Imperial Home Page -> REPAIR -> Brakes -> Dale Mansholt's Disc Brake Conversion for 1964
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Dale wrote in to us, describing his Disc Brake Conversion for a 1964 Imperial.Here's what Dale had to say: I am finishing a front disc brake conversion on my 1964 Imperial with parts that can be scavenged from the junk yard (mid 70's C body and early 90's Dodge truck). Other than grinding off the ends of a couple of bolts for clearance, it was a bolt-up swap. And best of all, all of the parts you may ever need to replace fit a '93 Dodge Ram. I couldn't find any information about such a bolt-on swap online anywhere, so I am offering to do a short write-up on what is needed for such a conversion. I believe this information should apply to most 60's Imperials. Disc brake conversion for my 1964 Imperial:This works for my '64 Imperial, and I believe will work for anything early 60's through about 1968, but that is just a good guess. Actual parts I used:-1976 Dodge Monaco spindles
Note: everything Dodge Ram is from a half-ton 2 wheel drive. What probably works:1974 - 1978 Chrysler C-body spindles and steering arms up to 1993 Dodge Ram tie rod and ball joint boots, rotors, calipers, brake hoses, wheel bearings, etc. 70's C-body wheel bearings and such also work, as those bearings fit most large Chrysler vehicles. 1984-1993 Dodge Ram rotors (5 inch lug pattern) Modifications:I had to grind down the bolts (2 on each side) that hold the steering arm to the spindle. I ground them flush with the nuts in order to get enough clearance for the full turning radius. On the rear one of the two bolts, I had to grind the bottom of the nut off just a little more to get the last bit of clearance I needed. You may need to grind more or less off, as the thickness of those nuts seems to vary by year. (I used the '91 Dodge nuts because they were thinner than the '76 Monaco).If you don't follow my description, you will figure it out as soon as you get it part-way together. It is an easy enough problem to solve with an angle grinder. Everything else just bolts up perfectly. On a related note, I suggest putting on a dual reservoir master cylinder, either by purchasing one for, say a 1977 Chrysler New Yorker, like I did, or ordering a conversion kit from Chrysler, part # P5249315, which will allow you to bolt a later model 2-bolt master cylinder on like the one from a '91 Dodge Ram. I did not put a brake proportioning valve on my Imperial, but I have not used the car enough yet to find out for certain if I will need one.
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