I have a 1998 f150 4x4 4.6 triton V8 regular cab, I would like to ditch the rear drum brakes in favor of disk brakes. is this an easy bolt on project? I do know that 2003 f150's had rear disk brakes and was wondering if i bought those parts if the procedure would be fairly easy. I know i would have to take a check valve out of the master cylinder to gain pressure to the rear. If any one could point me in the right direction for this conversion let me know. Any help would be greatly apprechiated.

 

Check these guys out. Fordracingparts.com Part# M-2300-G. Its made for the Ford 8.8 axle. I think that is in your truck. Price is about 360 bucks.

 

Expeditions came with 4 wheel discs. After the cash for clunkers deal, you should be able to find what you need in a junkyard.

 

This info is for a T-Bird but still helpful drum-to-disc

 

Auto repair shops in the rust belt states love rear disc brakes on trucks and suv's.It used to be a rear brake job with the drums about every 5-8 years for a couple hundred bucks and now has turned into 1200 bucks for calipers,rotors,complete backing plate/parking brake assys,axle seals,diff covers(rotted),and the like.I love progress!Unless you tow at the full gvw or carry heavy loads all the time,rear discs on a half ton are a waste of money.

 

Huh, go figure. I got that info from their website. My 98 F150 4X4 Lariat 5.4 E4OD supercab still has rear drums. I tow a 22' ski boat (about 5000 lbs w/trailer) to the Colorado river and even when the rear brakes are soaked from launching and retrieving the truck stops great. Never had a problem. Just make sure the larger trailers have their own brakes! I wouldn't waste the money on disc brakes unless you live in the rust belt.

 

My trucks going on 8 years now and I think I've done the brakes a total of 2 or 3 times, parts don't cost that much for disk brakes and it's a shame that a job so easy goes to the shop to get done and people get boned for labor costs. Discs are much easier to work with and are a step up from drum brakes. I would go for the swap if you have the money and time to do so.

 

im looking to swap over from drum to disc in my 98 f150 4.6L V8 extended cab. ive heard that i can use the same year Expeditions and i wanna know if i can forsure do that

 

The issue that gets left behind is the bias built into the difference between the front and the rear for braking pressures applied.
You need to use the correct master cylinder hardware so the brake pressure applied is near correct.
What this means is the rear could either under brake or over brake if the bias issue is not addressed.
The amount of bias is greatly influenced by the weight on the rear, the total weight of the truck and the dynamic weight transfer of weight to the front when brakes are applied and even the tire grip.
If the braking is over applied to the rear the wheels can lock up too quickly so the front does extra work.
This all has an effect on pad wear and even safety.
What your doing is playing with engineering by bolting on parts without being concerned about the outcome.
I just bring to you that there is more to this than just making the hardware change and driving off into the sun set which could under some circumstance be 6 foot under, liability in an accident because you could not stop etc..
should a lawyer find the brake system was altered.
Good luck.

 

Hi wheres the check valve on the máster Cylinder?

 

Pressure reducing or pressure retention? Pressure retention (about 10 psi) seems to be built in MC. I am not 100% sure. Pressure reducing seems to be taken care of by rear ABS. I am not 100% sure of this, either. Brake system seems to be full of unknowns. (info is not shared with end users). As Bluegrass noted, until all of these are answered, we shouldn't tinker the brake system.

 

I have entertained this thought myself of switching the rear drums over to disc, but in all reality it was much easier and cheaper to just rebuild the rear drums. The parts are cheap and readily available still. I’ve had zero issues during or after the rebuild and work as intended now. I don’t really see any Benefit to all the work involved in trying to switch from drum to disc. Drum brakes look difficult at first sight but really aren’t that hard once you dig in and do it.

 

What? Swapping in a rear disc axle and tweaking with brake lines?

I’d never do drums again. Too much hunting at too many stores when I had to do up my old ‘94 Ranger. I will take every edge I can get. Drums aren’t that edge. Otherwise, keep coping.

 

Have you successfully done this swap yourself? If so, what “edge” have you noticed on the rear brakes exactly?

 

Since rear brakes are only 20-30% of our stopping power and drum brakes work fine when operating correctly I seriously doubt there is any noticeable difference at all. Most likely just a psychological one.