Slant Six Forum :: 68 Dart as Brake Donor?

The K-H discs on the front of a '68 is unusual

It might be worth more to you to get the brake setup and resell it for a profit.

If I swap these spindles/rotors/calipers into my Dart (currently 9" drum), do I have to change the upper A-arm as well (as you do with the later swaps)?

Does the cost of replacement calipers ($100 per side) make this a prohibitively expensive swap

I might suggest you go back and get the VIN from the car and decode it. You might want to get a pencil rubbing from the data plate and decode it as well. The K-H discs on the front of a '68 is unusual, and you may have stumbled across something interesting. Maybe an original GTS car?

Author:	Slanted Opinion [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:25 am ]
Post subject:	68 Dart as Brake Donor?
Hi everyone: Just stumbled across a 68 Dart in a junkyard (same year as mine) with disc brakes. Some quick questions: If I swap these spindles/rotors/calipers into my Dart (currently 9" drum), do I have to change the upper A-arm as well (as you do with the later swaps)? Does the cost of replacement calipers ($100 per side) make this a prohibitively expensive swap, even if I can get the brake parts pretty cheap? Are there other reasons, besides cost, to prefer the later model disc swap? Thanks! -Mac

Author:	slantzilla [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:27 am ]
Post subject:
IIRC, the K-H brakes take the same upper ball joint as the drums. K-H brakes will work well if you get good calipers. The main problem I ever had with them was leaking piston seals. With the K-H brakes you would retain the small bolt pattern, the late model brakes are all large pattern.

Author:	GTS225 [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:40 am ]
Post subject:
Slanted O.......I might suggest you go back and get the VIN from the car and decode it. You might want to get a pencil rubbing from the data plate and decode it as well. The K-H discs on the front of a '68 is unusual, and you may have stumbled across something interesting. Maybe an original GTS car? Was there anything else you noticed that wasn't "usual" about it? Floor shifter, buckets, wide trunk trim panel, emblems on the interior door panels? It might be worth more to you to get the brake setup and resell it for a profit. Roger

Author:	Pierre [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:52 am ]
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Mac - $100/side is a bit pushing it. The only thing you need is the spindle, rotor hub (two piece rotors), splash shield, and the little bracket that holds the hose to caliper. The rest of it is availible aftermarket. The calipers and lower ball joints (yes, they are different), hoses, and hardlines, are availible aftermarket. You rarely find a good used KH rotor, as they can only be cut 0.020" before they go out of spec. EDIT: Erp sorry! I thought I read the junkyard was going to charge you $100 per side. None the less - you still need lower ball joints from the disc setup (the stud part is the same, but it uses larger bolts so the holes in it are bigger). Don't forget all the bolts as well when your at the yard.

Author:	SlantSixDan [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:53 am ]
Post subject:
Quote: The K-H discs on the front of a '68 is unusual Mmmmmnot so much, I don't think. It's unusual to find the discs on a '65 or '66, more common on the '67, and by '68, Consumer Reports and all the motoring magazines were enthusiastically recommending them, so more and more cars were being equipped with them. Sure, they continued to grow more common each year after '68, but I wouldn't consider it unusual to see discs on a '68 from the factory. And then you've got to factor in that all '68s have been through 38 years' worth of owners, any of whom might've swapped on the discs sometime in the car's past. Quote: It might be worth more to you to get the brake setup and resell it for a profit. Errr...huh? There's no significant difference in the A-body disc brake setups from '65 through '72, regardless of the car's engine, transmission, trim level, color, etc.

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Author:	SlantSixDan [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:58 am ]
Post subject:	Re: 68 Dart as Brake Donor?
Quote: If I swap these spindles/rotors/calipers into my Dart (currently 9" drum), do I have to change the upper A-arm as well (as you do with the later swaps)? Nope. Quote: Does the cost of replacement calipers ($100 per side) make this a prohibitively expensive swap No, they are very good brakes when set up right (my preference: organic pads, 1" master with no booster, 13/16" rear wheel cylinders). Rotors are available brand new. Calipers are available rebuilt or brand new in aluminum, and as long as there's no significant rust damage, old calipers are easy to rebuild. The critical key is getting the caliper lips really, really clean where the water boots sit. Really get in there with an abrasive blaster and carefully spend time cleaning it down to bare metal. Any little particle of trash here tends to hold the boot away from the caliper, allowing water in, which rusts the piston bore. I like to make (careful, sparing) use of high-temp RTV silicone on the caliper-side rim of the seal boot, too.

Author:	Slanted Opinion [ Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:50 pm ]
Post subject:
Hey everyone: Thanks for the informative replies! Sounds like I might have a possibility of affordable brakes here. Quote: I might suggest you go back and get the VIN from the car and decode it. You might want to get a pencil rubbing from the data plate and decode it as well. The K-H discs on the front of a '68 is unusual, and you may have stumbled across something interesting. Maybe an original GTS car? It's been a couple of months since I've been to look at, but I'll keep that in mind. I think it's just a rusty old plain-jane, but I'll check! -Mac

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