Small bolt front disc options for a 65 Valiant ?

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Kern Dog

Kern Dog

Build your car to handle.
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I'm swimming against the tide here but I want to retain the small bolt pattern in my 65 Valiant convertible. I have an 8 3/4" axle with the small bolt setup. The car currently has 9 inch brakes all around but I do have some 10" front drums if they are needed for the disc conversion. I recall that Wilwood once had them but I am hoping that someone her has some real world experience.
Thank you.
 
best bang for the buck would be the scarebird setup
they have them for both the 9 inch and the 10 inch brakes, but i dont know if there is a difference in calipers and rotors between the two

if you just piece it together (buy the brackets from them, and all the other parts from rock auto or so) it could be as little as 200 dollars
 
Ck on ebay, single piston floating caliper set up same as 73 up big bolt offered in small bolt
 
This one

Screenshot_2017-05-29-12-23-38.png
 
make sure whatever kit you get uses 7/16 lugs and the center hub is small enough to fit the small bolt wheels..

i believe wildwood uses 1/2" lugs and is a problem with small bolt wheels..
 
abodyjoe said:
make sure whatever kit you get uses 7/16 lugs and the center hub is small enough to fit the small bolt wheels..

i believe wildwood uses 1/2" lugs and is a problem with small bolt wheels..
Click to expand...

this is one of the reasons i went with scarebird on mine, it uses a small hubcentric ring to keep the disc centered, but everything else is stock
(except for the longer studs)
 
I used the Wilwood wheel kit with the Right Stuff master kit. Fantastic change from the old drums. The Wilwood rotors shipped with 1/2 inch on 4.5 inch BC installed and the 7/16 inch studs in a bag which you install in the 4 inch BC. No issues with the factory rallye rims with the hub or rim clearance. I did have to modify the castle nut to accept the cotter pin since the hole in the spindle was a little too deep inwards.
 
I too went with the scarebird setup. Big plus is the suspension doesn't have to be broke down. I had already rebuilt the front end before I decided to go with discs. I did go with longer studs, but I don't know if that was really necessary. The thickness of the rotor is close to the thickness of the brake drum it replaces. I am very happy with the scarebird kit.
 
Kern, you sure you got 9 drums on the 8 3/4 rear? The 9 and 10 spindles are different on the front. Scarebird sells a 9 spindle disk version. $500 for new seems a pretty good deal for what stock old stuff would cost and the time chasing it down unless you get it from a complete car at a yard. LBJ's are the same except the disk had a 9/16 hole instead of a 1/2 bolt hole
 
Pirate Jack's "kit" is a 73+ disk set up that has the later rotors drilled 5x4". It's pretty obvious just looking at the parts, the upper ball joint adaptors in the kit confirms it. Mopar A Body Std Disc Brake Conversion Kit Wheel Kit Only (wheel pattern 5x4)

Which means 2 thing for certain- it will increase the track width of the car just like converting over to the stock 73+ BBP set up, and the center register of the rotor is larger than anything you'll find on a drum brake or even a KH disk car. Either one of those things would mean that your stock wheels probably won't fit, in combination it pretty much guarantees it. Unless you have aftermarket wheels that aren't hub-centric you'll be buying new wheels.

abodyjoe makes another good point, not sure what size lugs that kit will use. More than likely it's 1/2", but I don't know that for certain. Even if it is 7/16" you'd still have to overcome the diameter of the hub being larger (because of the larger bearings) and the track width change.

I see absolutely no reason to use the Pirate Jack kit. You'll need new wheels regardless, might as well bite the bullet and just go BBP compared to buying that kit. Wilwood has similar issues, the center register is too large for stock drum and KH disk wheels and they use 1/2" studs. I think Scarebird is the only kit that would actually let you keep the stock wheels, but I haven't used them so I wouldn't be able to confirm that.
 
I've got the Scarebird kit in my '72 Scamp. I just installed a set of 14" by 5 1/2" wide stock steelies. No issues. Scarebird contours the calipers. I don't think the stock 14" rallyes work though. Check their website to be sure. Gave the brakes a good test on the way home Saturday from Mopars in the Park.
Knuckle Head drivers!
 
Original K-H set. If you are patient you can get what you need at a decent price. Stay away from anything that uses the 9 in front knuckles. You should have 10 in rear drums on the 8 3/4.
 
diymirage said:
best bang for the buck would be the scarebird setup
they have them for both the 9 inch and the 10 inch brakes, but i dont know if there is a difference in calipers and rotors between the two

if you just piece it together (buy the brackets from them, and all the other parts from rock auto or so) it could be as little as 200 dollars
Click to expand...

According to my instruction sheet for my scarebird setup you just flip the plates from the rear facing way to the front facing direction for either 9 or 10" spindles. using the same rotors and calipers+ hoses. rotors are already 5 on 4.5 so you need to use the template to go to 5 on 4" pattern using slightly longer studs +1/2"

I have used these on about 6 SBP cars and converted others (including mine) over to LBP so I don't have to drill the rotors of I need to replace them. They stop great and have not given me any problems on the daily driver I use when I go to Michigan about 6k per visit and over 30k on this set of brake pads so far.
 
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