Rear Brake Drums for a 1968 Dodge Cornet R/T

[ChazRam]

From everything I have read these rear brake drums, 11X2.5 non finned are not made anymore. Our resto is halted due to this. We can get everything for the entire brake system except for these rear drums? Anybody have any, know of a source, know of another O.E.M. retrofit and supply of the parts? We do not want to go aftermarket 4 wheel disc. Can anyone help us???? Thanks.
Mopar Charlie.

 

[moparnation74]

From everything I have read these rear brake drums, 11X2.5 non finned are not made anymore. Our resto is halted due to this. We can get everything for the entire brake system except for these rear drums? Anybody have any, know of a source, know of another O.E.M. retrofit and supply of the parts? We do not want to go aftermarket 4 wheel disc. Can anyone help us???? Thanks.
Mopar Charlie.

Charlie,

I just bought a pair from Oreillys a couple months ago and they are finned....Hence, is why I specifically purchased from them
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/.../brake-drum/2953dgs/2544577/1969/plymouth/gtx

Justin

 

[5.7 hemi]

Just checked Oreilys and they have them for 62 bucks each.

 

[Billccm]

You can also place a call to musclecarbrakes.com

 

[PurpleBeeper]

I don't know anything about finned/not-finned, but at least in '70 there are TWO possible rear brake drums (10.5" and 11" I think) and two different widths rear brake shoes (2.5" or so & 3" or so). All I know is my car has the bigger drums & the wider shoes & it's original power front disc/rear drum if that helps you any.

 

[mobileparts]

There is NO 10.5" brake drum.
Small block cars use 10" x 2 1/2" in the Rear, Big Block cars use 11" x 2 1/2" in the Rear..... period.
ALL Currently manufactured 11" x 2 1/2" Brake Drums are Finned ---- No One has had Plain 11" x 2 1/2" Rear Brake Drums
in over a decade.......

 

[PurpleBeeper]

There is NO 10.5" brake drum.
Small block cars use 10" x 2 1/2" in the Rear, Big Block cars use 11" x 2 1/2" in the Rear..... period.
ALL Currently manufactured 11" x 2 1/2" Brake Drums are Finned ---- No One has had Plain 11" x 2 1/2" Rear Brake Drums
in over a decade.......

So, what came "stock" with the plain 11" x 2-1/2" rear drums? I guess only a "concours" guy would care since finned drums would cool better I'm sure.

And, uhhhh, wait a minute. I think maybe the shoes (at least the contact surface) is wider with the larger drums. I got the wrong set once back in about 1985 or so.....maybe I'm forgetting something? I also remember a couple parts stores asking me what size drums/shoes I had....and ALL '70 Road Runners are big blocks....so, that's confusing.

 

[ChazRam]

Just checked Oreilys and they have them for 62 bucks each.

I will check. Thanks. I am told that because of backing plates only 68 drums will fit. If you look at books like classic lots of b body parts up til 66 and from 69 up but 68 is left out of a lot
I just don't understand? Why won't a pair of 11X2.5 drums off a 70 Coroner R//T just slide on a 68 rear axle. The housing is the same. The axles stick out the same amount? I just don't get it?? Books say no, people at year one say no. Anybody I talk to says only these drums fit and nothing else?

 

[ChazRam]

You can also place a call to musclecarbrakes.com

I think we tried them, I will check. Thanks

 

[ChazRam]

I don't know anything about finned/not-finned, but at least in '70 there are TWO possible rear brake drums (10.5" and 11" I think) and two different widths rear brake shoes (2.5" or so & 3" or so). All I know is my car has the bigger drums & the wider shoes & it's original power front disc/rear drum if that helps you any.

Thanks, my thong is I could care less if they are finned or not, long as they work. Books and countless people tell me that 70 11x2.5 drums will not work on a 68. They are different. For the life of me I cannot figure out why? Same rear end, same size brakes, same bolt pattern. Lefty and righty tighty lugs. What is different??

 

[ChazRam]

There is NO 10.5" brake drum.
Small block cars use 10" x 2 1/2" in the Rear, Big Block cars use 11" x 2 1/2" in the Rear..... period.
ALL Currently manufactured 11" x 2 1/2" Brake Drums are Finned ---- No One has had Plain 11" x 2 1/2" Rear Brake Drums
in over a decade.......

I understand this by using parts numbers and finding out these drums are obsolete. So why won't finned 11x2.5 drums work? Everybody I talked to says I have to have 68 drums. What is the difference. There has to be 10,000 of these care out there. They gotta be getting drums from somewhere?

 

[rakort]

I'm curious about this also because I've been in search of non-finned drums for my 68.

I'm almost positive that the finned drums will work fine...in fact I probably have a set to confirm that, but haven't yet.

I also have the non-finned drum, but they are over size and have some chips where folks beat them off in their past life.

As mentioned, and is obvious, finned drums will cool better, but I'm looking for a more OEM correct look.

 

[ChazRam]

Hi Rakort. We are not doing a 100 point resto on ours. Just want to get it back on the road. I have lots of great tips from members and leads that have not turned up much so I am covering all ground. Now you have excited me. Is your car a 68 Coroner R/T, is that the actual rear end, and where did those drums that appear to fit nicely come from, and they are 11X2.5? That's all we want, something that works. I'm a believer in OEM and like to stay original as possible but this brake drum thing has driven me nuts. If somebody showed me brake drums from a 69 Buick Electra 225 would fit and I could get then new I would at this point. The entire brake system is being replaced, these rear drums are all that is left. Thanks,
Chas.

 

[oldbee]

Classic #1938. I got replacements for my 68 from a rep. for a parts supply place. I don't remember the originals being finned, my fronts are original( 3") and are not finned.Its been a long time since replacement of the rears,but I'm the original owner.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

There is NO 10.5" brake drum.
Small block cars use 10" x 2 1/2" in the Rear, Big Block cars use 11" x 2 1/2" in the Rear..... period.
ALL Currently manufactured 11" x 2 1/2" Brake Drums are Finned ---- No One has had Plain 11" x 2 1/2" Rear Brake Drums
in over a decade.......

Not completely true.

HP manual brake cars got 11", but if you ordered front disc brakes, you got 10" rear drums. So the person with the 70 car that said disc and 11" rear is not factory correct unless an error was made.
Hence why you see different rear end codes of 10 or 11" rear brakes.

 

[ChazRam]

Found that out in our search. We ended up getting a pair from Tonys Parts. Not going to be using that goofy spring setup when the drums go on. I was told that spring that goes around the outer side of the drum does not have to be used. With all the parts being made for b bodies one would think these drums would be getting repopped. The fact is not much is being made for a 68 Coronet R/T. Starting to see more but compared to Chargers and Road Runners there is a huge difference on the parts sources.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

This is interesting, just looked through the 68 parts manual and the brake packages do have some different combos. Having said that the B bodies are lumped together so they should fit, unless it is a police or taxi package or something else. They did show 11 x 2 1/2 also a 11 x 3 for B bodies (taxi) also saw one combo for disc and 11" Rear but that may have been C Body. I am with you though, I do not understand why they would not work between models, and maybe some one can explain specifically why not.

 

[ChazRam]

Agreed. I am an a body guy for 45 years. I can cross fit parts from a 67 Valiant 100 to a 76 Dart Special Addition. Them two cars are like apples and oranges. Now cross fit parts from a 68 Coronet to a 69 Belvedere and it does not work. I'm sure there are like my a bodies many parts that interchange but these 11X2.5 are insane. Only fits this and not that. Then finned drums on a later year won't fit the 68. I am told it's a back plate difference. To me it should be a simple process taking drums and backing plates off a 70 b body 8.75 and put them on a 68 8.75 should just be a happy afternoon swap of parts, nuts and bolts but apparently it's not and it just makes no sense to me?

 

[1969CoronetR/T]

I have a pair of the finned drums collecting dust at my warehouse. They are 11".