Ok guys so I need some help with the brakes on our 64 J88. Want to go with the full sized brakes for the car, but need to know where/what cars to look for.

Will the spindles that I have work with the bigger brakes? I'm going to guess the backing plates need to be changed as well. Which sisters should I look for other then the other 2 models of 88? Is the master cylinder and booster the same? Same brake lines?!

 

Do you really think you need to change everything to get adequate brakes?
While I'm not generally a fan of drum brakes, I do know that they work pretty well if in good repair & adjustment.
Seems to me that you'd be money ahead by simply rebuilding your factory drums with new parts as needed, then using quality semi-metallic shoes and having them adjusted by someone familiar with drum brakes first. You may be surprised how well they work. They won't get you through an autocross course in record time, but for everyday driving they should work just fine.

I'd answer your original question if I could, but I (along with most people) don't really know the J88 specifics that well.

 

x2!!

 

A Jetstar 88 is only a couple hundred pounds heavier than a comparable same-year full-size Chevrolet and the smaller brakes worked fine for them, so I too see no real need to change everything in spite of what some of the doomsayers on here claim. The only brake upgrade I would see as worthwhile would be an upgrade to a dual master cylinder.

If your small drum brakes are maintained properly, they'll work fine. You and your wife will learn to drive with them. People drove those cars everyday for hundreds of thousands of miles with drum brakes and lived to see 2013.

 

The J88 front spindles use the same wheel bearings and hubs as an A-body. That means that A-body rotors will bolt right on. The caliper brackets will not bolt up, however, so you'd need to weld tabs onto them to get the calipers located properly. Of course, you'll need disk brake wheels if you still have the original ones on there.