The generally recommended course of action is to remove everyting from one
specific donor car : spindles, rotors, calipers, m/cylinder, hoses, booster,
proportioning valve, etc. Even if the parts are no good, one has a basis to
compare the "new" pieces against, e.g., brake hoses. My 1971 had the
floating caliper set-up, and, once I learned that the rotors in the early run
of this style were two-piece (thus prone to breakage; I broke a rotor on a
'73 T/C back about 1976 and never want to have that happen again), I made the
swap from a '73 Fury (a Pursuit model, with police-spec only rotors) and
bought the rest from NAPA. Was advised by someone that my 71 spindles would
work fine with 73 rotors, but they wouldn't as there was a difference in
diameter of over 1-16/inch at the shoulder. The one-piece rotors are more
easily available (even J C Whitney) and less expensive to boot. I did not
need to change the master cylinder/power brake booster/proportioning valve,
but if I had I would have been sure to take the actuating rod, possibly even
the brake pedal assembly to expedite any problems of fit and operation.
Better too many parts than too few. Others have indicated that production
line changes were made midway through the 1972 model run from two-piece to
one-piece. For some reason I always seem to find more 1973's in the salvage
yards more often than other fuselage year models and snagged the complete
three-speed wiper assembly as various assorted small pieces while I was at
it. (Before anyone asks, yes, the ENTIRE drivetrain was long gone from that
Police Pursuit). As to brake pad and shoe material, I bought Performance
Friction metallic/ceramic pieces from Firm Feel, Inc. (whom I'm happy to
recommend for any suspension/steering related needs on a C-body). These
components, while more expensive, are virtually fade free compared to the
usual Raybestos "premium" shoes/pads. I also was able to find completely new
MOPAR brake hardware, adjusters, etc. My braking is substantially improved
now, with reduced worries over the stock configuration. I made the mistake of
buying a remanufactured master cylinder (NAPA), but strongly advise against
this piece being anything but brand new after swapping it out for other
"remanufactured" replacements. (Obviously, same with wheel cylinders). New
steel or stainless steel hard lines are available from a number of sources,
prebent, armored, and even the correct clips supplied. I also found this to
be good time to service the rear axle bearings as well as changing the rear
axle fluid. If you wish to upgrade braking performance even more
substantially, see the website maintained by Praise Dyno Brake. Good luck.
Ross
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network