I've been doing a ton of research and reading about brake/suspension mods for my '66 'Cuda; and while these early A-bodies handle better than most of their contemporaries (but with more body roll than I'd like), the brakes scare the hell out of me. So, here goes:
(1) Sway bars: The preferred combo for street use seems to be 1 1/8-inch front and 7/8-inch rear.
For the rear unit, I bought the ADDCO K1-675-0U kit off of fleaBay; it's around $120, and comes with all the needed hardware (polyurethane bushings, too). Instructions look very easy to follow, and I've read that some early A-body cars already have the two holes per side needed to attach the bar to the rear frame rails--after all, sway bars were dealer-install options back in the day. I'll put mine on soon, and report on the installation process and the results!
The front bar situation is a bit more complex: Again, I bought the affordable ADDCO unit (item 751), but the instructions are in Chinglish and don't even apply to our cars! This is
not a bolt-on installation; you'd need to figure out and weld up your own mounts from the pieces supplied, then weld these to your K-frame. Here's a link to show you what's involved:
http://earlycuda.org/tech/Ft-SwayBar.htm If you're brave and have the welding equipment, have at it! But I believe I've found an easier way: Go to
firmfeel.com and look at their item SBFA81. Yes, it's $325, but it's a bolt-on fit that looks very much like the factory-original setup; I spoke with one of their techs, and was told that all that's needed is to drill one hole per side in the K-frame. Their bushings also come with grease fittings, which ADDCO's do not. As for the bars made by Hellwig, these seem to be meant for high-performance use so I haven't investigated them.
(2) Brake upgrades:
Definitely read this: www.moparaction.com/Tech/archive/disc-main.html
From what this article (and others) say, it seems we have several options for reducing or eliminating pucker-marks in our seat upholstery (and stains in our underwear) when controlled deceleration is required:
(a) Keep the drum setup, but go to 10-inch drums (if you have the 9's) and at least 14-inch wheels--and replace the master cylinder with a twin-reservoir one so you can configure the brakes into a dual-circuit system. (Of course, no sway-bar fouling issues here.)
(b) Add a vacuum booster to the above--as you probably know, this was an option on several early A-bodies.
(c) Go to disc brakes up front. (In my experience with other cars, leaving the
rears as drums is just fine; after all,
new cars are still being built with this setup today!) But there are several possibilities here, too:
(i) Single-piston systems, salvaged from junked later-model Mopars or bought new as aftermarket kits: These require replacement of control arms and spindles, too, and will probably foul the sway bar unless the caliper is mounted at the
rear of the brake rotor. These setups also require 15-inch (or larger) wheels, to clear the bulky calipers. A vacuum booster is optional but, as per info in the link given above, would probably be overkill.
(ii) A new aftermarket kit from Stainless Steel Brakes. This includes low-profile, 4-piston calipers--so you can keep you 14-inch wheels. (Works for me!) I was told that there should be no fouling issues with this setup when used with the FirmFeel sway-bar (see above), and this is probably true for bars from other makers. The kit you want is SSBA153-1;
google this, and you'll find a bunch of vendors. It's not cheap (about $950, without power booster), but it seems the best choice for hassle-free installation--and requires no messing with the suspension.
Hope some of this helps, and I'll keep you all posted on my progress!
