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Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS #1292604
08/28/12 12:23 AM
08/28/12 12:23 AM
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 975
Page AZ
Diplomatt Offline OP
Rodney Dangerfield Jr.
Diplomatt  Offline OP
Rodney Dangerfield Jr.

Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 975
Page AZ
My Dad and I are in the middle of installing the Hotchkis TVS kit on his 70 Barracuda. It currently has 4 wheel drums on it though... We're looking to do a disc brake conversion kit on it with at least 11.25" brakes up front, and I was just wondering what everyone else here is running, and what works/doesn't work? Thanks for the help, and a big thanks to Hotchkis for their awesome service at Carlisle in July.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Diplomatt] #1292605
08/28/12 08:28 AM
08/28/12 08:28 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 305
East Tennessee
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Burkenator Offline
enthusiast
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East Tennessee
I am doing the same thing with my 70 Challenger. I went with Dr. Diff's 13" Cobra setup on the front. It is only partially installed so I cannot comment on how it drives/stops; but the kit is complete and looks well made/designed.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Diplomatt] #1292606
08/28/12 10:50 AM
08/28/12 10:50 AM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 841
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Dan@Hotchkis Offline
super stock
Dan@Hotchkis  Offline
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Santa Fe Springs, CA
Quote:

My Dad and I are in the middle of installing the Hotchkis TVS kit on his 70 Barracuda. It currently has 4 wheel drums on it though... We're looking to do a disc brake conversion kit on it with at least 11.25" brakes up front, and I was just wondering what everyone else here is running, and what works/doesn't work? Thanks for the help, and a big thanks to Hotchkis for their awesome service at Carlisle in July.




We are big fans of both the Wilwood and Baer set-ups for these cars.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Diplomatt] #1292607
08/28/12 11:49 AM
08/28/12 11:49 AM
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 294
The Netherlands, OV
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dickdale Offline
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The Netherlands, OV
what your budget?

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Diplomatt] #1292608
08/28/12 12:02 PM
08/28/12 12:02 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,036
Oregon
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AndyF Offline
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Oregon
Depends on your budget, how fast the car is going to be, and what size wheel you're willing to run.

I covered all of the available options in my B-body book. I'd suggest starting there since that is the latest information available.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: AndyF] #1292609
08/28/12 04:37 PM
08/28/12 04:37 PM
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 975
Page AZ
Diplomatt Offline OP
Rodney Dangerfield Jr.
Diplomatt  Offline OP
Rodney Dangerfield Jr.

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Posts: 975
Page AZ
It's going to be running 18 inch wheels, with a 383, and we're not looking to go crazy with 6 piston calipers, since it's not going to be a full-on race car. We've been looking at Wilwood kits, we'll have to check out the others too.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Diplomatt] #1292610
08/28/12 06:28 PM
08/28/12 06:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,036
Oregon
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AndyF Offline
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Oregon
The DoctorDiff SRT kit would be a good fit with 18 inch wheels. It is a better value than any of the Wilwood kits. The Baer T4 kit might also be a good fit for you. I covered all of those in the book so that is the easiest way to see all the kits side by side.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: AndyF] #1292611
08/28/12 07:57 PM
08/28/12 07:57 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,491
Lethbridge, AB, Canada
dangina Offline
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Lethbridge, AB, Canada
I'm running andyf's 13" viper kit is a decent price (although you source the calipers yourself) the wilwood from what I've read are not worth it unless you get the 13" disk 6 piston caliper setup, at least for the fronts...doctor diff also carries andy's kits i believe...

Last edited by dangina; 08/28/12 07:58 PM.
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Diplomatt] #1292612
08/30/12 05:49 AM
08/30/12 05:49 AM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 403
30 miles west of EuroDisney
fbernard Offline
mopar
fbernard  Offline
mopar

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 403
30 miles west of EuroDisney
I have 2 cars with Wilwood kits front and rear, so here are my thoughts on the subject.

I wanted to have matching front and rear calipers for aesthetic reasons, si I took a Wilwood rear kit to match the front. So did a friend of mine, and I ended up buying his car (no, I didn't do the same mistake twice )

If you want to convert the rear brakes, look into this first, and read around to find out if you want to retain the OEM tapered bearings or switch to Green Bearings... This has been covered on Moparts before.
In my experience, green bearings and road-racing don't mix. That rules out some of the kits on the market. Some people here might say the Green bearings are OK, but in the "Corners are best" section, I dare say they're not...

Depending on the diff you have, you may be able to fab a spacer to install between the axles, or you may not (with a Truetrac, you can).
Remove the center section and measure between the two axles for the spacer length.
Some diffs are not see-through, and you can't do this (or fab 2 spacers?)

You can also switch to longer axles .

It's much simpler to start by chosing a kit which works with tapered bearings. DrDiff has some (Cobra calipers with cable-operated E-brakes, I think)

If you install green bearings and take your car to a racetrack, the life expectancy of the bearings drops to around 20 minutes.
If you remove the inner seal from the green bearings, and don't drive too hard into corners, they'll live.

Oh, and the aluminum flanges on the Wilwood rear kit (which hold the inner drum parking brake) can bend. The parking brake is so weak it's barely noticeable.

If I had known all this before switching to discs, I would never have used a Wilwood setup on the rear.

For the front brakes, all I can say is that a 13" rotor, 6-piston caliper setup with 1.25" MC and hydroboost assist is great for both track and road use...

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: fbernard] #1292613
08/30/12 09:01 AM
08/30/12 09:01 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,016
Polson, MT
DoctorDiff Offline
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Polson, MT
Did the Wilwood aluminum backing plate bend in the center by the bearing, or out by the caliper?

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: DoctorDiff] #1292614
08/30/12 11:12 AM
08/30/12 11:12 AM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 841
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Dan@Hotchkis Offline
super stock
Dan@Hotchkis  Offline
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 841
Santa Fe Springs, CA
I usually suggest to retain stock 11x3 drums and tapered bearings for any car that is going to see more street than track miles. On our cars we replace the green bearings every 3-4 events due to excessive bearing wear and subsequent pad knock-back. there are a lot of band-aids to this system, but if you are going to reliably track and auto-cross a Mopar, look into a full floater!

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: DoctorDiff] #1292615
08/30/12 01:45 PM
08/30/12 01:45 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 403
30 miles west of EuroDisney
fbernard Offline
mopar
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mopar

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30 miles west of EuroDisney
Quote:

Did the Wilwood aluminum backing plate bend in the center by the bearing, or out by the caliper?





The kit I have is the 7144, the bent part is the right flange (part 249-7117). If I remember correctly, it's bent in the middle, at the top, between the brake linings, right next to the e-cable hook. See attached pic

I suspect the cable might have done this if it was tightened too much. But that's only on one side.

7357298-bent_flange.jpg (61 downloads)
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: fbernard] #1292616
08/30/12 05:17 PM
08/30/12 05:17 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,036
Oregon
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AndyF Offline
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Oregon
Too late for you, but the DoctorDiff rear disc kit is the way to go on a Mopar. It keeps the tapered axle bearing and it actually fits and works right out of the box. Some of the "big name" kits that I've worked with don't actually fit. And then the customer service is lousy to boot. Not much more than "you bought so you figure out how to make it fit".

7357554-cass.jpg (65 downloads)
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: AndyF] #1292617
08/30/12 05:29 PM
08/30/12 05:29 PM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 841
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Dan@Hotchkis Offline
super stock
Dan@Hotchkis  Offline
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Santa Fe Springs, CA
Quote:

Too late for you, but the DoctorDiff rear disc kit is the way to go on a Mopar. It keeps the tapered axle bearing and it actually fits and works right out of the box. Some of the "big name" kits that I've worked with don't actually fit. And then the customer service is lousy to boot. Not much more than "you bought so you figure out how to make it fit".




That is an interesting adjustable sway bar there! Just out of curiosity, what happens to the tapered bearing when the inner wheel loads "pull" the tire away from the car in a turn? And how does that kit stop rotor movement and axle end play?

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Dan@Hotchkis] #1292618
08/30/12 06:18 PM
08/30/12 06:18 PM
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Posts: 31,036
Oregon
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AndyF Offline
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Oregon
Just set the end play up on the tight side of the factory specs and go have fun. It is as good as it gets without spending a ton of money.

Last edited by AndyF; 08/30/12 06:19 PM.
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: AndyF] #1292619
08/30/12 07:39 PM
08/30/12 07:39 PM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 841
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Dan@Hotchkis Offline
super stock
Dan@Hotchkis  Offline
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 841
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Quote:

Just set the end play up on the tight side of the factory specs and go have fun. It is as good as it gets without spending a ton of money.



I'll have to give it a shot on the new race car.

Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Dan@Hotchkis] #1292620
08/30/12 11:06 PM
08/30/12 11:06 PM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,302
Nebraska
72Swinger Offline
master
72Swinger  Offline
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Nebraska
I thought a slider caliper was the ticket with rear discs and adjustables? Fixed would definitely cause problems.


Mopar to the bone!!!
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: 72Swinger] #1292621
08/30/12 11:10 PM
08/30/12 11:10 PM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,302
Nebraska
72Swinger Offline
master
72Swinger  Offline
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Nebraska
Here is my Dr.Diff 14" setup. Very nice and the rotors are total overkill on a 3200lb. A body which is exactly what I want.

7357969-004.JPG (73 downloads)

Mopar to the bone!!!
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: AndyF] #1292622
08/31/12 12:33 AM
08/31/12 12:33 AM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,442
NW Chicago suburban area
Mopar Mitch Offline
pro stock
Mopar Mitch  Offline
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Posts: 1,442
NW Chicago suburban area
With the DrDiff rear disc (smaller ones of ~10.5"?.. fitting 15" rims)... does the track width change at all from factory width? My concern is pushing the wheels out further towards the fenders as I've already nicely flushed the lips. Tapered bearings are the only way to go for cornering life expectancy.


Mopar Mitch "Road racers and autocrossers go in deeper and come out harder!"... and rain never stops us from having fun with our cars... in fact, it makes us better drivers! Check out MOPAR ACTION MAGAZINE, August 2006 issue for feature article and specs on my autocross T/A!
Re: Drum to disc conversion on 70 E-Body with Hotchkis TVS [Re: Mopar Mitch] #1292623
08/31/12 01:07 AM
08/31/12 01:07 AM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 797
WA
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pro451bee Offline
super stock
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WA
I used the Baer Iron Sport on my B Body,it appears identical to the Dr's kit , and the rotor hat is approximately the same thickness as the drum.Also the disk kit is way lighter too.

7358144-S6300682#2.JPG (137 downloads)
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