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Scarebird disc brakes has closed shop -Alternative

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Mopar_guy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mopar_guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/13/2023 at 8:39am
Originally posted by Buzzman72 Buzzman72 wrote:

Is anyone in the aftermarket producing replacement drum brake front hubs?

I want to experiment with Jeep Cherokee 4x4 rotors [Raybestos 780444R or equivalent] and see if I can fabricate a front disc setup that's widely available, cheap, and reliable.

The supply of drum brake front hubs seems to be drying up in my area.
I was going to get some new front hubs made but I never got to it. I had a couple of machinist friends look at a drum hub and they said it would easy to make. I was going to change the mounting flange position so the Crown Vic rotors would fit without any modification. I don't see why you couldn't do the same with the Cherokee rotor.

"Hemilina" My 1973, 5.7 Hemi swapped Javelin
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/14/2023 at 6:26am
Willwood makes a hub -- sells it with their kit. It fits the AMC spindle. Here are the dimensions:

The data sheet (link on page above) has info on ALL Wilwood hubs.


Edited by farna - Mar/14/2023 at 6:31am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DC327 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/20/2023 at 5:03pm
FYI the calipers are still available from the current aftermarket.  Rebuilt Bendix units.  Centric lists 141.56003 as a good number.  My guess is if you could find a rotor that fits the drum spindle with bearings and races, that the big "if" is the caliper bracket. Judging by the install instructions on another thread, it sits forward of the trunnion/shock tower (original set up). You would just need it to have final height lower than the inner wheel diameter so there's no interference.

Or am I thinking too simplistic? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DC327 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/20/2023 at 5:16pm
From another thread....Courtesy of our Oracle Farna :

It appears that Scarebird has closed up shop! Right now that limits you to a factory AMC setup (preferably 79-83 Spirit/Concord/Pacer -- the rotors for earlier models are hard to find and expensive) or a kit from Aerospace Components (https://shop.aerospacecomponents.com/4pistonfrontprostreetkitamc.aspx) or Wilwood (https://www.speedwaymotors.com/shop/amc-wilwood-disc-brakes~39-66-10029-3-495). Aerospace (my preference) and Wilwood both run around $1000-1200 for a kit. Most of the AMC vendors are selling the Wilwood setup. If you go that route order from one of them instead of the big companies like Summit or Jeg's. About the same price, so may as well support an AMC vendor!

One company, TSM, makes a kit similar to the first generation Scarebird, but only sells as a complete kit with rotors, calipers, and brackets -- you still need to get rubber lines. It looks like they are using Ford Explorer 11.28" rotors (they say 11.25"). They are $720 plus shipping (total was $829 shipped to SC -- I didn't order one , had to put in shopping cart to get pricing). They say 65-83, but just like the Scarebird it will fit older models -- might take some bracket clearancing on 58-63 Americans and pre 63 big cars: https://www.rusticdiscbrakes.com/product-page/1965-1983-amc-front-disc-brake-kit.
That's about the same price as a Scarebird setup would have been with all new parts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/22/2023 at 6:55am
Calipers aren't a problem for any of the AMC factory types. They were all used by others as well and as noted are readily available. It's the rotors that are unique to AMC and can be difficult to find and pricey when found, especially the big bearing 75-78 rotors. 79-83 are the easiest to find and most affordable, but some chain stores no longer have them available.

The 75-78 rotors are AMC supplier item only -- if you can find them. American Parts Depot is out of stock, Kennedy American lists them for $275 each.The 79-83 rotors are going that way -- most suppliers are "out of stock" on Rock Auto, with only a Raybestos rotor listed at an affordable $53.79. I may just go ahead and buy a pair to store for now...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Malatrix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/05/2023 at 11:40pm
I've got a '72 Gremlin X, which if Farna is correct, must be one of the few '72s that came with manual front drums.
I've been looking to swap to a power disc conversion, but Scarebird discontinued the big brake kit (explorer sport trac rotors, GM truck calipers) sometime last fall right before I was ready to push the buy button. I emailed them back in January about any other info they might be able to give or sell, but I never got a response.

Asking around here, the Scarebird big brake kit is more 3-Dimensional than I had hoped, but snooping around the TSM site, their kit appears to be more of a flat plate running with GM metric calipers, so potentially easier to replicate and maintain if they are using explorer rotors.

My local junkyard has a number of AMC cars, including a decent Spirit Kammback, with the front wheels still bolted on, so I may take everything from the pedal to the spindles just to have the whole picture...

However, modified AMC brackets with reman'ed calipers and Crown vic rotors sound significantly cheaper and I've hear a lot of people say the gremlins don't really need a booster with discs. I'd certainly like something I can trust a little more than drums and my stomping leg.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/06/2023 at 7:35am
Malatrix, I said "as of about 1972", not absolutely 1972!! Might have been 73 or 74... I'm not sure without doing some research. Could have been a little later for base model cars, but MOST AMC models came with disc brakes by 72-74 time frame. That yours is an X and didn't have discs is a bit of an oddity, but drums were still standard. Most X models had a few options, and discs were a popular one for performance models.

I ran my 63 American with manual front discs fort about 12 of the 14 years I owned it. I'd say the Gremlin is about the same weight and it should be acceptable with manual discs. If you find it is a little hard on the leg, you can drop to a 7/8" bore master cylinder instead of a 1". That will increase pedal travel slightly (not much!) but increase pressure to the brakes.

2010 Crown Vic rotors are 12.079", 79-83 AMC are 10.82". Late Ranger rotors are 11.22". Earlier 91-94 Crown Vic rotors are 11.09". The early models are the ones that would be a better fit for AMC brackets. Either modify the brackets or turn down the edge of the rotor 0.27"...
Frank Swygert
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