Replacement rotors for Bendix front brake system

[Wietse]

Hey guys,

During rebuilding my front suspension i noticed that i have 2 different types of rotors up front.
1 is OEM (2 piece) style and the other one seems aftermarket from an unknown brand.
When i was checking wheel alignment i noticed that the wheels have a bit difference in offset compared with the body.
As the rims etc. are same i guess this is because to different rotors, during bearing replacement i did find a home-made spacer behind the outer bearing race on the non OEM rotor probably for the reason it is not an exact match.
To solve the issue, and replace the rotors for best braking power i went to look for some replacement rotors but they seem really hard to find.
My brake system is the Power brake Bendix type, OEM 4 piston calipers with the 11,25" x 0.8XX" rotors for a '69 Coronet R/T.
I have found below at Summit, anyone some experience on these, or any other recommendations?

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/ssb-23077aa1a/overview/year/1969/make/dodge/model/coronet

I know the option to replace everything for a complete brake kit but i don't see the point in it as these things brake really well and i am not racing or on the track with the car.
Just a waste of original parts and money.

Any recommendations are welcome!

 

[mobileparts]

You can BIELIEVE that whatever a "new-fangled" company (with all china - made) has listed is 1000 % WRONG.........
I have some N.O.S. Rotors (Plated ONLY -- No Hubs) for the 1966 - 1969 Factory System 4 piston caliper ---
they are $ 225 each = $ 450 per pair -- plus shipping......

 

[Wietse]

Can't beat a set of $130,- of wear parts.
I am wondering if these will fit and meet OEM specifications size wise.
Can only tell after trying imo, for me it will be costly due to shipping and import charges otherwise i would have just ordered them to try.

Thx anyway for the option!

 

[mobileparts]

Mine are N.O.S. Kelsey - Hayes ------- they are PERFECT..... no guessing or wondering.
Spring Carlisle just passed ---- if you or any of your friend are coming to Fall Carlisle or Hershey,
you can take them with you, provided you have that much money.......
and you would need to e-mail me in advance, so I have a set with me - for you.......................

 

[Wietse]

Kelsey Hayes, i need discs for the Bendix system, which have different size rotors.
Besides, i do not live in the US and shipping and import charges are a killer to go on top of the price for a NOS set of rotors.
Hopefully someone used the mentioned rotors from SSBC before and could provide some feed back.

 

[miller]

i need discs for the Bendix system, which have different size rotors.

Rotors, or drums, I only use either Bendix, or Raybestos. Are either of those available where your at?
Especially on rotors, without a quality part, you'll have problems with them from day one, such as hard spots.

 

[Wietse]

Where could i find them, websites?
I never tried looking for them on their own websites, if they have them, but if you could show me a source i can see what/where to buy.
And if possible i could find something local, but i am quite sure these materials will be hard to find here.
Regardless i will end up for high shipping costs and import charges anyway.

 

[miller]

Where could i find them, websites?

Might be the best way to find them. How are the parts houses in the Netherlands? Or, an online search, would possibly tell where they could be found.

Regardless i will end up for high shipping costs and import charges anyway.

Yep, hear you on that. It is what it is. If your stuck getting what you can, it's all you can do.

(Only foreign country I've been to is Mexico, so no ideas how it is. And I'm half Dane!)

 

[Wietse]

Here are some OEM ones: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-71-NO...ash=item2aa6541e26:g:cyIAAOSwaLdaY-na&vxp=mtr

It say 1970-71, it is the same as i have on the driver side.
Maybe that one is not correct for my car then?
EDIT: No they are not for my car, these are 1" thicknes, mine are 0.8-ish.
Bendix websites and catalogues do not show anything on brake rotors for 1969, just drum brakes...
I am quite sure i read somewhere these are no longer made but was hoping on some aftermarket stuff.
It might result in a complete change out of the front brakes...

 

[miller]

$3000.? Let me finish laughing!

Just being curious, I did a quick search, on 69 Dodge brake rotors. Be worth a little research. Durabrake (or something like that) is said to make them, as a replacement, two part to one. But, should be other options, too. Maybe a check using the rotor part #.

Are those stock on the car?

 

[hemi71x]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotor-Disc-for-1966-1969-MoPar-B-Body-with-Disc-Brakes/321081209600?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-1969-Chrysler-B-body-Front-Rotor-for-Bendix-Caliper/263539813252?

 

[Wietse]

I have 2 different ones, the passenger side is a 1-piece replacement. (not sure if it is a correct one though)
Thx for the link Hemi, never figured these are sold like that and reuse the hub

I will have to keep digging, i was hoping someone had some experience with a good manufacturer of replacement rotors.
Next time i have the wheels off i need to do some measurements for a start and check if there is a difference in rotors.

On a side note, i read somewhere before that the OEM 4 piston calliper brakes are well popular under the authentic classic fans, is that true?
Or are they worth **** and better replace the lot?
For that reason, and that they do brake very well i was adement of keeping it stock.
And besides it will be a lot cheaper to restore these.

 

[Wietse]

Ok, i found something. https://www.yearone.com/Product/chrysler-b-body/bn144#prettyPhoto
Weird thing is that they are mentioning they can be used for both Bendix and Kelsey Hayes systems, but as far as i know the Bendix rotors are 0.8" thick and the K-H are 1" thick...
Or just get them machined down to size?

Just send an email to Yearone and see what they will tell me.

 

[hemi71x]

I will have to keep digging, i was hoping someone had some experience with a good manufacturer of replacement rotors.

With my reply, i thought it would been sufficient enough that i have experience with these Bendix disc brake rotors.
I was a mechanic, until i retired, and rebuilt enough of these Bendix brakes in my lifetime, to give accurate advice.

Those rotors that you find on ebay, are what's available, these days. and what you get.

I don't know if the same company is reproducing both style rotors, but a company named Dura Brake is the manufacturer for at least one of them.

And as far as that Year One rotor ad goes, it's full of inaccurate, wrong, misinformation.
If they are advertising it for 66-69 B Body Bendix rotors, it WILL NOT FIT OR WORK, on E body rotors.
You are correct in regards to the width differences between the Bendix, and Kelsey Hayes, braking systems.

As far as the brakes on your car, without pictures, who the heck knows whats been done to it, throughout all the years, to keep it on the road.
With you being overseas, lots of things come to my mind, to at least keep it driveable, and then stopable.

Look what the people in Cuba have done to 1950's American cars to keep them going.

Post some pictures, and i can tell you what's going on.
A picture is worth a thousand words, as that old Chinese proverb states.

 

[Wietse]

Miller showed me an article about the brake systems as well where it was mentioned the OEM rotors are very hard to find, there they mentioned a company Goodmark which supposed to reproduce them.
I checked them out but also does no longer show any reproduction rotors on their website.
Similar with the Dura brake, they do not mention any repo's on their website.
Probably these company's did this years ago but also stopped.

On the pictures below, you can see the spacer i found below the outer bearing, this is a 1 piece rotor.
This rotor is installed on the passenger side.
On the driver side the blasted rotor was installed, this is a 2 piece rotor, no spacer was found.
So to my believing, the driver side is an original type and the passenger side is a reproduction type which replace the original.

As the 2 piece had some issues with distortion due to heat etc, the single piece was a better option i guess.
With these being so hard to find i guess i might be better off wearing this set of pads up to death and replace the whole lot with a disc brake kit with 12" rotors or so.
I can sell my old rotor on ebay for $1000, which will pay for the brake kit
Should be able to get a fortune for my calipers

 

[Wietse]

Now looking at it, this 2 piece rotor might have been machined down as well....looking at the lip that appears to be machined.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Don't know if these work for your car! The second link is crazy money.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Mopar-...m=322400423154&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOPAR-NOS-...ash=item545a47a797:g:6RcAAOSw~o5aTo22&vxp=mtr

2nd one is $$$ GINO'S

 

[Wietse]

LOL. $5K for some rotors and callipers....what was he thinking.
The first one is for C-body's, they look different on the inner side and don't think they will fit. (doesn't tell any sizes as well)
But thanks for thinking with me here!

 

[hemi71x]

Can you take a couple of pictures of your spindles, (knuckles) and calipers, and post them?
Want to see what exactly you have.
Decades ago Mitchell Motor Parts, ran off a batch of of those one piece rotors for the B body cars, and once they all sold off, there never was another run of them again.

Goodmark is just another vendor for automobile parts.
They are not a manufacturer.
Dura Brake, as far as i ever found out, never listed anything in their "catalog" .
They mainly are, (were) a heavy duty truck, industrial, type of company for parts.

I have never seen any type of "spacer" behind a bearing and race before, so i ain't got a clue what reason you have that on a car, but if we keep working on this problem, it just might get figured out.

Lastly your not serious are you with your "smileys" thinking a rotor of yours is worth a thousand bucks, and calipers are worth a fortune.
Centric, Rock Auto, and other vendors, sellers, are selling those Bendix calipers, and they are pretty cheap.
And a few companies advertise rebuilding services for them too.
Which they don't have much demand for rebuilding, as store bought ones have dramatically brought down cost to purchase calipers.

And very few people are messing around with those original brakes anymore, in this day and age.
Bendix, and BUDD, disc brakes had a piss poor piston, and seal design, from the get go, and were problematic from the beginning.
Jim V.
hemi71x

 

[Wietse]

Well, as posted above some figured they can ask $5K for a set of calipers and rotors....at least i could try the same
Yeah, just joking i think if i would replace it for aftermarket i would keep them somewhere...i hate trowing things away haha.

Regarding the spacer, i think this was added behind the outer bearing to prevent it from going in too deep in the hub.
Once it would be seated all the way in without spacer the locking nut will be on the end of the thread and not locking in both bearings.
To compensate they added this spacer so the bearings are locked in.

See below some pics of the calliper and spindles.