Abstract: An apparatus is provided for prealigning multiple brake dies to facilitate die changes in a brake press. The apparatus comprises a die holder including a floating adapter attachable to the movable ram of the brake press, and a pair of subplates adapted to receive the multiple brake dies in a semipermanent and prealigned arrangement to form a subassembly which can be installed into the die holder with minimum setup time. The floating adapter permits transfer of loads from the press ram to the multiple brake dies in the subassembly without also communicating undesirable bending stresses therethrough. Also, the die holder includes guides for directing the subplates along a true linear path toward and away from each other. Secondary equipment used with the brake dies can be attached directly to the subplates, thus further reducing die change setup time.