69 fury with disk brakes

[69mopar man]

I have a 69 fury with drum brakes all around , no booster, I bought shoes and parts from Craig , asbestos shoes, and I wasn’t able to get good braking so I brought car to the shop where they said the shoes don’t look as thick as new ones , they adjusted as far as they could but the car brakes to the right, and in my opinion after having nothing but disk brakes I think the brakes suck at stopping, my question is can I put power disc brakes on the front only and not have to worry about getting or finding NOS parts? Ballpark how much to have a shop do it? And I just replaced the master brake cylinder when I did the brakes , will I have to replace that if I go with modern dics brakes?

 

[Davea Lux]

Your best bet would be to find a '70-'73 parts car and take off the disc brake spindles, rotors and calipers from that, be sure to rebuild the calipers and turn the rotors as needed. The disc brake master cylinder is different as is the brake booster so they will have to be replaced also. Brake hoses are also different and will also need to be replaced. A disc brake proportioning valve will also need to be installed to rebalance the brake system.. The other option would be to go to an after market disc system, but be advised that the quality of these systems varies greatly and they tend to be expensive.

Avoid the '69 and earlier disc setup as parts for that system (Budd dual piston calipers) are expensive and hard to find.

It does not sound to me that the shop that did your work is familiar with vintage brake systems. In the first place no reputable shop would send out a vehicle that is pulling to the right or left without determining what the problem is. Pulling can be the result of alignment issues, tire pressure, worn shocks or worn control arm bushings, it can also be caused by defective brake hoses. Whatever the issue is needs to be properly diagnosed and corrected. The relative thickness of the brake linings should not effect their stopping power or cause an issue with the car pulling. Many modern brake linings, are somewhat thinner because higher density material is now being used. They should wear about the same as the older style lining. The exception would be brake lining "Made in China" Craig does not sell that crap.

The other thing you would want to check is to be sure the brake shoes are installed correctly. The shoe with the longer lining always goes on toward the rear of the car. The primary and secondary shoes are different material. If they are installed backwards or with both primary shoes on the same axle, the car will pull badly.

Dave

 

[USSMOPAR]

I bet we can fix your drum brakes to where it STOPS!
please post pics of all 4 brakes with no drums
what is the measurement of the drums? Are they over spec?
Linings regardless of the material need to be arced to fit the diameter of the drums for FULL contact with the drum. Asbestos linings suck no matter what any tells you esp on here! Semi metallic linings are but better carbon metallic kicks butt.
Craig needs to get with the times-asbestos linings are not what works.
PM me Craig...I am not shy. Did you call Sammy at RCB? Let me know.

 

[CBODY67]

The earlier shoes should have no real issues with locking up the wheels (at least the rear ones) in a full-on panic stop at 30mph, as they'd do that when they were new. Even with belted-bias tires, from my experiences. AND it should do that while not deviating from a straight line (as in the lane of traffic you might be in).

The "modern linings" will generally have more fade-resistance than the earlier OEM linings, but it's usually only "the first stop" that matters to most drivers.

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[Rustyrodknocker]

If the car did not have issues with tire wear or ill handling issues before I would suspect the hoses especially if somebody has been pumping the **** out them recently. They can look ok on the out side and still have an expansion issue because the rubber is toast. Is so it will never work correctly.

I did mine on the cheap. I got 73 spindles and proportioning valve and bought a new booster and master for a late 70's D150 pickup. The 73 booster is to large for fender bracing on my 69 300.

As far as pads go I don't recommend the bad *** modern pads with ceramic or other exotic hard material. They are great if you are hammering breaks on a cone course but they wear out the rotors in a hurry. That is no big deal for late model stuff with easy to get replacements.

As an aside my car was totally useable with drums but I was into hauling a trailer with dirtbikes over the cascades. Coming off the mountain with 2:76's and and auto is brutal on the old drum set up.

The current setup is perfect.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Did they arc the shoes to fit the drums? Imperative to get full contact of the shoes to the brake drums.

 

[1970FuryConv]

I have a 69 fury with drum brakes all around , no booster, I bought shoes and parts from Craig , asbestos shoes, and I wasn’t able to get good braking so I brought car to the shop where they said the shoes don’t look as thick as new ones , they adjusted as far as they could but the car brakes to the right, and in my opinion after having nothing but disk brakes I think the brakes suck at stopping, my question is can I put power disc brakes on the front only and not have to worry about getting or finding NOS parts? Ballpark how much to have a shop do it? And I just replaced the master brake cylinder when I did the brakes , will I have to replace that if I go with modern dics brakes?

Car brakes to right: left side brake is not engaging. Questions
What is condition of left side wheel cylinders?
What is condition of left front brake hose?

Master Cylinder: you may have bought rebuilt junk, especially if it was bench bled and still didn't perform.
Master cylinder should be replaced if you install disc brakes. Drum and disc master cylinders are not the same.

If you go with and aftermarket kit and keep your drum spindles:
I've heard good things about Master Power Brakes, Mooresville, NC

Ballpark shop cost: $500-$1000

 

[69mopar man]

Everything is new, new hoses, new master brake cylinder, new asbestos shoes, new hardware kit, new spring adjuster kit, all from Craig, took the drums to brake shop to have them machined and painted them they said there was virtually no wear on drums because of the low miles , I don’t believe they were arked , new nbd shocks, new Michelin tires , no wheel alignment yet as I’m trying to find a shop that can do it but it steers straight

 

[69mopar man]

I’m sure they didn’t arc the shoes, I’ll call them Monday and find out, it’s the only possible answer., I’ve never heard of it until this post but the brakes were installed correctly and Machined

 

[69mopar man]

My paint job turned out perfect until I left the hood up and all the pollen hit it , l should of closed the hood and tarped it , it would’ve turned out beautiful , NBD I’ll do it again , a little more paint never hurt nothing, and I need to replace rubber on my fuel filter with steel as I read about that on a post here, most of the Mopars the filter in under the motor but mines on top. Getting new exhaust this week from manifold all the way back but she starts up great and is a blast to drive , now if I can get it to stop

 

[69mopar man]

My69

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

So - a couple of points after rereading your thread here...

If the car brakes to the right then the LEFT side is not engaging - at least as I understand things.

Your system is a manual brake system, so no booster, and manual brake systems have a specific master and pedal assembly. If you were to upgrade to discs, then you would need to swap out the pedal assembly as well as the parts noted above in other posts. However, I'd get to the bottom of this issue first so you have a safe vehicle. I would take it back to the shop and have them check the following:

Arcing and shoes on the right way...

Arcing is an old school practice (where material is ground away from the shoe's linings to match the drum's inner surface), but essential when dealing with front drum brakes.

Check that the shoes are arced to fit, and that they are not installed backwards, which may reduce their ability to be properly adjusted as well as they won't work properly.

Parts quality and performance

If the parts were bought from Craig then you have no worries as to quality - compared to "white box chinesium" which is your biggest concern, however, modern quality materials may improve performance, while shortening the life of drums, and not being as smooth. That is up you.

Parts interchangeability and set up

The masters must be specific to the system - check you got the right one. You may have a bad master (rare), and flex hoses may be failing. Rebleed the system. This is one of the most common errors or failings in brake systems is to have them properly bled. Check the pushrod length from the brake pedal as it goes into the master on the firewall. It's my understanding that the little push rod is adjustable at the knurled end, and it should hold the master cylinder away from the mounting surface by a 16th of an inch before bolting it down - this is to put the proper preload on the master cylinder piston and ensure proper brake engagement. If it's too short you will not get the right kind of overall travel in the brakes shoes to engage them fully and you will also have an initial period of pedal travel where no brakes are functioning at all...

Did you replace wheel cylinders too? I hear repeated comments about issues with modern wheel cylinder replacements. Craig is your man for quality wheel cylinders.

Take your car to another shop you trust (old school single proprietor type) if your confidence in your current shop has been reduced...

 

[69mopar man]

I replaced wheel cylinders with dormans first , I’m a machinist and when I went to bleed them the bleeder valve was Wobley , so I did some checking and found on the raybestos site they showed the cylinders with the casting numbers on the cylinders that said made in USA, I also called them to confirm, they told they were , I ordered them and the wheel cylinders that arrived had not casting numbers like the ones on there site , and no made in USA, I called raybestos and told them they lied and they should remove those pictures from there site if there not made here, I put those on , and some of those failed as well, being a rookie I should of saved my original ones and rebuilt them , now I have a mixture of raybestos and Dorman wheel cylinders

 

[69mopar man]

I replaced master brake cylinder with bentix style like the original

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Get new ones from Craig...

 

[1970FuryConv]

I replaced wheel cylinders with dormans first , I’m a machinist and when I went to bleed them the bleeder valve was Wobley , so I did some checking and found on the raybestos site they showed the cylinders with the casting numbers on the cylinders that said made in USA, I also called them to confirm, they told they were , I ordered them and the wheel cylinders that arrived had not casting numbers like the ones on there site , and no made in USA, I called raybestos and told them they lied and they should remove those pictures from there site if there not made here, I put those on , and some of those failed as well, being a rookie I should of saved my original ones and rebuilt them , now I have a mixture of raybestos and Dorman wheel cylinders

Lots of misleading pictures on ebay and elsewhere.
I agree with calling Craig for wheel cylinders.

 

[John Kirby]

Loose bleeder valves are a common issue. I went to a power bleeder at the master cylinder because of it. I would also run your finger around ALL fittings and look for any seepage of brake fluid. They should remain totally dry after they are wiped clean.

 

[twostick]

Your best bet would be to find a '70-'73 parts car and take off the disc brake spindles, rotors and calipers from that, be sure to rebuild the calipers and turn the rotors as needed. The disc brake master cylinder is different as is the brake booster so they will have to be replaced also. Brake hoses are also different and will also need to be replaced. A disc brake proportioning valve will also need to be installed to rebalance the brake system.. The other option would be to go to an after market disc system, but be advised that the quality of these systems varies greatly and they tend to be expensive.

Avoid the '69 and earlier disc setup as parts for that system (Budd dual piston calipers) are expensive and hard to find.

It does not sound to me that the shop that did your work is familiar with vintage brake systems. In the first place no reputable shop would send out a vehicle that is pulling to the right or left without determining what the problem is. Pulling can be the result of alignment issues, tire pressure, worn shocks or worn control arm bushings, it can also be caused by defective brake hoses. Whatever the issue is needs to be properly diagnosed and corrected. The relative thickness of the brake linings should not effect their stopping power or cause an issue with the car pulling. Many modern brake linings, are somewhat thinner because higher density material is now being used. They should wear about the same as the older style lining. The exception would be brake lining "Made in China" Craig does not sell that crap.

The other thing you would want to check is to be sure the brake shoes are installed correctly. The shoe with the longer lining always goes on toward the rear of the car. The primary and secondary shoes are different material. If they are installed backwards or with both primary shoes on the same axle, the car will pull badly.

Dave

Budd discs were done in 68, at least on a Cbody. 69 to early 72 use the smaller wheel bearing and if original, 2 piece rotors.

Late 72 and 73 use the bigger bearings and unicast 1 piece rotors.

They apparently make unicast rotors for the 2 piece application now that are much more reasonably priced compared to the 2 piece units.

Still more than the 73 style but not enough to turn down the early spindle for.

Kevin