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71 Charger drum to power disc brake swap

Posted By: Dingmaster

71 Charger drum to power disc brake swap - 02/04/19 05:31 AM

I have a 71 Charger 500 that came with drum breaks. I'm swapping to power disc, all from another 71 Charger.
My question is can the studs above the drum break master cylinder be knocked out,(since the booster studs got threw those holes) or will I have to change out the pedal assembly?
Just not looking forward to removing the dash and the pedal assembly, the one in it, is clean and looks like the day It was installed
Posted By: AndyF

Re: 71 Charger drum to power disc brake swap - 02/04/19 05:54 AM

You can do anything you want, just be very careful to observe how things go together before you break stuff. Best bet is to look at some other cars so you are sure you understand how the power disc assembly goes together. Look in the FSM, look in a Master parts book, look at pictures on the internet, etc.
Posted By: DAYCLONA

Re: 71 Charger drum to power disc brake swap - 02/04/19 06:02 AM

Originally Posted By Dingmaster
I have a 71 Charger 500 that came with drum breaks. I'm swapping to power disc, all from another 71 Charger.
My question is can the studs above the drum break master cylinder be knocked out,(since the booster studs got threw those holes) or will I have to change out the pedal assembly?
Just not looking forward to removing the dash and the pedal assembly, the one in it, is clean and looks like the day It was installed




Those tops studs protruding thru the manual brake drum reinforcement plate are pressed and spot welded to the brake pedal frame, your best to pull the pedal bracket from under the dash to remove them, they are a bear to drill out/grind off because they are hardened, no need to remove the dash though, but I'd recommend you pull the front seat, as you'll be spending some time under there completing the swap
Posted By: 340clone

Re: 71 Charger drum to power disc brake swap - 02/05/19 02:56 AM

Originally Posted By DAYCLONA
Originally Posted By Dingmaster
I have a 71 Charger 500 that came with drum breaks. I'm swapping to power disc, all from another 71 Charger.
My question is can the studs above the drum break master cylinder be knocked out,(since the booster studs got threw those holes) or will I have to change out the pedal assembly?
Just not looking forward to removing the dash and the pedal assembly, the one in it, is clean and looks like the day It was installed




Those tops studs protruding thru the manual brake drum reinforcement plate are pressed and spot welded to the brake pedal frame, your best to pull the pedal bracket from under the dash to remove them, they are a bear to drill out/grind off because they are hardened, no need to remove the dash though, but I'd recommend you pull the front seat, as you'll be spending some time under there completing the swap


Yes-the above is probably the best way to go about this task. However, when I did this job I did it from the outside without removing the pedal box, and it's not fun cutting, grinding and drilling to get that hardened stud out from the outside. You have to be extra careful not to damage anything on the firewall if you do it this way.
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