68 GTS Brake parts problem

[markfh]

Well, got the Dart running although I need to replace the auto choke. My problem though is I'm rebuilding the brakes and it appears that nobody seems to think they put 10" drums front and rear. With the brake parts kits I've been able to get all the parts work except for the adjusting cable. They all seem to be for 8" or 9" brakes and therefore come up short about 2" from being able to attach to the adjuster.

Any ideas where I can get cables long enough to make the attachment or specs that I can use to make new ones?

Thanks... Hoping to have my 68 GTS on the road within a month. This is an original surviror with 46k miles, original spare tire, half the broadcast sheet, original owners manual and I know who the original and second owner were. I'm the third owner and have had the car for 30 years. 25 of which it had been on jack stands.

One thing's for sure, like riding a bike I haven't forgotten how to work on any of the car so far.

 

[VDART]

I might have some spare ones--if nothing else to give you a pattern. Lawrence

 

[75dartsport]

Where are you located? Where did the dart come from. Like history on all the 68 gts cars i come across. looking for my dads 68 gts that he sold in 1979 or 80.

 

[markfh]

Thanks Vdart. That would be greatly appreciated. The ones that came with the kits are about 9" including the washer on one end and the hook on the other.

I live in Houston. Came here from New York with a GTS I bought in California but I sold it and shortly after that the new owner totaled the car. I saw what was left and it mad me sick how he had taken a car I put so much into and just destroyed it.

The Dart I have now was originally bought in Maine. The original owner is still alive and I've talked to his grandson but his Grandfather isn't interested in talkingabout or seeing the car.

The second owner lived in Missouri. When I bought the dart from him he had a stable of mopars including a superbird. Haven't heard from him since.

 

[George R]

Mark,
Please post some pix of your Dart, it sounds fantastic!
Maybe the HELP! section at a NAPA store will have the adjusting cables.
I remember reusing the ones on my 69 Swinger 340 I restored a few years ago, so I never researched the parts for availability, sorry.

Here is the car I restored. I am still in contact with the owner as he lives only a few miles from me.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=73795

Good luck with your Dart!

George

 

[Moparjake]

I was able to get the cables from the local parts store...I think Napa or O'reillys...they ended up giving me the wrong ones several times...i kept getting the ones for the 10" brakes and needed the 9" for my 66.

-Jake

 

[cudamark]

Try ordering them using Barracuda instead of Dart. Maybe the listing for Dart is incomplete in their computer.

 

[BillGrissom]

My 65 Dart with 10" drums didn't have adjusters installed when I got it, though the FSM shows them. I got a brake kit from Autozone, ~$7/axle, which includes the springs, adjusters, and hold-down pins. That was for later Darts (~73+). I had to go to 2 stores since each store just stocks 1 bag. The adjusters were the later design, which is probably better anyway. Of course it fits since the shoes never changed. The pins were too long for one axle (rear?) since the shoe widths changed, but I just re-used my old ones.

As far as I know, cars with 9" brakes had them on all 4 wheels. Ditto for 10" brakes.

 

[markfh]

Ok, ordered and received some adjuster cables for the 9" and 10" brakes from O'Reilly. Neither of them work. The short one is for the 9" and the long one is for the 10". The one in the middle is one off the car. Unfortunately only one of the original cables was intact so I can't just reuse the originals.

The original one is 10" overall length. Anyone know where I might find some correct length cables?

 

[cudamark]

There is nothing in between a 9" and 10" brake. Are you sure the upper (long one) isn't for 11" brakes? What does it measure from end to end?

 

[waggin]

can ya give us a pic with a tape measure next to the proper one? i have a stash of those cables

 

[markfh]

Waggin, I could but lo-and-behold when I checked back with my local O'Reilys today and showed them the cables they went back and went through all they had and guess what. They found that the 11" ones were mis-labeled as 10". They had two the right size there and ordered two more of the right size.

Cudamark your comment got me thinking and led to the discovery.

Looks like I'll be finishing the breaks up this weekend. At least I'll be at the point that I can see if the brake lines don't need replacing.

Pictures to follow soon and thanks for all y'alls help.

 

[Diesel0081]

Waggin, I could but lo-and-behold when I checked back with my local O'Reilys today and showed them the cables they went back and went through all they had and guess what. They found that the 11" ones were mis-labeled as 10". They had two the right size there and ordered two more of the right size.

Cudamark your comment got me thinking and led to the discovery.

Looks like I'll be finishing the breaks up this weekend. At least I'll be at the point that I can see if the brake lines don't need replacing.

Pictures to follow soon and thanks for all y'alls help.

LOL, well at least you got the right one in the end. Parts stores are terrible these days. Nobody seems to know crap about parts. They are always trying to look everything up on their computer, with no success. I went to Advance the other day, all I needed was two 5ft steel tubes with flared ends. To make trans cooler lines, he kept trying to look it up in the computer... Idiot! I did eventually get the lines though. :violent1:

 

[waggin]

Yay!!!!

Waggin, I could but lo-and-behold when I checked back with my local O'Reilys today and showed them the cables they went back and went through all they had and guess what. They found that the 11" ones were mis-labeled as 10". They had two the right size there and ordered two more of the right size.

Cudamark your comment got me thinking and led to the discovery.

Looks like I'll be finishing the breaks up this weekend. At least I'll be at the point that I can see if the brake lines don't need replacing.

Pictures to follow soon and thanks for all y'alls help.

 

[markfh]

Now that I have the right parts I managed to finish one brake before the wife dragged me away.

there's a picture of the left rear illustrating what I'm starting with and a picture of the right rear after a little clean up and new or "refreshed" parts. I'll get the rest of them done and then I can test the brake lines of which I already have replacements for the two on the rear axle.

 

[cudamark]

Just make sure that cable guide is fully seated in it's hole. At least half the brakes I've taken apart over the years have had that problem which results in the self adjuster not working correctly if at all.

 

[2darts]

ok, now that you fixed the brake problem, stop teazing and show us the Dart!

 

[markfh]

Oki doki...

Pictures of the dart before storage.

 

[green1]

Now that I have the right parts I managed to finish one brake before the wife dragged me away.

there's a picture of the left rear illustrating what I'm starting with and a picture of the right rear after a little clean up and new or "refreshed" parts. I'll get the rest of them done and then I can test the brake lines of which I already have replacements for the two on the rear axle.

The shoes seem wrong. The primary (front) should be shorter at the top.

 

[markfh]

The shoes seem wrong. The primary (front) should be shorter at the top.

You're right. Checked the pads in the box and they were all the same so I took them back and got another box. I looked at them before leaving O'Reily's and got the right sets.