front end disk brake conversion

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Oct 24, 2013 | 07:51 AM

47duallyFL

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From: Saint Augustine

front end disk brake conversion

Ok, so I bought the Dana 70. The guy threw in the 6 tires and front axle for another 100 bucks. Now this frnt axle is too long for my 47 1.5 ton and the perches are too wide anyway, but it does have disk brakes. Alarmingly similar in size and shape of the 47's axle spindles. So, i'm going to change out the bearings and see how the hub fits, probably later today, after 'work'...
If the hub fits ok then it looks as if my next challenge would be hanging the caliper from the 47 backing plate. On this M300 axle it's a cast iron looking 'C' shaped piece with two threaded holes by which to mount the caliber over the rotor. I'm thinking I need to fabricate a new metal plate to hang the caliper from, which will mount up to my 47 backing plate...
Does this sound right??? Can I fab out of aluminum, then if it works properly, have it fabbed out of steel plate??

Oct 24, 2013 | 01:40 PM

47duallyFL

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From: Saint Augustine

OK, well good thing this post had an under whelming amount of responses. The bearing guy (Miller Bearings, Daytona Beach) says the inner bearing cup of the M300 hub is too close in size to the Ford axle spindle. In other words, they dont make bearings small enough to fit in between the two dimensions. End of story. He says forget the M300, try another axle.
signed,
Seeking Front Axle with Disk Brakes for '47 Ford 1.5 Ton Flatbed Dually

Oct 24, 2013 | 02:37 PM

christurney77

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From: Neosho, MO

I don't know if you will find disc brakes for a 1.5 ton axle? Everywhere I look online, I don"t find any info. Can you use your drums? That may be the easier way to go.

Oct 24, 2013 | 04:18 PM

3Mike6

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From: Oakdale,Ca.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 47duallyFL

You may want to look for a sleeve for your spindles...depending on it's thickness needed, you might need different bearing all together, but you might come up with a solution.

Oct 25, 2013 | 06:42 AM

47duallyFL

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From: Saint Augustine

Thanks for weighin in, guys. To use what I have I would need either a donor hub with a larger bearing cup, or I need a smaller axle spindle. There needs to be a greater disparity between those two sizes to fit a tapered roller bearing.
I'm not expecting to fit any disk brakes directly onto my 47. Since I bought an 8 lug Dana70 I am now seeking an 8 lug front axle to bolt under the 47. Of course that new axle would have disk brakes already fitted to it.
So, for now, I'll just keep rebuilding the brakes as they were designed, with the 1.5 inch wheel cylinders, in drums, on all four corners. I'm not gonna go fast and I'm not gonna go far. But I did want to drive it around the neighborhood a bunch of times before I started redesigning and rebuilding every little aspect of the truck...