Disc brake conversion kits | The Online Automotive Marketplace

HMM has featured several articles in this column highlighting front and rear disc brake conversions for Sixties and Seventies muscle cars that you can assemble yourself from existing original equipment brake parts. As the hobby continues to expand, some of the prime used parts are getting more difficult to find at swap meets and your local pick-a-part. Many enthusiasts also have an aversion to using used or reconditioned parts on their cars when they are attempting a component upgrade of this type.

Recognizing there are many aftermarket suppliers who offer disc brake conversion kits that are ready to bolt on, we decided this month to check with a few to see what their kits entail and how much is involved in installing a boxed conversion package. After hearing back from many of these suppliers, we found that all kits are not created equal; some kits may be cheaper than others, but there is usually a good reason why the pricing can vary so widely between manufacturers.

As we did with last month’s column, we selected a common muscle car to see what these suppliers had to offer. Because we focused on A-body GM cars last month, we selected a 1970 B- or E-body Mopar as our theoretical project car for this month.

Inline Tube conversions have the correct OE proportioning valve and pre-plumbed brake lines

Some of the companies we contacted did not respond before we had to go to press, but information about their offerings was found in their catalogs or from their Web site.

Other companies that sell disc brake conversions kits but are not listed here did not offer a package for our project Mopar application. As you will see from our research, many manufacturers approach the conversion project from different directions. Some kits include much more than others. Some kits also use premium performance parts instead of OE-quality replacements, and still others sell a basic kit that adapts your drum brake front end to accept commonly found new or rebuilt aftermarket parts.

MP Brakes manufactures several Mopar conversion kits that utilize new disc brake spindles and 11-inch vented rotors. These kits fit 1962-’78 B-body and 1970-’74 E-body vehicles. The basic kit (part number D1302B) includes rotors, dust shields, loaded calipers with brackets and front brake hoses. Wheel bearings, dust caps and seals are also included in this kit, which is priced at $695. They also offer another kit (part number DB1302M) for manual brakes that includes master cylinder and combination valve, which sells for $849.

MP Brakes’ premium kit (part number DB1302P) contains all the parts in the manual kit, but adds a power booster. The premium kit is designed for original non-power-equipped vehicles. If your car had power brakes from the factory, they offer one additional kit (part number DB1304P). Both of the premium kits with the booster sell for $995. Be forewarned: For B- and E-body cars with a shaker or air-grabber hood, there may be fitment issues with hood clearance.

AAJ Brakes has several kits available. Its basic kit for a Mopar E-body or early B-body contains only caliper mounting brackets, wheel bearing adapters, installation hardware and a set of instructions. AAJ also has a Deluxe kit, which includes 11-inch ’77 Cordoba rotors, loaded full-size GM calipers, wheel bearings, wheel seals and caliper banjo bolts. The Deluxe kit sells for $549.

AAJ’s third offering, called a Super kit, has all the components of the Deluxe but also includes modified master cylinder, brake hoses, lug nuts, dust caps and an adjustable proportioning valve. There’s also a plug to cap off the original proportioning valve and brake line adapters to install a disc-brake master cylinder onto drum-brake steel lines. The Super kit costs $850. These kits will work with any size wheel with a 5 X 4½-inch bolt pattern.

Stainless Steel Brakes has three different kits for B- and E-body Mopars.

The first kit (part number A-156) is a drum-to-disc conversion kit that includes new, American-made four-piston calipers, brake pads, mounting brackets, and 11¼-inch rotors, which are available in both the 5 x 4-inch and 5 x 4½-inch bolt patterns. Timken bearings, seals, brake lines, an adjustable proportioning valve and brake hoses are also included. All mounting hardware is grade 8 and a master cylinder or power booster and master cylinder are part of the conversion kit as well. The master cylinder will bolt onto the firewall on OE non-power vehicles or to the stock booster on OE power brake vehicles. This kit will bolt directly to the factory 10-inch drum brake spindle and fit with most 14-inch and larger wheels. The A-156 kit sells for $1,022.

The second kit (part number A-156-2) comes with everything in the A-156 kit with some additional upgrades. These include U.S.-made “Force 10” four-piston aluminum calipers, braided hoses, high-performance brake pads and slotted and plated rotors. Optional cross-drilled rotors are also available. This kit will fit with most 15-inch or larger wheels. The A-156-2 upgrade kit with the Force 10 four-piston calipers retails for $1,220.

A third kit that is offered by Stainless Steel Brakes uses an exclusively designed three-piston aluminum caliper and huge 13-inch slotted and plated rotors. This kit (part number A-156-4) comes with all the other components in the A-156-2 kit mentioned above. However, because of the size of the rotors, this kit will only work with an aftermarket 17-inch or larger wheel. The A-156-4 kit with the three-piston caliper conversion sells for $2,200.

Performance Suspension Components markets the Stainless Steel Brake conversion kits, their number A-156 kit being the most popular for this Mopar application. Retail pricing for this kit was $912.

MBM offers a basic Mopar disc-brake conversion kit (part number DBK6272) that includes bolt-on spindles, dust shields, caliper brackets, calipers, pads, rotors and brake hoses. Spindle hardware, bearings and seals are included. MBM also offers a premium kit (part number DBK6272-PBUP6570) that includes a Corvette-style master cylinder and 9-inch diameter booster assembly. The premium kit also comes with a Kelsey-Hayes proportioning valve and mounting bracket that installs the valve on the fender side of the master cylinder. Optional drilled rotors and stainless steel brake hoses are available as extra upgraded items for these kits. MBM’s basic kit retails for $550 and the premium kit sells for $650.

Wilwood is another well-known aftermarket supplier for high-performance brake components. Its part number 140-2721 fits our project car. The kit includes Wilwood’s four-piston Dynalite racing calipers with corrosion-resistant stainless steel pistons. A 10¾ 4-inch ventilated 0.83-inch-thick cast-iron rotor is used. Also included are aluminum hubs with bearings, seals and studs, high-friction disc brake pads, billet mounting brackets, all mounting hardware and detailed installation instructions. The Wilwood 140-2721 kit sells for $659.95. Also available are heavy-duty kits with high-performance polished billet Dynalite calipers as well as drilled and slotted rotors; each of these options adds $110 to the price of the basic kit. Blue, yellow and silver powdercoated calipers are also available, but may delay delivery of your order. Wilwood brake conversion kits are available from performance parts suppliers Just Suspension and Magnum Force Racing.

The most complete Mopar kits we found from the brake companies we contacted was offered by Inline Tube. Although Inline does not produce its own conversion kit, it does add some of its own products to a quality existing kit to ensure the project is easy to install and completely correct for the intended application. The Inline tube conversion kit is built by MBM brakes and includes spindles, caliper brackets, dust shields, rotors, calipers and pads. It also includes attaching hardware, wheel bearings and seals, dust caps and brake hoses. The advantage of this kit is what it includes. While the MBM kit does come with brake booster, master cylinder and adjustable proportioning valve, the Inline kit includes the correct Mopar style proportioning valve for your application and the steel brake lines to attach the master cylinder to your existing rear brake system. According to John Kryta from Inline Tube, “What makes our kits different from the rest is that they are make/model specific and come with the specific parts to get them to bolt to the original vehicle. Disc brakes changed from year to year and are not one-size-fits-all. Changes were made between years in valves and plumbing. Our kits have been made with all the correct valves and brake-line tubing for hassle-free installation.”

As you can see, there can be a vast difference in disc-brake conversion kits between different companies. Cheaper kits will usually involve some additional legwork, requiring you to track down the appropriate pieces needed to complete the job. These additional pieces can end up costing you as much as you would have paid for one of the better kits. Medium-priced kits that offer more contents are not still not necessarily a complete package. With moderately priced kits, you may still have to locate parts to finish the job.

Visual appearance can be another important factor. Sure, you would like to add disc brakes, but you don’t necessarily want a big aftermarket proportioning valve sticking out where everyone can see it either. Tastefully hidden disc brakes can stop your car just as easily as the obvious ones. The premium kits will offer the best products in terms of quality and quantity and these factors should figure into your selection. Given what your own time is worth, you might want to consider a more expensive disc-brake conversion kit package and get everything all in one big box.

Performance Suspension Technologies has two conversion kits for manual and power brakes. Each of their kits contains 43mm four-piston calipers and 11¼-inch discs. Spindle adapter brackets and master cylinder are also included, along with brake pads, hoses, bearings and all installation hardware. These kits fit 1965-’72 B-bodies and can be used with 14-inch or larger wheels.

Their manual conversion (part number CRDBF02211B) retails for $999 and will work for factory manual-equipped vehicles. It will also work on original power drum applications. P-S-T’s second kit (part number CRDBF0211A, $1,299) includes a new brake booster and allows you to upgrade from manual drum to power disc. Optional G-Max gas-slotted and zinc-plated rotors are available for both kits at an additional charge.

Sources

AAJ Brake Conversions

503-890-1469

Disc brake conversion kits | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings (2024)

References