Best Brakes for Buck

71Sc@mp said
Are these conversions ok for daily driving and some hard use? Or would it be better to go for a set of wilwood or SSBC conversion using the same factory Upper Control arm and spindle. I do have the 10" drums in the front. Just asking, because the last thing I want is for some body to slam on thier brakes in front of me and ruin my "new" scamp because 30-40 year old brake parts failed, or the design wasn't up to par. I don't mind spending $1200 or even a little over for the front, just want to know what is better. Thanks.

Oklacarcollecto said
Absolutely nothing wrong with the OEM set up. Just use the calipers as cores for remanufactured ones, buy new pads and hoses. If the rotors are junk you would have to buy those.

Here is the advantage of OEM. You can walk in to any parts house and buy the wearable parts. You can also go to a much larger disc if you get them off the right car and run at least 15" wheels.

I run the 11.75" OEM mopar set up on my Challenger with 11x2.5" rear drums. It stops very well, especially considering it weighs at least a few hundred pounds more than your Scamp. The SSBC conversion isn't anything crazy for braking power, its pretty much an OEM set up also. Between that and just getting a set of 73+ mopar spindles and running 11.75" rotors and brackets I'd run the mopar stuff all day long. If you're hell bent on spending a ton of money,Wilwood and Baer have even bigger rotors and better calipers available that will really get you stopped in a hurry. Keep in mind though that if you go much bigger than ~11.75" diameter rotors you'll need bigger than 15" rims too.

Also keep in mind that a BIG part of your braking ability is your TIRES. Skinny little hockey puck rubber BFG T/A's up front will not help your cause here, if you want to stop fast you need traction. After all, once your brakes can lock up your wheels you don't need much more braking power to stop faster, you need more traction to boost your stopping power. Big brakes need to be paired up with bigger, better tires to really be effective.

With the 275/40/17's, 11.75" rotors and stock calipers I have on my Challenger I can practically plant the nose of the car in the asphalt if I lay into the brakes. Its pretty impressive for OEM parts on a big old E-body.