Spindles question - 70 Challenger R/T clone

[Sly_drums]

Hello, my step father and myself are working a nice 70 Challenger R/T clone.
The car was a 318 ci car and had 4 drum brakes from the factory ; front ones were swapped for disk brakes, but now the disks need to be changed as they show signs of worn.

Owner ordered new drilled front discs for 70-72 Challenger from Summit, new wheel bearings and new pads but we are unable to mount all the stuff because of the diameter of spindles which are 35 mm (1,37 inch) thick (measured just behind the internal bearings, see picture).

The spindles look thicker than 70-71 stock spindles. Do you think they come from a specified aftermarket drum to disc brakes conversion kit ? Or maybe from 73-74 Challenger ? If you have any info about that, it would be great !

Thank you for helping

[Katfish]

They might be the 73-74 spindle, compare to pic.

[mjb765]

They might be the 73-74 spindle, compare to pic.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the only difference between the later spindle was the diameter where the inner bearing rides. I thought the other dimensions were all the same.

As for the bearings--70-71 uses an A6 (National bearing number) and the later use A17. I just went through this with mine.

[Chryco Psycho]

Could be the the later FMJ volare , 5th ave  spindle

[HP2]

You also have the wrong brake pads. Issue seems to be the previous owner ordered stock 70-71 parts and it appears you have a later set up with the larger bearing and slider style calipers. You might check out the parts called out for a 76-80 Dodge Aspen.

[Sly_drums]

Thank you for your replies, very helpful.
Do you think owner should buy a pair of 70-71 E-body spindles ? Where to find them ? Or he has to sell the disk/pad set and buy later spindles ? If yes, where to find ?
I think he will be going for the cheapest solution. Any advice is welcome. Thank you

[Katfish]

Keep your spindles and get larger rotors, read link below and you'll know what to do.
Getting the larger spindles is the hardest part, and you've passed that hurdle.

http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/archive/disc-main.html

[HP2]

Thank you for your replies, very helpful.
Do you think owner should buy a pair of 70-71 E-body spindles ? Where to find them ? Or he has to sell the disk/pad set and buy later spindles ? If yes, where to find ?
I think he will be going for the cheapest solution. Any advice is welcome. Thank you

Take a side apart, go to the local big chain store and verify pads and rotors against the aforementioned 76-80 Dodge Aspen. Buy parts, install. Send back all the Summit parts and make a note somewhere of what actually fit the car. Once  they have this info, then they can order cheap parts off Rockauto.

[Chryco Psycho]

Overall the spindle you have is better , so I agree service what you have , it looks like the FMJ spindle system to me , you can upgrade to 11.3/4" rotors with new caliper mounts

[Katfish]

You can get the adapters from Dr Diff,

I did the exact swap on my car, prices are probably dated, but outlines what you need.

I bought eveything for my Challenger at local Advanced Auto. If you order online, you'll get free shipping.

raybestos w/pad   RC4103/4 $36.00
78 charger (slider)

outer bearing   BR2 $6.00
78 charger

wearever rotor   YH141132 $52.00
78 charger

dorfman banjo bolt   13938   $5.00

inner wheel bearing   BR17   $8.00
77 charger

inner seal   19500   $2.00
77 charger

raybestos hose 4536755   $15.00
76 duster

[Sly_drums]

thank you for your answers, it helps. We are in France si I will have to order online to get the right parts.

[Sly_drums]

Hello guys, we still struggle with those spindles here in France. My friend wants to buy a pair of early design (70-71 ?) spindles for his Challenger to go back to the stock specs ; that way he can mount the part he bought.
Do you know where we can find a pair of those ? He will sell the FMJ spindles then.

[HP2]

You have more than a spindle change ahead as you have the incorrect calipers and caliper brackets as well. You will need buy all three to convert back to '70-71 style. For spindles and brackets, it is best to start here with a wanted ad. Be prepared to spend some bucks for these as they are not as common as the later 73-76 version that is typically used for this swap and that you have on hand now. For the calipers, I believe Rockauto can supply these, but I'm not positive about that since you will want the 70-71 specific units. Might have to pick up used ones and have them rebuilt.

[Sly_drums]

Thank you for explaining this, it really helps. The problem is that the owner bought all the 70-71 new discs and stuff and it will cost a lot to ship it back from France to Summit... And we also pay 25% fees in addition to shipping costs on everything coming from the US.

RIGHT STUFF has those spindles, they come with the caliper brackets : https://m.summitracing.com/parts/rsd-dbsp03/none/images



Don't you think it may be a better idea to get those and put the late model spindles for sale ? Will the Right Stuff spindles compatible with the parts we already have ?

[1 Wild R/T]

Accept those spindle have the slider style caliper mounts & probably  (90% chance) have the bigger bearings like you already are dealing with....