67 Barracuda- Brakes and suspension on a 5000 budget- advice needed
First off, lots of good advice already, and some not so good. Run from SBP like the plague, it will haunt you. If you already have cop wheels then you're already going BBP, that's the far better choice. If you're upgrading as much as you want to upgrade the SBP will only limit future improvements.
As for tires, if you want better handling there's nothing worthwhile in 15". Basically all you've got are BFG T/A's and Cooper cobra's. They're not terrible, but if you really want more modern handling then more modern tires are where you need to start. 17's are readily available in lots of good compounds, and you can get classic looking 17" rims that won't look out of place with the right tire sizes. A set of 17x8's with 245/45/17's will blow the doors off anything you can get in a 225/60/15. Also, don't get caught up in the weight, especially with cop rims. The 275/35/18's on 18x9's I run on the front of my Duster are a lighter wheel/tire combo than the 225/60/15's on 15x7" cop wheels that they replaced
For the rest of it there are a few good sources, Bergman AutoCraft (BAC), Firm Feel (FFI), PST, and QA1 pretty much make everything you need.
Suspension work:
1.03" - 1.12" torsion bars (PST, FFI, BAC) ------------------------$250-$355
Tubular UCA's (PST, FFI, QA1, etc)------------------------$350
Adjustable strut rods (QA1-52311)----------------$229
Solid tie rod sleeves (QA1-52325)----------------$65
LCA boxing plate (PST LCAPLTMOP621)-------------$18
Greasable LCA pins (FFI w bushings)----------------$135
Helwig tubular front sway bar 1.25" #55917 ----- $327
Solid rear 3/4 #6907--------------------------------$237
Rear Springs: 0 arch, something in the 120 lb/in to 130 lb/in rate
Hotchkis leaf springs (HSS-24385)------------------$380
Energy suspension 1" shackle bushings 2-2117G----$9
Bilstein RCD shocks(RCD-70-56663)------------------$500
Grand total on that is about $2,600 , I updated prices on this from my previous list, they should be fairly close. So that's only about half your budget. Not everything is there of course, you'll need tie rod ends, ball joints, etc. But you should be able to stay under $5k pretty easily.
Chassis work:
Subframe connectors (1.5" x 3", .083" to 1/8" wall)
Torque boxes (US Cartool)
Extra credit:
Shock tower to firewall reinforcement (US cartool or tubular "J" bar)
Lower radiator support reinforcement (US Cartool)
Alignment:
-.5° to -1° camber, +3° (minimum) or more caster, 1/16" to 1/8" toe in
For the explanation- I recommend tubular UCA's because you can't really get more than +3° of caster with the stock UCA's and the Moog K7103 offset bushings. That might be ok for you, but really the car will handle better with more caster. I recommend adjustable strut rods to eliminate binding on the LCA travel. The stock set up is "one size fits most" that doesn't usually fit any particular car all that well, and if you upgrade the LCA bushings you need to tune the strut rod length. I used to recommend the Mopar Oval Track rear springs, but their quality has been terrible lately and I won't recommend them until they improve that. It's a shame because they used to be a good, low cost option for an improved rear spring, the other options like Peter Bergman's Eaton springs or the Hotchkis springs are much more expensive.
If you really want more modern handling you'll also need chassis stiffening. Minimum I would say is torque boxes and subframe connectors, and the subframe connectors you can make yourself if you have some fabrication skills. US Cartool makes great chassis stiffening parts. The only thing I'd skip 100% of the time is their subframe connectors, because really you need to fully strip the car to install those right. And even then you really need a lift or a rotisserie. Without those, just make your own out of rectangular tube. It'll work just as well, and it will be LOTS easier to install. I've done both, and I wouldn't do the US Cartool ones again.
Brakes:
DoctorDiff sells everything you need for the front disk conversion. He sells the full 73+ Mopar conversion for the 10.95" brakes (stage I) as well as everything for the 11.75" Mopar disks (stageII). The 11.75's do require 15" or larger rims. I ran the 11.75's on my Challenger for 70k miles as a daily driver too, they work fantastic. And everything is off the shelf Mopar on those. Cass (aka, doctordiff), is super knowledgeable and very helpful. One of the best Mopar businesses out there.
Stage I- 10.95" Front Disc Brake Kit (Stage 1) (around $500 depending on what else you need)
Stage II-Mopar 11.75" Front Disc Brake Kit (Stage 2) (around $600)
I have more details on the specific stuff I've done to my car in my build thread, which is linked at the bottom of my signature.
First off, lots of good advice already, and some not so good. Run from SBP like the plague, it will haunt you. If you already have cop wheels then you're already going BBP, that's the far better choice. If you're upgrading as much as you want to upgrade the SBP will only limit future improvements.
As for tires, if you want better handling there's nothing worthwhile in 15". Basically all you've got are BFG T/A's and Cooper cobra's. They're not terrible, but if you really want more modern handling then more modern tires are where you need to start. 17's are readily available in lots of good compounds, and you can get classic looking 17" rims that won't look out of place with the right tire sizes. A set of 17x8's with 245/45/17's will blow the doors off anything you can get in a 225/60/15. Also, don't get caught up in the weight, especially with cop rims. The 275/35/18's on 18x9's I run on the front of my Duster are a lighter wheel/tire combo than the 225/60/15's on 15x7" cop wheels that they replaced
For the rest of it there are a few good sources, Bergman AutoCraft (BAC), Firm Feel (FFI), PST, and QA1 pretty much make everything you need.
Suspension work:
1.03" - 1.12" torsion bars (PST, FFI, BAC) ------------------------$250-$355
Tubular UCA's (PST, FFI, QA1, etc)------------------------$350
Adjustable strut rods (QA1-52311)----------------$229
Solid tie rod sleeves (QA1-52325)----------------$65
LCA boxing plate (PST LCAPLTMOP621)-------------$18
Greasable LCA pins (FFI w bushings)----------------$135
Helwig tubular front sway bar 1.25" #55917 ----- $327
Solid rear 3/4 #6907--------------------------------$237
Rear Springs: 0 arch, something in the 120 lb/in to 130 lb/in rate
Hotchkis leaf springs (HSS-24385)------------------$380
Energy suspension 1" shackle bushings 2-2117G----$9
Bilstein RCD shocks(RCD-70-56663)------------------$500
Grand total on that is about $2,600 , I updated prices on this from my previous list, they should be fairly close. So that's only about half your budget. Not everything is there of course, you'll need tie rod ends, ball joints, etc. But you should be able to stay under $5k pretty easily.
Chassis work:
Subframe connectors (1.5" x 3", .083" to 1/8" wall)
Torque boxes (US Cartool)
Extra credit:
Shock tower to firewall reinforcement (US cartool or tubular "J" bar)
Lower radiator support reinforcement (US Cartool)
Alignment:
-.5° to -1° camber, +3° (minimum) or more caster, 1/16" to 1/8" toe in
For the explanation- I recommend tubular UCA's because you can't really get more than +3° of caster with the stock UCA's and the Moog K7103 offset bushings. That might be ok for you, but really the car will handle better with more caster. I recommend adjustable strut rods to eliminate binding on the LCA travel. The stock set up is "one size fits most" that doesn't usually fit any particular car all that well, and if you upgrade the LCA bushings you need to tune the strut rod length. I used to recommend the Mopar Oval Track rear springs, but their quality has been terrible lately and I won't recommend them until they improve that. It's a shame because they used to be a good, low cost option for an improved rear spring, the other options like Peter Bergman's Eaton springs or the Hotchkis springs are much more expensive.
If you really want more modern handling you'll also need chassis stiffening. Minimum I would say is torque boxes and subframe connectors, and the subframe connectors you can make yourself if you have some fabrication skills. US Cartool makes great chassis stiffening parts. The only thing I'd skip 100% of the time is their subframe connectors, because really you need to fully strip the car to install those right. And even then you really need a lift or a rotisserie. Without those, just make your own out of rectangular tube. It'll work just as well, and it will be LOTS easier to install. I've done both, and I wouldn't do the US Cartool ones again.
Brakes:
DoctorDiff sells everything you need for the front disk conversion. He sells the full 73+ Mopar conversion for the 10.95" brakes (stage I) as well as everything for the 11.75" Mopar disks (stageII). The 11.75's do require 15" or larger rims. I ran the 11.75's on my Challenger for 70k miles as a daily driver too, they work fantastic. And everything is off the shelf Mopar on those. Cass (aka, doctordiff), is super knowledgeable and very helpful. One of the best Mopar businesses out there.
Stage I- 10.95" Front Disc Brake Kit (Stage 1) (around $500 depending on what else you need)
Stage II-Mopar 11.75" Front Disc Brake Kit (Stage 2) (around $600)
I have more details on the specific stuff I've done to my car in my build thread, which is linked at the bottom of my signature.
