Disc brake decision DONE..finally

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Ironmike

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Man, I drove myself nuts for at least a month, tryin' to figure out which way to go.
Go with this company and you go to a big bolt pattern, that guy, you have to swap upper control arms....Joe Blows brakes and you can't use certain wheels......and you know what? They're ALL way overpriced.

I did a ton of reading and even talked to a few guys and I went with the Scarebird set up. I know a few purists won't dig it but, know what? Parts are readily available and reasonably priced. I can use my Cragars or my Rallyes or most any wheel I want. The real good news is the stuff works....really well.

A buddy thinks I'm crazy(I'm a Mopar traitor) for not going with Wilwood or SSBC....says I shouldn't be using non Mopar stuff! What the heck! Mopar never made their own disc brakes and since when is Wilwood considered Mopar.

No big informative thread here.....just happy I made my mind up and wanted to vent a little :)

Maybe I'll take some pics of the install for future traitors.
 
It really depends on your individual situation and your personal preferences. I have two early A's that I need to convert. One I'm putting a B body 8 3/4 axle in (5 on 4.5" bolt pattern) so I found me a nice disc brake and upper control arm pull from a 1973 Dart. That way I have 5 on 4.5's front and back. The other early A has a factory 8 3/4 (5 on 4) rear. The Scarebird setup is a nice fit for it because I can keep my original control arms and spindles and 5 on 4 wheels... won't have to look for new wheels. I don't have any problem using the Scarebird, it's well designed, well built, and they are making it easy to convert old cars to modern braking systems... more power to them.
 
Glad you feel better I myself bought a donor car for 200.00 and drove it on the trailer a year ago. I am using the front brake assemblys and the rear end for my 69. What does this matter to you? Well the car i bought was cheap But after replacing rotors that couldnt be turned, Rear drums that couldnt be turned, and calipers that were questionable Im sure I have more money into mine than the kit your gonna buy So i say do it!! Seems fairly simple and straight forward and the parts that its using are readily available. And yes Im sure some here would appreciate the pictures of the swap
 
Hey Ironmike, I mentioned in a earlier thread that I used the Scarebird system on my Valiant and it workes really well. The only thing that I upgraded was the pads. I used ceramic pads instead of the cheaper ones because I wanted to reduce the brake dust on my wheels. Good luck
 
A buddy thinks I'm crazy(I'm a Mopar traitor) for not going with Wilwood or SSBC....says I shouldn't be using non Mopar stuff! What the heck! Mopar never made their own disc brakes and since when is Wilwood considered Mopar.
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screw guys like that. to me the only thing is the car needs to stay mopar powered. anything else that gonna make the car better in any way i say its fair game..
 
I'll second that. Which would you prefer? A car that can actually stop, possibly saving yours or someone else's life, or having the most period-correct car at the collision?

Sure, its nice to stay with Mopar when possible, but in this day and age of maintaining 40yo+ cars the purist perspective just isn't feasible unless we're talking about museum examples.

Even though I'm looking into yet another brake do-over, the Scarebird kit on my car is a huge improvement over the ridiculous stock 9" drums. I ended up using carbon metallic pads on mine.

Here's a little tip: avoid using some expensive "race" pads. They have a tendency to expand when they get hot and tend to clamp a bit on the rotors. This created a real issue with drag. I had a problem with this and finally just went with some good-quality Napa carbon metallic pads and the problem disappeared.
 
use what works! I was going to go with scarebird brakes until I found a KH set up near me
 
Thanks for the support! Thought I might get a lot of negative replies.

Yeah. Stopping is gonna be important. 500 HP/ 500+ ft lbs in a light Demon with 4:10's. One of our local drag strips has a notoriously short shutdown. Not sure I even wanted to test and tune with drums.

We'll see how it goes....let 'ya all know!
 
For me maybe it boils down to which bolt pattern. Eventually I'd want a set of salt flats wheels which I haven't found in the 4 inch pattern. To get the 4.5" there's much more involved. Its like how much do I want to spend first so I can spend a grand on wheels later? How much do I really want those wheels?

what I like about the scarebird is it looks easy and quick, no scrounging junk yards, just head to Napa. And the parts could be accumulated piece meal, there's not a big bite to get a kit.

But since the toyota rotors have to be drilled anyway, couldn't they be drilled for 4.5 inch?
 
ne57 said:
For me maybe it boils down to which bolt pattern. Eventually I'd want a set of salt flats wheels which I haven't found in the 4 inch pattern. To get the 4.5" there's much more involved. Its like how much do I want to spend first so I can spend a grand on wheels later? How much do I really want those wheels?

what I like about the scarebird is it looks easy and quick, no scrounging junk yards, just head to Napa. And the parts could be accumulated piece meal, there's not a big bite to get a kit.

But since the toyota rotors have to be drilled anyway, couldn't they be drilled for 4.5 inch?
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no because you re use the small bolt hubs, and all big bolt 5X4 1/2" hubs are disk brake so you wouldn't need a conversion, and stock late model big bolt disk brakes work great and are easy to come by, it is only the small bolt early kelsey hayes factory disk brakes that are rare and hard to find,
 
anyone have an actual factual total cost on their scarebird disc set-up?
Include everything you had to buy, traded for or already had that your using please!
 
the brackets are $105 + $16 shipping
check your local auto parts store for the price on 1990 Chevrolet Celebrity calipers and Toyota Previa rotors and 1979 to 1985 Cadillac Eldorado front hose, and an adjustable proportioning valve (or grab a used one from the junk yard) and a disk brake master cylinder for your application that will do the conversion
you may want to add new wheel bearings and seals while your at it
 
I have no interest in using the scarebird stuff, I am just looking for anyone to give me an honest total cost of their conversion for comparison purposes.
thanks.
 
It's too bad the original 4 piston KH brakes arent cheaper. They work fantastic and fit perfect. I did luck out when I got my entire used KH set including everything for $125. Most guys pay x2 that and still need to rebuild.

But EVERYTHING with a mopar label is x2 what brand x is. Makes zero sense...
 
Ironmike,
Let us know how you like the scarebird setup once you get finished.

I am interested in doing the same and would like to know how easy or hard the conversion was.

David.

PS. a cost breakdown would be nice also.
thanks
 
Others here have done it with great results. I hope one of them chimes in.
 
I will definitely let you all know exactly how much and how well I like it. I already went for the "wheel kit", which includes everything. Nuts, bolts, bearings...the whole she-bang. I really didn't feel like chasing odds and ends. I'm in for $495 PLUS 25 bucks for a junkyard master cyl and distribution block. Should be all I need.

We'll see :)
 
Jimacuda said:
I have no interest in using the scarebird stuff, I am just looking for anyone to give me an honest total cost of their conversion for comparison purposes.
thanks.
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then why do you care? you make NO sense and stop wasting peoples time I gave you the parts list AND the price of the adapter brackets WITH shipping if you want a complete price on everything go to rockauto.com and look it up your self or call an autoparts store are you really to lazy to do that? I don't mind helping people out but you take the cake
p.s. the price for the whole kit from scarebird is $495
 
Ironmike said:
Man, I drove myself nuts for at least a month, tryin' to figure out which way to go.
Go with this company and you go to a big bolt pattern, that guy, you have to swap upper control arms....Joe Blows brakes and you can't use certain wheels......and you know what? They're ALL way overpriced.

I did a ton of reading and even talked to a few guys and I went with the Scarebird set up. I know a few purists won't dig it but, know what? Parts are readily available and reasonably priced. I can use my Cragars or my Rallyes or most any wheel I want. The real good news is the stuff works....really well.

A buddy thinks I'm crazy(I'm a Mopar traitor) for not going with Wilwood or SSBC....says I shouldn't be using non Mopar stuff! What the heck! Mopar never made their own disc brakes and since when is Wilwood considered Mopar.

No big informative thread here.....just happy I made my mind up and wanted to vent a little :)

Maybe I'll take some pics of the install for future traitors.
Click to expand...

good for you! i get sick of the purists and thier number matching crap. i am about to put 13" vipers on my duster. about $730 complete with me doing a little machine work on my own.
 
wracks71 said:
good for you! i get sick of the purists and thier number matching crap. i am about to put 13" vipers on my duster. about $730 complete with me doing a little machine work on my own.
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I'm with you boys...... hot rodding is hot rodding. :thumbup: Now, if you have a # matching sweet Mopar you should try to keep it that way!!
 
caferacerx said:
then why do you care? you make NO sense and stop wasting peoples time I gave you the parts list AND the price of the adapter brackets WITH shipping if you want a complete price on everything go to rockauto.com and look it up your self or call an autoparts store are you really to lazy to do that? I don't mind helping people out but you take the cake
p.s. the price for the whole kit from scarebird is $495
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Gee wiz Mr Helpful I didnt know I had to have your permission to ask a question around here. I promise from now on to check with you before posting any questions and you can let me know if it makes sense to you. I sure wouldnt want you to be confused by anything I post. Perhaps if I type slower it will help your comprehension?
GFY big boy.:thumbup:

My apologies to the OP for the above thread pollution.


There are ALWAYS things that these kits dont come with, things that have to be modified, or parts they dont know or dont tell you that you'll need to complete the project. Additional expenses beyond the list of parts. I'm just looking for is some real numbers from someone who has done it for comparison to other "kits", thats all I was asking.
 
Jim,

Here is a FACTUAL list of what I have purchased for the scarebird conversion

Calipers Chevy Celebrity $21 ea $42
Rotor Toyota Previa $28.50 ea $57.00
Hoses Eldorado $15 Total
Wheel studs $21
Brake Pads $15
Plus what the scarebird plates run... $105 I traded to get them for a set of F body spindles.

42+57+15+21+15+105 = $255 if my math is right. I have MUCH less in it from a real cost perspective.

I got plenty of 9" and 10" spindles laying around.
 
The Scarebird install is really a snap. I've installed it on both my '65 Barracuda and my '62 Ford Falcon. You can use either 9" or 10" spindles, but make sure to order the appropriate kit. All you need are the Nissan rotors, the Celebrity (or whatever GM model) calipers, pads, and the Cadillac short brake lines. All of this is readily available at Napa. The only unknown cost is having a machinist modify the rotors. My machinist charged me $40.

All told I spent about $350, and I opted for good pads.

While I was in there I also installed a new vacuum booster and master cylinder. I also replaced the wheel bearings for kicks. Easy. If you're still using that ridiculous single reservoir jelly-jar master cylinder, get the hell rid of it. You'll need a proper disc/drum master cylinder anyway. You might factor this into the overall cost.

I've done it. I've done it twice. Easy both times. Any project can have hidden costs depending on the state of your existing gear, and how much "well as long as I'm in here" budgeting you wish to expend. But overall there really isn't anything terrible lurking in the corners.

-m.
 
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