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better handling 1974 A-body
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=58780		 Page 2 of 2
Author:  Aggressive Ted [ Mon Dec 07, 2015 8:29 am ]
Post subject:  Better handling from a 74 Dart
New tires? New wheels to support better tires? I'm currently limited by having small bolt pattern.

Never found the small bolt pattern to be an issue. There are plenty of wheels available in either steel or aluminum. I would suggest going to a wider rim, at least 7" verses the 4.5" stock rims.
That will make a huge difference! I do have a set of 10" for the rear..I run several types....even run the stock DART 340 wheels which are only 5.5". The aluminum Ultra's are nice as are the classic stock silver Wheel Vintiques.

New rear springs?

That is a great upgrade to keep the front end loaded...I run the ESPO 6 leaf combination with a slightly heavier leaf in the right side.

New (or adjusted) torsion bars?

I tossed the stock bars as they are way too soft and will collapse....and went with 340 Duster bars. I believe they .893 and .894's..Makes a huge difference.

New shocks?

Very good idea.....tried several type but the Edelbrock red shocks on the front have stopped all wandering from dipping or diving and the tires wear perfectly. Not sure who made those for Edelbrock but they sure work well.

Anti-sway bar?

Yes, another good upgrade. I run a 1.25" diameter sway bar.

Disk brake swap? This can conflict with sway bars.

Never tried them however, I run 10" front and rear. I got tired of replacing the stock rear ends and had an 8 3/4 made from a "C" body. Problem solved. With BFG P245 60's in the back, it stops! Quickly and straight!
Author:  rich006 [ Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:48 am ]
Post subject: 
I've decided to do the following:
- LBP with '73-'76 factory disc brakes up front and matching 10" drums in the rear.
- 15x7 rallye wheels with tires that keep the stock circumference
- new shocks (don't know which ones yet)
I'm leaning toward:
- 5-leaf springs from ESPO, but I have yet to talk to them about it
- TheRamMan's disc swap kit for $620; it has everything but the rotors
- front end rebuild kit (maybe from ESPO)
I'll probably hold off on upgrading the torsion bars and adding front or rear sway bars.

To gain the LBP rear, I've bought an 8.25" rear end off a junked '74 Valiant 4-door, which turned out to have a sure-grip differential (bonus!) and 11" brakes. I'll be swapping those brakes out for the 10" ones to keep it stock and avoid having too much brake in the rear. I also picked up the driveshaft from the same car, which looks like it should fit the 8.25 rear on my car without cutting.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 9:59 am ]
Post subject: 
Rich,

I am in a similar situation as you, and I was thinking about going for these wilwood after market brakes:
http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeK ... =140-11019

They provide studs that need to be pressed in, and have holes for both the 4in and 4.5in wheel. I was thinking this would be what I do so I could start with just the front brakes, and some time down the road I would do a 8.25 rear, then replace the studs into a 4.5in pattern and buy new wheels.

Maybe someone has an opinion on the Wilwood brakes?
Author:  sandy in BC [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 10:33 am ]
Post subject: 
That kit relies on factory disc brake spindles. ....and I think the factory disc brake upper control arm.

If you have those all you need is the caliper brackets and some inexpensive stock calipers and rotors. ( available in 11" )
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:53 am ]
Post subject: 
So my confusion may be rooted in that I thought from 73-76 the same spindle was used for drums and dics, am I incorrect? I am trying to find the page that made me think that, maybe I was just wishful thinking.
Author:  rich006 [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 12:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
A '73 Duster should already have the larger upper control arms, even if it came with front drum brakes ('73-'76 A-bodies all had the same UCA). However, the spindles will have to come from a '73+ disc-equipped A-body or aftermarket. The UCA were common to all the '73-'76 A-bodies, but the spindles were different between disc and drum.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 12:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Ah... ok well then I guess I'll check out theramman.
Author:  rich006 [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 1:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
There are places that sell just the aftermarket spindles; I saw a pair the other day for about $340, but I don't remember where (maybe eBay?). For cheaper, you might find someone selling a pair on one of the forums: forabodiesonly.com has a huge amount of traffic.
Author:  '67 Dart 270 [ Thu Jan 07, 2016 10:10 pm ]
Post subject:  ebay setup..
I bought/installed these:

These are the ebay ones, very likely made in China, but I have to say the quality from China has improved a lot in the last 15 years.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/mopar-A-B-E-bod ... 4d02f86ba4

The fitment was very good, the quality seems good. Everything included but the bolts to the lower ball joint and the spindle washer and lock nut, but those are $5 from auto store.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detai ... &ppt=C0337


FYI,

Brian
Author:  '67 Dart 270 [ Fri Jan 08, 2016 9:44 am ]
Post subject:  video
I actually found a video on youtube where a guy installs and comments on the ebay disc brakes I noted above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlaq36iR7EU

FYI,

Brian
Author:  drgonzo [ Fri Jan 08, 2016 11:08 am ]
Post subject: 
Cool. Thanks for posting that.
Author:  rich006 [ Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:11 am ]
Post subject: 
What's better: used factory spindles, or new aftermarket ones?

I'm leery of a lot of the kits out there, which don't seem to be careful about having the right spindles (A-body from 73-76 were the same as E-body from 73-74 but not the same as B/F/M/J-body which some people seem to think are interchangeable--see here).

I was leaning toward TheRamMan's disc swap kit, which I'm pretty confident would include the correct spindles, but now that I've gotten more familiar with the parts involved, I'm feeling more confident that I could assemble the correct factory parts myself. What concerns would you have with the setup pictured below? I don't need the upper control arms and I realize I'd have to buy lower ball joints, bearings, hoses, etc, but those are cheap compared to the cost difference between these used parts and TRM's kit.
Image
edited to fix photo link
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