Disc Brake Upgrade

[Carlwalski]

Hey guys, what are some of the "main" disc brake kits for the front of our E-Bodies? I have a Dr-Diff rear with his discs (10.75") out back so am fine there. I currently have front factory discs on the 'Cuda (10.95"?) but would like to upgrade just a little. What is the biggest size rotor I can run with 15" rims? (cop wheels).

I am looking for a nice bolt on kit that replaces the factory setup. I like the look of these Wilwoods but they are 10.75", which is less than the factory, so, why "upgrade" to down grade? They are 4-pot, does that make a better difference than overall size, or? Obviously less weight is better, any input or thoughts appreciated.

http://www.magnumforce.com/store/detail.asp?ProductID=2805&CategoryID=15&BrandID=&Category=&SubCategory=&Search=&Page=

[72hemi]

Baer racing makes kits for e bodies as well. I ahve heard from several people that the Willwood calipers are not fully sealed and don't work well on daily driven street cars, problems with dirt and water getting in them. The Serious Street kits allow you to run 15" wheels as well.  Also Jegs offers these brake kits a lot cheaper then buybrakes.com (1275 for the rear and 1295 for the front)

http://www.buybrakes.com/baer/apps-Dodge-Plymouth.html

[Chryco Psycho]

SSBC is about the best system
Master Power
Baer
Willwood

 the swap i like best is the factory 11.75 , it fits the 15" wheel uses the same caliper you have now you just need the taller caliper mount available from a 76-79 B body , or St Regis up to 84 , I think Scarebird has the mount as well

[HP2]

Easiest upgrade is the 11.75 factory rotors. With the correct brackets, you can retain your original calipers which makes it a very economical upgrade.

Next size up is 12.12 rotors, but these are custom units like those used in Nascar. You could do these with Wilwood parts, but there are no off the shelf kits and you would need to piece all the parts together to do it. This would be a hub assembly, rotor hat, and rotor.

That is the biggest you can go with 15" wheels.

After the 11.75 rotors, next upgrade would be light weight calipers. The whole point of this is not that they create more braking force, but they reduce unsprung weight which allows the wheels to react faster. Easiest choices here are Viper or Wilwood calipers as there a kits out there readily available to bolt them on. I've heard that there may be some companies making adapter brackets for Mustang Cobra calipers and Team 3 Bakes in Australia is developing kits for adapting C4-C6 Vette calipers to mopar spindles.

Caliper comparison photo for your enjoyment.

[Carlwalski]

Thanks guys, is there any shop that sells the 11.75" factory style set up? What is it, 2 or 4 pot or? I heard the 72-74 style used better or larger components and are stronger, what else do I need to change to this 11.75" kit? Also, if I go factory, I won't lose weight, so, am I better off going to an SSBC, Wilwood etc style kit? Good brakes, less weight?


Thanks.

[HP2]

Well, the rotors are just an over the counter replacement part. Ask for rotors for a 76 Cordoba. However, to use these you also need the larger 76 Cordoba caliper brackets. These are salvage yard items. There may be some posted on here or moparts. You can retain your original pin style, stock calipers, so they would be a one pot unit, but it is a big freaking piston.

However, the swap is also spindle dependent as the bigger inner bearings of the 11.75 rotors will only work on 72 and newer spindles. The 71 and older spindles used a smaller inner bearing. So you may need new spindles or a bearing spacer to complete the swap.

Less weight is always a good thing. It just depends on how you want it to look and how much $$ you want to spend.

[Carlwalski]

Thanks mate, although I am not on the Forbes 100, money is not an issue for my cars. I go without food and beer so they can have the best parts, so, money isn't an issue, only quality and the best fit and performance for my application, which is 15" rims. I would like to save weight where possible, 15lbs is 15lbs hehe.

[jvike]

My friend (mopar maniac on this forum) had the Wilwoods on his 528 HEMI Challenger with 15" Convo Pro rims. Best brakes he ever had he claims. It was manual brakes as well.

[GoodysGotaCuda]

11.75" cordoba brakes stop my 'cuda pretty well for what it is.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

SSBC - easy swap -correct fitting parts-good performance - BIGS tested and approved!! 

[mjb765]

I just did the SSBC kit with the 4 piston calipers and slotted rotors and everything went on perfectly. Not the cheapest, but everything fits and the calipers are sealed for street use unlike the Wildwoods.....

[hemiken]

SSBC - easy swap -correct fitting parts-good performance - BIGS tested and approved!! 

How much are these kits Bigs.

[mjb765]

I paid $1089 at JEGS with powdercoated calipers and slotted rotors. This includes a master cylinder and prop valve. Part # A156-2..you may get away cheaper since I have manual brakes and went to manual front disks.

[hemiken]

What would just the rotor conversion cost

[Carlwalski]

I just did the SSBC kit with the 4 piston calipers and slotted rotors and everything went on perfectly. Not the cheapest, but everything fits and the calipers are sealed for street use unlike the Wildwoods.....

What part number kit did you use? And Bigs? What size are you running and with what wheel/tire combo. One thing I'm a little confused is, I already have factory disc brakes and Hydroboost, the only kits I have found are complete power disc brake kits. If I buy one, will I just replace the disc set up and leave the power booster etc in the box? Also, what will work with an XV style Hydroboost syetm? Is it basically free range or or their limits?

Thanks and sorry about all the questions.