Operation: Chocolate Thunder

[justadayplayer]

Hello all. I'm a 30yr auto body tech and constantly building project cars. This is my latest endeavor. 1971 B body, 440, 727, 8.75. PO asking $11k, i traded my '68 Merc Cougar for it. My intentions for this build are Roadrunner clone, Sassy Grass, factory stripe kit, factory interior with staggered Weld wheels and BFG tires.

After what I thought was a good visual inspection I drove this beast 5 miles from shop to home. Longest 5 miles in my life! A white knuckle, pants pooping experience to say the least...

I had front tires fighting each other to the point of constant squealing, jerking from left to right and braking resulted in teeth shaking tremors the likes of which only known by earthquake survivors.

So, without delay I will begin ordering a front suspension overhaul kit and a budget front power disc brake kit. Any advise/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Budget is key here. Im hoping to pull off entire build for around $10k doing all work myself (less front end alignment)

 

[multimopes]

Welcome aboard! Looks to be in solid condition. Most likely your front end needs a little attention as you noted. Other than that, very nice overall. Good luck with your plans and future RR from another clone guy!

 

[sam dupont]

They had a great selection of stripe kits

 

[4mulas]

Hi justaday, welcome.

for converting to disc brakes the cheapest way is to find used spindles and caliper brackets for 1973-1976 A body mopars. use those along with rotors for the same application. The rotors are actually the same all the way to about 1985 ish on most rear wheel drive cars.

The calipers that you will use depends on whether or not you want to front mount the calipers or rear mount them. On some early 66-70 cars they couldn’t be front mounted due to possible sway interference. Front mount is the norm. If you don’t have possible interference issues you can also order the calipers and brake hoses from the same 73-76 A body application.

If you are rear mounting the calipers I recommend ordering calipers from about a 1982-84 ish dodge diplomat. if this is the case also order brake hoses from a 1969 camaro with disc brake application. (Your looking for hoses about 15" long here with the correct ends, the camaro hose is one of them)

what your trying to achieve is proper inlet bleed screw orientation here. If you try to rear mount an A body caliper from 73-76 the bleed screw faces down and the inlet is above it which is far from ideal. hose Orientation becomes an issue as well.

lastly you should have a disc brake master cylinder and a disc brake pro porting valve. Doctor Diff has a 2 post aluminum master cylinder conversion kit for reasonable Money. And also a pro valve for around 80 bucks I’d buy those. If you use a master with 15/16 bore you can likely forgo the power disc brake conversion as I’m sure you’d find the braking force ample with manual disc brakes.. this will save some aggravation and extra cost too.

if you want to spend a little more you can just buy all the conversion stuff from doctor Diff, which is also a good way to go.

rock auto is your friend for ordering Front suspension parts and piece meal brake parts

good luck

 

[justadayplayer]

Very good info! Thank you.

 

[Jerry Hall]

I like the 71-72 Plymouth body style and it seems you have a solid example. Painting a high impact color with the stripes needs a little jewelry to make it pop, at least for me. I suggest keeping the chrome front bumper and returning the rear bumper to chrome. Also maybe some chrome magnums with wheelwells full of tires. All in all it's your car, so make it yours.

 

[ct71rr]

Yes!!! Another ‘71!!! Welcome aboard and keep us updated!

 

[ckessel]

Nice. Its a good thing you already have skills for one of the most expensive areas of a car.

 

[hunt2elk]

That will be a sharp looking car. As far as where to buy brake stuff, I highly recommend Cass at Dr Diff. I get all my brake and rear end parts from him. Very knowledgeable, decent pricing, and customer service is about the best out there.

 

[Don selleck]

nice now, will look very cool as you described when completed. Welcome!

 

[71Beeper]

Yes!!! Another ‘71!!! Welcome aboard and keep us updated!

I second that!

 

[440 PHIXX]

I love it! Welcome aboard! Keep us updated!

 

[70chall440]

Good score, looks like a solid project at least on the outside.

I'd recommend that you do a front end rebuild versus just replacing a few obvious bad parts. Put new ball joints, tie rod ends and control arm bushings as well as new struct (and sway bar) bushings and you will be amazed at how well it drives after putting a decent alignment on it.

As mentioned, Rockauto is your friend here but don't fall for the super cheap crap, look for Moog or other name brand parts if possible (especially for the ball joints and tie rod ends). Personally I would recommend just leaving the brakes it has on it and rebuilding them with good parts, it will stop fine especially with modern rubber on it.

One of the bigger improvements you can make is invest in good quality shocks, they will make a world of difference in your driving experience. If possible get Bilstein's, if they are too expensive look at a good name brand like Monroe or even Gabriel. I would not recommend KYB personally although some like them but the ones I had rode like a lumber wagon.

Basic maintenance like change all of the fluids, inspect the belts, replace the air filter, etc. and you should have a decent driver.

 

[moparsaver]

Delicious!!

 

[Ragnar S]

Very good info! Thank you.

Your driving experience, suggests to me that the lower control arm bushings might be the culprit. You should change them regardless while you are overhauling.
Ragnar in Iceland

 

[justadayplayer]

Your driving experience, suggests to me that the lower control arm bushings might be the culprit. You should change them regardless while you are overhauling.
Ragnar in Iceland

Thank you. I have upper and lower polly bushings in my overhaul kit. Also polly sway bar and end link bushings.