Mopar A-Body Master Cylinder Swap: Pirate Jack Disk Brake Conversion Part 3 

Glad you found them useful.

the 11.75 replacement rotor is dirt cheap , so like the police dept. , use metallic pads .

A long time ago in the early '90's I converted a '71 Satellite with 10" manual drums to power disc with new parts using the 'Ehrenberg' Mopar Action article and used the rotors (new) for a 'B' Dodge van. I think they're the same s cop car rotors. The only junkyard parts I used were the knuckles and caliper adapters. I got the Knuckles from a mid '70's A body. The adapters came from a '75 or '76 or '77 Cordoba I think. The parts were pretty cheap. Back then everything was still at the parts stores. I didn't have 'core' calipers but I think it was only $10 ea for the charge. A few years later they didn't want any core charge. I think it only cost me maybe $140 for that using all new parts (hoses, pads, calipers, Master Cyl, hardware, bearings etc) Except for the adapters and knuckles I used EVERYTHING new.

I've never had great luck using the pedal to pull the rod, but it's certainly worth trying for anyone watching. It also looks like, at least as of right now, Doctor Diff carries the grommet. www.doctordiff.com/manual-brake-push-rod-retainer-bushing-clip-rubber-grommet.html

@@YoshimoshiGarage All that's telling me is you've never tried it. Anybody that has, would never do it any other way. Happy Moparing.

I did this myself when realizing how hard it was to get that bolt out I was like ... what if I pull this pedal back - "pop" so easy.

@@YoshimoshiGarage I've looked at that grommet before at it looks a lot like a piece of vacuum hose. They usually come with a new M/Cyl.

I've not done 4 drums to 4 disks. I'd certainly try it first without swapping the proportioning valve to see if they're balanced.

It'll be the same. You'll have double lines to the proportioning valve, then it divides to the front and rear.

And that's not even close to being the sketchiest part of the wiring on this car.

I believe I made the hard lines for that one myself, though if I had to do it again, I'd probably look at Fine Lines to see if they have them pre-bent. If you mean the hoses at the wheel, those came with the kit.

@@YoshimoshiGarage in the video I thought it said you ordered the hard lines pre bent. I'll try finelines. Thanks!

The car was manual brakes to start with. Adding a brake booster takes up a lot of space and makes working on things that much harder.

I did a drum to disc conversion and this was the master cylinder that came with the kit. The swap also requires changing the proportioning valve to either an original disc valve or an adjustable (which the kit came with). This is part of the Pirate jack kit, but if I were to order just a master cylinder, a 1974-ish Dart master cylinder (Raybestos MC36412, front disc, rear drum, manual brakes, 4-bolt flange) would almost certainly be the same.

@@YoshimoshiGarage awesome, thank you this will most definitely help me 🤙🏼

Yes. It's not power, but waaaaay better than it was with manual drums all around.

Is the pedal closer to the floor than it was with the drum brakes?

@@mustacherides I didn't measure a before and after, but if it's closer, it's not enough to be noticeable.

Some people have success doing it that way. I definitely didn't.

@@YoshimoshiGarage, sorry to hear that. I was hoping for a different answer. I will be replacing mine soon enough and appreciate the time you took to make this fine tutorial. Well done, sir.

It's worth trying it first, but mine really didn't want to come out

Yes, it's a horrible design. I've never pulled one that came out easy.

@@YoshimoshiGarage Do you know what I did instead of putting the locking nut back on where it connects with the brake pedal ? I double nutted it instead . Just temporarily unitl I can see if it is leaking after putting it back together. You can easily reach the nuts as they are on the side easy to access. I am not recommending this to anyone as the locking nut seems like it is gonna stay on no matter what. .