• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Getting ready to swap disc brakes on the front of my 66 Belvedere, any advice

hemichuck

Well-Known Member
Local time
1:47 PM
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
62
Reaction score
7
Location
Louisville Kentucky
I just picked up a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere 4 door and I’m going to drop in a 528 Hemi with a manual valve bodied automatic and a 4.10 gear. Before the motor drops in I want to convert it to disc brakes up front. Right now it has 4 wheel 10 inch drums and I will will be converting the rear to 11x2.5 drums and I want to buy aftermarket disc brakes for the front. What’s everyones experience with the different companies? I plan on sticking with manual brakes at this time.
 
Check your ride height- depending on what was in it before you’ll possibly want stiffer torsion bars.
 
If you plan on using 14" wheels, please note not all after market kits will fit. Most are made for 15" wheels.
 
Dr Diff is your best bet.
 
Ride height probably won’t change much, car had a 440 but the 528 is all aluminum so it probably weighs pretty close to the same. I will be using 15 inch or larger wheels, it currently has Mirada wheels. I didn’t really think I needed 4 wheel disc but I guess I won’t know till I try the fronts.
 
Go to your local junk yard and pull the spindles, rotors, calipers, proportional valve, master cyl and master to prop valve brake lines off any -


Chrysler Cordoba, Dodge Mirada, 5th Avenue, Diplomat, '81-'82 Imperial any M or F body

Some have 10 inch rotors, some the bigger size - the 10 inch set up will fit in your 14 inch wheels. I have the 10 inchers on both my '66's and they work great.
 
Go to your local junk yard and pull the spindles, rotors, calipers, proportional valve, master cyl and master to prop valve brake lines off any -


Chrysler Cordoba, Dodge Mirada, 5th Avenue, Diplomat, '81-'82 Imperial any M or F body

Some have 10 inch rotors, some the bigger size - the 10 inch set up will fit in your 14 inch wheels. I have the 10 inchers on both my '66's and they work great.


Easier said than done. Prior to cash for clunkers this was good advice but in my travels of over a dozen junk yards I have found 1 pre LX rear drive Mopar and its brakes were already gone. Even perusing C-list I see maybe one dippy or 5th ave pop up every 6 months and some guy is asking 5 grand for it. 10 yrs ago you would find 10 a day for less than 500 cash. Cash for clunkers was a gift to the salvage industry and a detriment to the DIY car guy. So many of the M and F bodies were lost to that government give away. Now days you probably have a better chance of finding a setup on here or going aftermarket.
 
I'm in Las Vegas and every couple months I drop in the local DIY yards (we have 2) and look around. Every time I do I see at least one M or F body donor car.
 
Do you have to do any front end work? If not, there are kits that use the drum brake spindle with an adapter plate. I did that on my 70 Satellite because the front end was all good. Used an SSBC kit and a Right Stuff disc/drum 15/16" bore master cylinder and a proportioning valve. Car stops great. There's a member on here who recently listed an SSBC kit for a good price. Pm him.
@Frustration
 
Pretty slim pickings around here in the junkyards. I would be more inclined to buy new stuff and use my old spindles
 
Any reason for not doing disc on the rear too?
With the front doing most of the braking, why do you need disc on the rear? I always laugh when drag racers want more braking power on the front and go to even larger brakes and yet keep the skinny front runner tires and then wonder why they are flat spotting them when they bracket race the stripe.
 
Last time I built a Hemi Belvedere was in the early eighties and the car was an original 318 polysphere car and it had 9 inch drums all around, didn’t take long to figure out it was a bad combo. This time around the Hemi is a lot bigger, and has more horsepower. Just don’t want to make that mistake again. I think front disc with 11x2.5 rear drums will be more than adequate. This car is basically just going to be a cruiser with an occasional drag strip blast.
 
NJRR, thanks for the tip, I got in touch with him and am buying his kit.
Glad to help you both out. Good luck with the swap. What are you using for the master cylinder?
 
i used a 79 dodge truck master on my 67 conversion with a simple adjustable prop valve to the rear drums. had to modify the firewall plate and run a conversion adapter(was originally power brake car switched to manual) stops pretty damn good and i run about 650 horse.
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top