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  • disc brake conversion

    Does anyone know when dodge truck went away from the 6 lug on 7.25" bolt circle on 3/4 ton trucks and adopted the 8 lug bolt pattern? There is a company called Scarebird Classic Brakes on ebay selling a disc brake conversion kit for 3/4 ton trucks from 1957 to 1971 or so. I questioned them and they replied and said they did not realize 1957 3/4 ton had a six lug bolt pattern. I said ***. How can you claim to sell a conversion kit and not know what it will fit. They make a bracket that bolts to the spindle. You machine down your drum hub and supply a late model caliper and rotor to complete the conversion. This will not work on a 6 lug truck. I am interested in a conversion to get away from these obsolete 17.5" wheels and tires and also better braking. Any how I have a 1957 Dodge d200 dually and a 1957 d300 chassis cab. I think International truck may have had a 16" wheel with the 6 on 7.25 in lug pattern, but I don't know which years or model. I'm not interested in a 16.5" wheel either. Any comments or suggestions please follow. Thanks, Scott.

  • #2
    Your chasing a dead horse! Where would you get 6 hole disc's? nowhere! You have got to get another axle under that truck, I had a 57 power giant and wanted disc brakes the 57 had 6 lug holes ended up getting a 59 power giant with the dana axles 8 lug holes, do that and your good to go, You could do like they do on the flat fenders and weld the 8 hole lug mounting on the hubs? Duane.

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    • #3
      The 16 inch six lug wheels are pretty common, they came on a variety of 50's and 60's trucks and the military M715. However, they are all split ring rims which I would consider a step backwards from your tubeless 17.5's. Stockton Wheel makes six lug wheels that fit our trucks, they are good wheels but you will pay for them.

      As for disc brakes, it can be done but as far as I know there is no bolt on conversion available. If your drums are in good shape and you do not wish to change axles a simpler solution might be to install a boosted master cylinder. My 58 W300 has factory power brakes and stops remarkably well for something that is completely obsolete.

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      • #4
        More on Disk Brakes

        I've been researching this question a bit the last couple days. Actually, finding six lug disks is not so impossible as it sounds at first. Look around online and you'll find several vendors who will make custom disks and hats any way you want them. (Search on "custom brake systems" or similiar.") Not so expensive as it might seem, either; the vendor just plugs your parameters into the CNC machine and away we go.

        I think ScareBird's solution or something quite like it would work fine. Take their approach to the brackets, machine the hubs flat on back and measure for your disks and hats. I think they use some calipers with sliders, but if I went to all this trouble I'd pick some with pistons on both sides.

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