66 Dart brake swap

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Mr.Furious

Mr.Furious

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I have the disc brakes from a 73 dart I want to swap on my 66. I'll use the upper and lower control arms and spindles but what about the tie rod ends? Do I use the 73 tie rod ends and adjusters or will the 66 ones work?
 
You only need to swap the spindles,upper arms, and lower ball joints. The tie-rods and lower arms on your car now will still work.
 
Your tie rod ends will still work but if you decide to replace them or are replacing them than order '74-'77 C-body tie rod ends & sleeves. ‘74-’77 C-body Tie Rod ends bolt into place of the stockers, and are thicker/more rigid to resist torsion/bending while turning. You will have to use the C-body adjusters, but is a cheap way to improve your handling. Tell the guy behind the counter that you have a 1975 Newport or some other landbarge. 74-77 C bodies used a beefy 11/16″ tie rod setup. These will bolt right up and give some added strength but look completely stock.
The Moog numbers are:
ES352R…..outer tie rod, 11/16 (need 2)
ES355RL…..inner tie rod, 11/16 (need 2)
ES440S……adjuster sleeve (need 2)

I am in the middle of doing a full front end rebuild & '73 disc brake swap as one of my endless winter projects. Everything will go smoothly if you plan ahead & take your time.
 
My thinking is that the 73 and newer steering and suspension parts are 1/2 the price of the early A-body stuff.
 
I,ve done the exact swap that you speak of(73 Dart disc to 66 Dart)I used the
Upper control arms(big ball joints)
Spindles
New lower ball joints
New rotors
New calipers and pads
New flex lines
Bearings and seals
Proportioning valve

Here,s a pic.
View attachment trim 028.jpg

Oh,just a heads up..If your swapping in an 8 3/4 rear,keep the driveshaft from the 73 Dart.I just bolted driveshaft in to the 8 3/4,no cutting.I just changed to bigger u-joints.

View attachment trim 029.jpg
 
phish1270 said:
Your tie rod ends will still work but if you decide to replace them or are replacing them than order '74-'77 C-body tie rod ends & sleeves. ‘74-’77 C-body Tie Rod ends bolt into place of the stockers, and are thicker/more rigid to resist torsion/bending while turning. You will have to use the C-body adjusters, but is a cheap way to improve your handling. Tell the guy behind the counter that you have a 1975 Newport or some other landbarge. 74-77 C bodies used a beefy 11/16″ tie rod setup. These will bolt right up and give some added strength but look completely stock.
The Moog numbers are:
ES352R…..outer tie rod, 11/16 (need 2)
ES355RL…..inner tie rod, 11/16 (need 2)
ES440S……adjuster sleeve (need 2)

I am in the middle of doing a full front end rebuild & '73 disc brake swap as one of my endless winter projects. Everything will go smoothly if you plan ahead & take your time.
Click to expand...



So these will work on an early A? The adjusters won't be too long?
 
I hope they work because they are on my car right now. I matched the lengths up against the stock '65 ones that I took off the car to get it close enough to drive to the alignment shop. There are still visible threads showing out each end of the sleeves so there should be enough adjustment to get them where they need to be. I have read several write ups mentioning using the C-body tie rods & the guys at PST confirmed it when I ordered my front end kit. The new C-body sleeves are 8 5/8", the old A-body sleeves are 8 3/8", I am confident that 1/8" less at each end is not going to be an issue. I still have the same amount of threads showing on each side.
Obviously, anyone can write whatever they want online but here are some links:
http://waywardgarage.com/208/updating-mopar-suspension-on-a-joe-dirt-budget/
http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/questions/FAT.html
This is just my 2 cents; I am by no means an expert but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.
 
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