trying to get the “best bang for your buck” but unopposed to spending a bit more if it will benefit the change.

Thanks for all the advice!
 
Go to Wilwood site, you can learn gobs there even if you don’t purchase their product. They are a bit higher priced but the parts fit like they should and zero issues. And they supply everything you need for conversion. Just my opinion but brakes is the one place I will not cut corners or go with lesser quality. But keep in mind I race most of my junk and if you want to go fast you darn sure better be able to stop.
 
Sublime one said:
Go to Wilwood site, you can learn gobs there even if you don’t purchase their product. They are a bit higher priced but the parts fit like they should and zero issues. And they supply everything you need for conversion. Just my opinion but brakes is the one place I will not cut corners or go with lesser quality. But keep in mind I race most of my junk and if you want to go fast you darn sure better be able to stop.
Click to expand...

Makes total sense! And definitely not looking to skimp on braking ability. I know I won’t be racing or anything like that. Just looking for dependability.

I’ll check out Willwood. Do you know if they sell complete kits?
 
I have two cars with manual 10" drums all around, bone stock.

They both stop just fine.
 
PS I don’t run a booster on mine and I am right at 450HP at the tire. Takes a little leg but she will darn sure stop. If you are bored you can hit the thread I did on my Modern 6.1 Hemi in 72 Demon and somewhere about half way maybe? I show the brake swap conversion utilizing a Wilwood kit. Regardless of who’s kit you use the basic principle and components are basically the same. The thread might shed some light on the process for you. I think there are an abundance of threads on FABO showing how to do them. It is not to bad actually. I run Wilwood on my actual race car as well and it is well north of 600HP. I tear up a lot of stuff at the track but have never failed to stop or had any kind of brake issues using Wilwood.
 
If you're lookin at Wilwood, you want more than to "just stop the old girl". That can get expensive quick. Keep us posted on what you decide.
 
IMHO...

Do a stock later model swap.

Stock parts, plentiful, relatively cheap, get bbp, buy parts at local parts store. 100% bolt on.

I have stock manual front disc on my 67 dart. Stops fine.

We have all gotten to be weak with all the power assist we have today.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I would find the stock 73 and up disc brakes and rebuild them. I prefer making old things new again to spending money, because I have very little of it.
Click to expand...

Dang, treed by RRR! This is what I was going to suggest. I know it was a smoking deal, but I got this entire setup for a c-note to make the change on my Dart.
 
Monstro_bjj said:
Don’t need anything fancy, just something that’ll stop the ole’ girl. Any thoughts? Obviously trying to get the “best bang for your buck” but unopposed to spending a bit more if it will benefit the change.
Click to expand...

go with the stock 73-up style.. give dr diff a call and get the brake kit, master cyl and proportioning valve all in one shot.. no need for power brakes.. 10.95" Front Disc Brake Kit (Stage 1)

Contact i've called and ordered even though this says its online only..
 
Hay, Wilwood is super nice. I'm not knockin it. There's so many way to skin this dog (I like cats) that it's pitiful. My suggestion is just what "I" would do....and what I did, but with the Kelsey Hayes small bolt pattern brakes. I haven't installed them yet, but they are all rebuilt and ready to go.
 
Monstro_bjj said:
Hi guys,

Being fairly new to the Mopar game, I am having some difficulties trying to figure out what to do about converting my front 10” drums to discs on my 72’ Swinger. There are so many kits and options out there, it’s hard to figure what would be a good option. I am not too familiar working with disc brakes without a booster, so I’m thinking of getting a kit with a booster, as opposed to getting a manual valve kit.

Don’t need anything fancy, just something that’ll stop the ole’ girl. Any thoughts? Obviously trying to get the “best bang for your buck” but unopposed to spending a bit more if it will benefit the change.

Thanks for all the advice!
Click to expand...
First of all, welcome to the Mopar addiction, I mean Hobby. Let me first ask what your plans are. As has already been said, there is nothing at all wrong with drums at all 4 corners for starters. If you plan to stay stock (or close to it), then all drums is fine. After all, most of the Mopars during the muscle car craze had them. If you plan to bump up horsepower very much, then safety will dictate that an equal eye on stopping power is needed. OR, even with a completely stock car, disks are a very nice upgrade. They will provide better braking and, therefore, more safety. Ultimately the choice is yours. I would lean towards the upgrade regardless. I upgraded my 69 Barracuda about 15 years ago, and I think it was one of the best upgrades I ever made. @RustyRatRod gives good advice on using factory parts. If you want to go with all new stuff, there are LOTS of choices. Wilwood is really good, but they are a bit pricey. And I would definitely go with 4.5" pattern. Wheel choices are much better that way.
 
Keep in mind if you are 400 miles away from home and need parts for your brakes any parts store will have them. On the other hand specialty brakes (Wildwoods) , you would have to order and wait for them to be delivered.
 
I looked everywhere for my build and decided wildwood was the way to go if I was going to have 500+ hp running around the track all day. I also realized that I wanted a reliable daily driver doing considerably less power than that. I ended up spending over a year sourcing parts to do a stock part conversion to large bolt pattern (The main donor vehicle was a '73 duster) and I also got caliper brackets from a late 70s Monaco to get the larger 11.75" rotors. After spending all that time and cleaning multiple layers of grease and rust off everything, rebuilding, and painting everything to look like new... I had built myself basically the equivalent of the Dr.Diff stage 2 braking kit and I had spent maybe about $100 less than just buying everything new through him, not counting all my hours of research and labor. If I had to do it all over again I would just buy a kit from Dr.Diff hands down. If you email him or call him he can help you choose a proper master cylinder if you need to change that out as well
 
Dana67Dart said:
Keep in mind if you are 400 miles away from home and need parts for your brakes any parts store will have them. On the other hand specialty brakes (Wildwoods) , you would have to order and wait for them to be delivered.
Click to expand...
I noticed today that Summit says SSBC will probably ship their proprietary brake pads in May. That illustrates perfectly a huge reason why using stock-type brakes is a good idea.
 
The best “bang for your buck” would be going with the 73+ style disk kits that use factory replacement parts. @DoctorDiff is the place to go. Yes, you can probably find a cheaper version of the 73+ kit elsewhere, but you will also get cheaper parts-bearings, lines, pads, etc. DoctorDiff’s kits use quality parts that will be better in the long run. You can use either 10.95” or 11.75” disks with the 73+ kits. If you use 15” rims the 11.75’s will fit and provide a nice upgrade in stopping power

As for the Wilwoods, keep a few things in mind
- they have less clamp force at the caliper than the 73+ Mopar calipers do
- the hub diameter is over 3”, which means they will not work with factory BBP wheels. Aftermarket wheels only. And check, because not all aftermarket wheels will fit them either
- they use a 2 piece aluminum hub that must be safety wired together. It’s an extra step, and if you’ve never safety wired anything before it does take some practice to do it correctly
- parts can be ordered, but won’t likely be stocked by most local parts shops. This is less of an issue now than it used to be, as the 73+ stuff isn’t always on shelves all the time like it used to be.
 
harrisonm said:
First of all, welcome to the Mopar addiction, I mean Hobby. Let me first ask what your plans are. As has already been said, there is nothing at all wrong with drums at all 4 corners for starters. If you plan to stay stock (or close to it), then all drums is fine. After all, most of the Mopars during the muscle car craze had them. If you plan to bump up horsepower very much, then safety will dictate that an equal eye on stopping power is needed. OR, even with a completely stock car, disks are a very nice upgrade. They will provide better braking and, therefore, more safety. Ultimately the choice is yours. I would lean towards the upgrade regardless. I upgraded my 69 Barracuda about 15 years ago, and I think it was one of the best upgrades I ever made. @RustyRatRod gives good advice on using factory parts. If you want to go with all new stuff, there are LOTS of choices. Wilwood is really good, but they are a bit pricey. And I would definitely go with 4.5" pattern. Wheel choices are much better that way.
Click to expand...

Thanks for info! My Swinger originally had a 318 but was upgraded to a 360 so stopping power makes sense at this point. I may be using it more often as a daily driver so having the ability to stop, especially on the highway, is a priority.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top