Hi my name is Dennis Clayton . This is not my first time on here but it has been a while. I have a 1954 ford f100 i have put an 03 crown vic front end underneath it. and now i am looking to put the rear end under it and i want disc brakes. So my question is what would be a good rear end to put in it ? with the same bolt pattern as the front end . so i can use the same wheels . and with out having to take a torch and cut all of the brackets off of it like i would have to do on the crown vic rear end . and doing it inexpensively . (cheap ?) Someone told me that i could use a ford explorer but was not sure what year has disc brakes . Any and all help or suggestions are highly accepted . thanks so much .

 

Looks like 95 and later Explorers had rear discs, and the bolt pattern is 5x4.5 (same as the CV).

Here is a link with some basic info:

The Ford Explorer 8.8-Inch Rear Axles

One issue you will have is that the CV front end is fairly wide, and I believe the explorer is narrow. Different offset rims or wheel spacers would be needed more than likely.

 

Thank you for that information Now that I know what rear end To look for It will make my job easy As far as The rear end Being Narrower That will allow me To run a Wider We are tires Under my finders Without sticking out This website is the greatest Thank you again

 

Hey Oldford,
Welcome Aboard! We have a 1950 F1 & we used a 2001 Ford Explorer
8.8 inch rear end. It's a little narrow so you will have to buy wheel spacers to go this route. A little more info. from the "Tips" section up at the top of this Forum.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1 (351W/AOD)

"Many folks want rear discs. While the improvement to overall braking capability of the vehicle is negligible as your front brakes do approx. 70% of the total braking, there is the "cool factor" or bragging rights of having disc brakes on all four corners. If you've got to have rear discs and don't want to spend about $700. USD for a bolt on kit, then consider -

1. 89 -01 - Ford Explorer 59 - �" flange to flange.
All Explorer rear ends are the same 5 on 4 �" bolt pattern.
8.8" rear ends - come with 3.25, 3.55, 3.73 and 4.11 gears.
89-94 = drum brakes only.
94-97 = drum or disc brakes
97-01 = disc Brakes only
Can use an 8" rim with 3 �" backspacing and P235/75R-15 tires

2. Volvos - a cheap and "secret" 8.8 source is rear wheel drive Volvos from roughly 77-96. Most ratios are in the 3.5 to 4.1 range, lockers and rear discs are fairly common. Early patterns are metric, after 87 they are Ford SAE. Widths vary a bit depending on brakes but most I've used (not in trucks though) are about 54" between axle tube ends (that should provide an axle flange to axle flange width of around 58 - 60 inches). Easy to remove the coil spring perches and add
leaves. Many retain the very rugged and visually appealing trailing arms. (Also, Volvo is now
owned by Ford, so you can say you're staying true blue.)

3. Late 70's and early 80's Lincolns- Many folks have made the Lincoln Versailles and Lincoln Mark IV rear ends (with discs) work quite well in F-1/F-100s. "

 

Lincoln Versailles basically a "rebadged" 1977/80 Granada/Monarch that were available with rear discs as an option. 1974/76 Continental Mark IV & 1977/79 Continental Mark V all came with rear discs.

Rear discs also found on 1974/78 LTD/Mercury Marquis, 1974/79 Lincoln Town Car, 1974/79 Thunderbird (same parts as Marks).