1965 Satellite Front Suspension Rebuild plus Disc Brake Upgrade

[Odd Rod]

I could not find a thread/post regarding rebuilding torsion bar front suspension I had seen earlier this year. Someone responded in that post and said to go ahead and rebuild the front end of my Plymouth and that I would learn a lot about my car. That reply was spot on. Thanks for the advice.
I used Kanter products to rebuild the front end and upgraded the drum brakes with a CSS disc brake setup from Classic Industries. The Kanter parts cost around $700 including new stock upper control arms. The disc brakes and proportion valve cost around $600.
It was a difficult but do-able task that I would also recommend for anyone that wants a better education on how their front suspensions is assembled and works. Seeing the car sit level on all four corners and feeling the steering/suspension work properly makes it all worth the effort.
Below are some photos of the severe wear on the original hardware. Chatting with the previous owner he mentioned the wear/deformation must be from "too many wheel stands". I also added a couple pics of the new components being installed - sway bar, control arms, disc brakes, etc. These components should do me just fine for street driving.
I will send out a follow-up once I get the front the front end aligned this week and get a few miles on the Plymouth.

 

[493 Mike]

What oil pan are you using?
Mike

 

[ckessel]

The brake package you got, like ones sold by other outlets, use the cheapest pads available so the package can be sold for less. The pads suck. The PO of my wagon installed one of those kits and the pads made lots of noise plus didn't brake very well. Get ahold of some semi metallic units at the minimum. The industry number for that pad type is D84. Used on 73- A bodies, F bodies and many other models.

 

[Odd Rod]

What oil pan are you using?
Mike

I really have no idea. I bought the car two years ago with the motor installed. I will look it over for a make/part # and let you know.

 

[Odd Rod]

The brake package you got, like ones sold by other outlets, use the cheapest pads available so the package can be sold for less. The pads suck. The PO of my wagon installed one of those kits and the pads made lots of noise plus didn't brake very well. Get ahold of some semi metallic units at the minimum. The industry number for that pad type is D84. Used on 73- A bodies, F bodies and many other models.

Thanks for the heads-up. I will let you know how this work when I get a few miles on the car. I have to believe even these cheap disc pads will be better than those drum brakes. But a pad upgrade will gin in the budget for the near future.