Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
Kustom68 wrote ...
Has anyone used 1970 C-body stock spindles & disc on a 67-68 to replace the drums? I read somewhere the 70 spindles are 2" lower then the 68s and would be the same as dropped spindles PLUS adding disc. Anyone know if it's true????
I've never heard that before and I'd have to see it to believe it.
I searched a bit and found someone that adapted C-body 1973 disc spindles to their E-body, which provided 5/8" drop. That is swapping parts from one application to another which originally had different suspension geometry though. That doesn't mean that 1973 C-body spindles have different geometry than 1968 C-body spindles.
Joined: Wed Nov 17 2010, 03:28PM
Location: florida
Posts: 1311
Kustom68 wrote ...
Has anyone used 1970 C-body stock spindles & disc on a 67-68 to replace the drums? I read somewhere the 70 spindles are 2" lower then the 68s and would be the same as dropped spindles PLUS adding disc. Anyone know if it's true????
from what i know ,c body spindles are all the same .meaning interchangeable whether drum or disc respectively.i have 73 disc spindles on my 66 that was originally a drum brake car.spindles are specific to the parts that go on them and discs won't fit on drum spindles etc ...so to answer your question i say no .i do know that c body spindles have been used on e bodies which does lower an e body due to different spindle centers.maybe someone else can confirm or reject my response
Joined: Fri Aug 05 2011, 08:06PM
Location: Brisbane Australia
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I have the exact conversion you are talking about in pieces, no they are not a "drop Spindle" - they are almost identical bar the mounting tabs for the calipers
Joined: Sat Mar 29 2008, 03:36PM
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I've read several places including here, that the '73 up C-body are "THE" desirable units. The '69 (?) to '72 are a better caliper set up but... Hard to get parts for and expensive. With either set-up, you will need everything complete from the spindle to the brake pads. Possibly ball joints too. (?) I am sure if I got this wrong, someone with actual experience will chime in.
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
There's a lot of info on disc conversions here already but I will summarize:
It's not 1973-and-up that is the most desirable system, it is 1973 ONLY. For 1974, Chrysler redesigned the front suspension of C-bodies and the parts are not backwards compatible.
The 66-68 "Budd" disc system uses a lot of unique parts, including lower balljoints, which are rare and expensive to find today.
The 69-73 disc brake spindles use the same balljoints as for drum brakes. Unless your original lower balljoints need to be replaced anyhow, they can stay attached to the lower control arm and simply unbolted from the spindle. 1973 also used a 1-piece rotor/hub that I believe was shared with Dodge vans through the 80's, so fairly common still.
1969-72 is identical to 1973 system, except used a 2-piece rotor and hub. (Rotor separates from the hub for replacement.) Original-style replacement rotors are relatively expensive/rare. The aftermarket has figured out that they can take the 1-piece rotor/hub castings originally meant for 1973 rotors and machine them to fit the 69-72 size bearings instead (which are not the same size as 73). This is good because it provides a source of rotors for 69-72 disc systems. It is bad because they all have the same casting number, so suppliers sometimes get them mixed-up and send 1973 rotors to people looking for 69-72 rotors.
Covers 65-72 C bodies. Looks like a very smooth conversion. Uses GM calipers, pads, & rotors (I know, but the maintenance will be cheap as GM parts are a dime-a-dozen... even the performance upgrades), but you can re-use your existing drum spindles. Also good w/ 14" Steel wheels. NOT Magnum wheels though.
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
Since we seem to be covering all the aftermarket disc conversion kits in this thread, I'll add a Scarebird link for completeness. This kit uses off-the-shelf rotors and calipers too.