RE: [Chrysler300] Disc Brakes and the Steering Arm on the Spindle-300F(conversion)

[John Kuegel <jwkco@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Big John,

-no doubt, yours is great advice about the ready-made kits from AAJ, and had I not known John Hertog, I may have ultimately gone that route, but I have had the donor parts for quite a while and got them for next to nothing....and the rotors, calipers, etc. are super cheap and plentiful from my local NAPA,...I think everything for both wheels including the spindles was less than $150...I already had made the 15" rim change(from a Dodge Diplomat), and modified them to wear the stunning(and mandatory!) F hubcaps and the spiffy new BFG wide white radials my lovely wife  got all my friends to buy me for my 40th B'day...that was a nice project even with all the cutting, grinding and welding!...don't worry, all my stock F rims and other parts, etc. are labeled and stored for the next curator if I should slip on that banana peel!! (and the folks at Barrett Jackson ask...)

-I will not be bending the steering arm with a torch, but follow my instincts and find a way to shorten the tie rods...I will leave the metallurgy to other, more experienced pilgrims...

-after several hours at NAPA looking at the old books and noting pictures and specs on steering parts, I think I may have an easy alternative to threading and cutting the inner tie rod ends...it involves using a longer sleeve and a shorter inner(LH threaded) tie rod end- all off-the-shelf(cheap) stuff...it will be trial and error, so I will have to keep you posted...

-thanks to the knowledge from other club members and this listserver, I think I will have a dual MC that will fit and work well(and is inexpensive)...I took the other fork in the road, so I have to stay on it, but  the kit from AAJ looks like the cat's pajamas!...I can't wait till the discs are on there- these and a couple of other things, like rear seatbelts and a new driveshaft will allow me to take my two-year-old to all the cool old car events!! (with a little more peace of mind...)

John Kuegel,
F in Long Island



--- On Wed, 10/29/08, John Mc Adams <clafong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: John Mc Adams <clafong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] Disc Brakes and the Steering Arm on the Spindle-300F(conversion)
To: jwkco@xxxxxxxxx, Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 12:11 PM










    
            John:



It seems that you have already bought the spindles and have started

installing them on your car.  It is unfortunate that you did not just buy

the complete kit from AAJ brakes.  They just bolt onto your stock spindles

(without re-aligning the front end geometry) and can be removed and put back

to stock if you sell the car and the buyer wants it as original.  The

mechanical installation can be done in one afternoon, not including the

fabrication and bleeding of the lines.  I have done this on three of my

project MOPARS including a "B" body car.  They will even allow you to bolt

on 14 inch wheels, if that is your thing.  



The dual circuit master cylinder that Roger offers with the AAJ kit will fit

under the oval can (or oval rubber bellows) vacuum chamber on '61 and

earlier cars so you can have a redundant brake system.  I added an

adjustable pressure proportioning valve to the rear brake circuit to balance

out the braking between the discs on the front and the drums on the back.  I

am not sure that it was really necessary.



Oh well, that is all water under the bridge as they say and you are now

floating down the river on the course that you have selected.  I wish you

good luck and successful completion of your project.  Disc brakes make such

an improvement on our heavy 300's as the stock 12 inch "Center Pain" drum

brakes were very temperamental for me to adjust to my satisfaction.



To anyone else considering a disc brake conversion, I highly recommend the

AAJ disc conversion.  He also offers discs for the rear tapered axles but I

have not tried them myself.  Give Roger (at AAJ) a call and he will answer

your questions as he is a really nice guy.  See:

http://www.aajbrake s.com/



For what it is worth,



Big John Mc Adams



(In Sunny and warm SoCal)



_____  



From: Chrysler300@ yahoogroups. com [mailto:Chrysler300@ yahoogroups. com] On

Behalf Of John Kuegel

Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 6:00 AM

To: Bill Huff; Warren Anderson; Chrysler300@ yahoogroups. com; Hi Tech Auto

Parts

Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Disc Brakes and the Steering Arm on the

Spindle-300F( conversion)



thankyou,



- you confirm my belief that one should stay away from heating up and

bending forged steering parts...I think I can accomplish the same thing

by shortening the inner tie rod ends, if I can get the left hand

threads extended a bit on the rod ends...this will give me the desired

ability to align the steering, once this brake conversion is

completed... the steering geometry should not be changed by shortening

the tie rod ends because the disc brake spindles I am adding have

longer steering arms anyway, and I would just be adjusting the length

of the tie rod system to meet it for connection.. .all my 300F stock

parts would stay intact- just get removed...the modifications will take

place on new parts...



thanks, John Kuegel



--- On Tue, 10/28/08, Hi Tech Auto Parts <htap@xxxxxxxxxx

<mailto:htap% 40clear.net. nz> nz> wrote:

From: Hi Tech Auto Parts <htap@xxxxxxxxxx <mailto:htap% 40clear.net. nz> nz>

Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Disc Brakes and the Steering Arm on the

Spindle-300F( conversion)

To: "Bill Huff" <czbill@xxxxxxx <mailto:czbill% 40cfl.rr. com> com>, "Warren

Anderson" <wranderson@ commspee <mailto:wranderson% 40commspeed. net> d.net>,

jwkco@yahoo. <mailto:jwkco% 40yahoo.com> com, Chrysler300@

<mailto:Chrysler300 %40yahoogroups. com> yahoogroups. com

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 4:14 PM



I agree bending/heating is dangerous and not good practice.how ever haveing

to shorten the tierods that much, will more than likely upset the steering

circle/geometry of your car.Chrysler wasnt short on spending $$$ when it

came to investing on a good suspension layout and no doubt where the arms

sit from factory are the optimum place-once changed how ever your steering

capabilities will no doubt deminish with it-tried it once my self-and paid

the price on nice orig.steering. Best solution is use orig.steering/

suspension arms and get a bolt on disc brake conversion kit to suit.



Geoff Matthews-sunny NZ.



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