I,
__would like to convert my REAR drums to disk, using boneyard parts.

I'm open to crossbreeding of parts. I know of the Explorer 8.8 convert.
But this requires finding custom rotors. (supposedly.)

I don't have a welder, so this would have to be a Bolt-On, set-up.
I'm really tired of these high $$ "kits". I mean the truck that I want to
do this to, is just a basic runner.

77' 150
302ci.
C-4 (panfill dipstick)
9" axle
5 on 5.5 bolt pattern

 

Interesting you should think about this type of conversion at this time. I was visiting the truck forum on the Ford Muscle site and came across this article:

Rear disc brake conversion?

The best advice for any drum brake configuration is to upgrade to disc brakes. Not long ago, I installed some rear disc brakes on a 9 inch for about 150 bucks, that was including beer. (alright we broke the budget in the beer, lol)
Our project took an extra day because we had to buy a bearing retainer from Currie that had the clearances required to hold the bearing and stuff, but this was cheap.
The break down in costs went about like this:

Chevy caliper brackets (Blazer)- junkyard- $15.00 for both
Chevy calipers (78- 1/2 ton) Autozone- $13.99 each
Pads (same) Autozone- $7.99/ set
Ford rotors (78- 1/2 ton) Autozone- $23.99 ea.
(the rotor can be drilled and tapped with a 3/8 x 16 thread to use as a press to remove the drum if this ever gets stuck. It will use the axle flange itself to press against in the future)

While we used the same calipers and brake hardware for the D44 front, this same stuff can be applied to the 2wd guys and it does not mean that the bank has to be broken.
Not too sure what wheel cylinders and drums cost to replace as I am not a fan of drums, and will always upgrade to discs, but as you can see, that for the money, it is a reasonable upgrade. This required zero machining and all of the work can be done with normal hand tools.
Lots of wow factor too.


I cannot personally vouch for this upgrade but it would be worth investigating to see if it's possible.

 

I have seen a lot of rear 9" in the yards with factory disk brake, but I never realy looked at them that close as I have a 60 rear.

 

Do not rule out some cars LINC VERSAILLES, FORD GRANADA or MERC MONARCH all had 9" with disk. I believe the 77,78,79 VERSAILLES had them.

 

Yes,
__but most car's axle housings arn't ment to stand up to the stress loads that truck axl does. That, & the Bolt Pattern is 5 on 4.5"

 

Intristing,
__that you bring that up.
I was wondering if a later model axl with disks would be possible
to just bolt in, or mod in without any welding.

 

Thank,__you on the info garypettengill.

1. The rotor tip; on drill + tapping. Cool points for that one.
2. On the front; what rotor do I use on a 2wd, & still
retain my 5 on 5.5" B-pattern?
(Read artical on brake upgrade/rear disk convert for a 4wd.)
_

 

As,
__for the Blazer caliper brackets.
1. years to look for.
2. S-10 or full-size K-5?
3. Info on how it mounts.

Thanks.

 

But on the car 9" can't you part them out and take what you need for the disk swap?

 

"But on the car 9" can't you part them out and take what you need for the disk swap?"


This what I was thinking. Are the caliper brackets welded on or bolt on. I would not change the housing but maybe use some parts. As for the Chevy backing plates K5 (full size) and 1/2 ton pickups have the ones you need. I few years back a lot of jeepers used the same backing plate to put disk on the dana 30 fronts.

 

Most of the above info came from this thread from a few days ago.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ease-help.html
I included a couple of pics using the chevy bracket and calipers. While the bracket does bolt on, it still requires a little work to bolt up exactly. I even mentioned the .100" difference in clearance for the bearing retainer. Currie enterprises actually sells the correct retainer. This prevents the small amount of axle movement that would occur.
In this case, Ford front rotors were used. This keeps the front and rear rotors the same, and again in this case kept the front and rear calipers the same. In the case explained in the above post, we used chebby front brakes for a D44 disc brake swap too.
Super cheap, and easy to perform.

This is much easier than using ford car style disc brakes. You will be happier when you have to replace a caliper. Look at how inexpensive the chebby caliepr is, and these are everywhere, I mean everywhere.

 

75F350,
So which year/model chevy's have these brackets? And are the rotors from the Dana 44 setup on a 78 F150?

Great info by the way. I'm planning on getting the parts for this put together vs. repairing my drums. I already have the rotors that were spares.

 

CHRI7S, if you are looking for the Chevy brackets look for around late 60s to late 70s full size Blazers and 1/2 ton pickups. All of them use them. Some are full and look like the backing plate and some are cut out and just have the caliper mount. I have seen both styles on both Blazers and P/Us. Edit make that 4 wheel drive Blazers and P/Us.

 

Sounds good. Thanks for the info 1977f250

 

Great info there! There is definitely a wealth of information on here. A rear disk upgrade is definitely on my "list of fun things to do".