8 3/4 disk vs drums

Elwood blues said

I recently acquired an original A body 8 3/4 housing for my 71' Scamp. i currently don't have anything else for it but i plan on just ordering new axle shafts for it and have my eye on a couple carriers on craigslist. i have 2 questions first one is would it be easier/cheaper to just throw drums on it or since its pretty dismantled would it be more worth it to convert it to disks? second question, when going with drums again can i get an 8 3/4 from an E or B body and steal brake parts like backing plates, drums, shoes, cables, ect. and put them on the one for my Scamp?

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Original A-body axles are all small bolt pattern (5x4"). If you're buying new axles, you should convert to large bolt pattern (5x4.5"). If you convert to the 5x4.5" pattern, you can get drum hardware off of any large bolt pattern car (or even a few trucks). The 10x2.5" BBP brakes were used all the way up to the 90's on some cars.

What you can't do is mix and match small bolt pattern axles and brakes with large bolt pattern axles and brakes. The axle flange offset is different, so the backing plates are different for each set up.

If you're just planning on a street car, the drums will serve you just fine. But rear disks can make a pretty decent difference, Mopar Muscle did some testing when they converted a Dart Sport from rear drums to disks...
Rear Disc Brakes - All Bound Up - Mopar Muscle Magazine