Does anyone have the piston diameters for the rear calipers used on the Explorer? Same for the Expedition.

Planning a fiberglass replica 1932 Ford that will have discs in the rear and I'm trying to find calipers that have about the right piston diameter to start with. Yes, I understand about proportioning valves, but you still need to be close on piston area.

Piper106

 

Bump.

Still wondering if anone has any numbers or links for the rear caliper piston diameter for the Explorer (prior to 2002) and Sport Trac (through 2004) with the solid axle. Also looking for the same rear caliper piston diameter for the 2003 and later independant rear suspension Explorer.

Piper106

 

I just looked in the shop manual and they don't give specs on the piston size that I can find anyway.
What calipers are you using on the front?
What sort of parking brakes are you planning on?

 

As far as front calipers, I was going to get the car mostly finished and get an actual scale weight on the front and rear before committing to the front calipers. In the front you have a lot of choices, only a handful for the rear, so I figure go for the rear calipers first.

Another part of my search is that most of the aftermarket brake companies that do street rod brakes build their system around early 1980s GM calipers. I'd like to keep my Ford a Ford. I also think/hope technology has advanced since those GM calipers were designed.

I'd like to get rear calipers that have the parking brake built into the caliper rather than the separate shoe type parking brakes inside the 'hat' used by the solid rear axle version of the Explorer, but that is a want and not a must.

Reading some of the other boards, it seems that you have to have the front and rear caliper size 'half way' balanced to the vehicle weight distribution for a proportioning valve to work. It sounds like if you are too far out on the hardware, the proportioning valve cannot make it right.

The SN95 Mustang rear calipers have the parking brake built in, but they have pretty small pistons (like 36 or 38 mm diameter). That is OK for car heavy in front like a Mustang, but a 32 roadster is going to be much closer to 50/50 weight distribution, and I figure I need more brake in the rear than that.

The 2003+ IRS Explorers have calipers with the built in parking brake. An Explorer looks pretty heavy in the rear and I figure would have some decent size calipers, but I was trying to put some numbers on them.

Ford Racing and others sell kits for the different Ford rear axles that are built around the disc brakes from the 2002 and earlier solid axle Explorer. If nothing else, I like the price, but they provide no data on the calipers.

Sorry for the rant

Piper106

PS I know about the Lincoln Mark VIII LSC rear calipers (54 mm pistons), but if the 32 ends up at the weight I want it to be, I don't need the vented rotors that fit those calipers, solid rotors would be fine for street driving.

 

How much do you figure the car will weight when done?
On my race car I went the easy way and used Chevy calipers on the rear. You can get brackets that weld to the housing so it's a really easy job. Of course I have no park brake though. On the front I have stock Crown Victoria brakes and the Chev calipers on the rear are a bit too big but with the proportioning valve turned down most of the way they work ok.
The newer IRS Explorers use seperate park brakes too, like the older ones.
How about calipers from a newer Taurus? Again I cant find specs on them. They have the built in park brake mechanism.