Disc brakes from my parts car

[RedScampi]

I have a 72 Dart Swinger, 318 parts car that has a front disc brake setup. I was wondering if there is any reason I should not swap those brakes for the drum setup in my 72 Scamp? I understand they are not as large ast the 73 and up but I figure a bird in the hand, right? Can you convince me that i'm wrong?
Also - on a related issue, there is a mild cam in my 360 and apparently I'm not getting enough vacuum for the booster to work properly. I have to pump the brake a couple of times to get firm pedal. Is there a remedy for this?
Thanks for your help,
Gary

 

[Vs29H1B]

I have a 72 Dart Swinger, 318 parts car that has a front disc brake setup. I was wondering if there is any reason I should not swap those brakes for the drum setup in my 72 Scamp? I understand they are not as large ast the 73 and up but I figure a bird in the hand, right? Can you convince me that i'm wrong?
Also - on a related issue, there is a mild cam in my 360 and apparently I'm not getting enough vacuum for the booster to work properly. I have to pump the brake a couple of times to get firm pedal. Is there a remedy for this?
Thanks for your help,
Gary

What are you trying to accomplish? The SBC drum to K-H disc is bolt-in.
You will have a very good improvement in braking with the K-H setup.

The 1965 - 72 Kelsey Hayes 4 piston caliper front disc brake setup works great when in good working order. There are caliper rebuild kits available as well as front pads and hardware.

SBC rotors are available from numerous sources, including O'Reillys, Napa, Advance, Summit as well as others.

Search this forum for all the parts numbers as well as sources.
Rotors (Centric, Wagner, Raybestos,Summit) are in the $40-92 range.
Calipers can be upgraded to stainless steel sleeved units for a reasonable price. The stainless piston bores are a rust-free lifetime upgrade and will work great. Try www.calipersonline.com for more info.

Remember, if you go to the LBC 4.5" '73-76 A body disc setup, you will also have to change the rear axle bolt pattern to LBC/4.5", and either buy/use 4.5" LBC wheels.

By the time you add up all the costs required to go from the SBC to the LBC, it's not inexpensive.

Since you have the K-H setup, stick with it (works great on my '71 Duster 340) -- go for it.

If you did not have the K-H setup and had a drum setup, moving to LBC/4.5" is a no-brainer.

 

[RedScampi]

Vs29H1B vbmenu_register("postmenu_245237", true); Thanks for the response. I was just sitting here reading posts on the subject, trying to decide what to do. I think, based on some good online material, and your response, that I cannot go wrong for the near term by swapping to the KH brakes. Lots of confusing info but I think I'm getting to the point where I am understanding better. I have verified that i have the 4" bolt circle, commonly referred to as SBC which means, like you say that to go for bigger brakes, better wheels, etc I will have to swap out the rear end and front hubs, etc for 73-76 A body 4.5" units. I know a lot of people on here recommend to go the whole distance and say that the KH brake swap isn't worth it. But since I don't have unlimited funds and I actually want to drive the car this spring, I'm going with it! Thanks for the input.
Gary

 

[Vs29H1B]

The 4 piston caliper K-H disc setup on my '71 340 Duster works great and you will get very good performance from the setup.

New rotors or just check the runout on the setup you have for possible cutting the rotor pair you already have, rebuild the calipers (there are caliper rebuild kits available --- new seals,etc. --- scuff the pistons when you dis-assemble and look for bad pitting --- if piston pitting is bad --- look at your options --- rebuilding your current calipers is not that expensive).

Make certain you get the metering block off the disc brake car, as well as the proportioning valve.

Moving to the 4.5" LBC makes sense if you have a drum setup and you do NOT already have the SBC disc setup.

In your case, and in my case, we already have the SBC discs, so stick with it!

People who move to the 4.5" LBC setup spend a lot of money on the conversion, when they add in the cost of 4.5" LBC wheels, 4.5" LBC rear axles, 4.5" LBC drums on the rear (some guys just re-drill the rear drums from 4" to 4.5" but that is not the best way to go).

Centric rotors are available in two grades: a basic $39.99 version and a premium version with better materials and better vented cooling for ~$90.
Raybestos and Wagner rotors were in the upper $60 range - Dec.2007.
Summit has drilled/slotted SBC rotors for $79 if you want bling (not me)!

Disc brake pads and hardware are also available; high perf.pads are available from Firm Feel if you are looking for a really great setup.

Good luck with the swap, and take a look at the old threads on this forum for more source info. on parts sources...

 

[RedScampi]

Cool! Thanks for all the information. I took the brakes off the parts car today and I'm in the process of cleaning 30+ years of gunk off of them. One thing that is unclear to me: Do I need to take the whole upper A arm or just the upper ball joint?