Today my brother in law and I finished swapping a 904 into his Duster that was a 4 speed. On the spirited test drive, we ended up "testing" the brakes as well. Years back I swapped in a front disc setup from an 88 5th Avenue. The rear brakes are 10 inch drums. The brakes on this car would rival any new car. Non power master cylinder, but the pedal feel is great and this sucker just stops as if I threw out a grappling hook. What the heck?
The brakes in the Charger have been a pisser. In February I added frame connectors and torque boxes. I had to reroute the front to rear brake line. The brakes were bled afterward, but they have given me trouble ever since. Since 2006, the system was: 12" Cordoba rotors, 75 Dart calipers in the front and the 10.7" rear disc brake kit from Dr Diff. I also used a power booster with a master cylinder from a 75 Dart. Braking was excellent except at low speeds since the idle vacuum was so low. I thought that switching to a NON power master cylinder would result in improved braking. It IS a little better, but after driving the BILs Duster, I have MUCH room for improvement.
I've read in Mopar Action that the slider calipers have a tendency to allow the pads steel core to DIG into the sliding mechanism, causing the braking action to be radically compromised. I'm pulling the wheels tomorrow to get a look, but the point of this post is.... What relationship does the caliper bore size have to do with brake effectiveness? This Duster flat out STOPS better than any other A body that I've ever driven. It beats the Charger by a long shot. Its probably better that my 2007 Ram, and I've always been impressed with the truck. The only difference on the Duster is the calipers. I thought that I heard that the calipers on the 76 A bodies as well as the FMJ cars had different sized pistons. Does anyone know the specs on the different single piston calipers? I am tempted to swap in a pair of these later calipers if there are gains to be had. I really need the Charger to have brakes that equal the engine!
Thanks, Greg.