Ford 9" Disk Brake Conversion

[RockMonkey]

I'm trying to figure out what combination of parts to use for disk brakes on a Ford 9" rear. I'm not interested in spending 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a bolt-on kit. I'm looking for calipers that will bolt on to this bracket ($13 each):

My bolt pattern is 5 on 5.5, so I need 5 on 5.5 rotors.

Could I use 44 front rotors, like the ones from a 79 Ford F150 ($28.56 each)?

Then GM 1/2 ton calipers should fit on the brackets ($28 each):

Brake pads are $15 and estimate bolts are $15 as well. That brings the total to $169. Will these rotors fit over the 9" axle flanges? Will the Chevy calipers work with the Ford rotors. The rotors are slightly (one tenth of an inch) thinner, but I think it should work. What am I missing? Are there aftermarket kits that are close to this price that I don't know about?

 

[bobdog]

I'm trying to figure out what combination of parts to use for disk brakes on a Ford 9" rear. I'm not interested in spending 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a bolt-on kit. I'm looking for calipers that will bolt on to this bracket ($13 each):

My bolt pattern is 5 on 5.5, so I need 5 on 5.5 rotors.

Could I use 44 front rotors, like the ones from a 79 Ford F150 ($28.56 each)?

Then GM 1/2 ton calipers should fit on the brackets ($28 each):

Brake pads are $15 and estimate bolts are $15 as well. That brings the total to $169. Will these rotors fit over the 9" axle flanges? Will the Chevy calipers work with the Ford rotors. The rotors are slightly (one tenth of an inch) thinner, but I think it should work. What am I missing? Are there aftermarket kits that are close to this price that I don't know about?

That is what I used exactly. My shafts are custom summers brothers Dana 60 shafts witch are probably simmilar in size to your 9" but I dont know. I had to trim the inside of the hats slightly to fit over the axle flange. I could have cut the flanges down but I liked the idea of cutting on $60 worth of rotors better than on 7 or so hundred in shafts. The Chevy calipers work fine with the Ford rotors. I found new name brand calipers at checker for about half of what you found but they may be more now it has been a few years. You need to add a new master cylinder to your list especially when running those relatively large calipers in the rear.

 

[RockMonkey]

Really? Are XJ master cylinders smaller than YJs? I used the stock YJ master cylinder with these same calipers and they worked great.

 

[RockMonkey]

Are there any GM vehicles with a 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern?

 

[bobdog]

Really? Are XJ master cylinders smaller than YJs? I used the stock YJ master cylinder with these same calipers and they worked great.

My stock CJ MC worked fine, but when I installed a corvette four wheel disc MC the diference was night and day.

 

[RockMonkey]

oooh, these calipers should work, right? 18 bucks!

http://www.partsamerica.com/Product...1C&MfrPartNumber=184020&PartType=5003&PTSet=A

 

[bobdog]

Are there any GM vehicles with a 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern?

Some 1/2 ton 2wd trucks. There is really no need though. The Ford 1/2 ton rotors work fine.

 

[Shawn]

My stock CJ MC worked fine, but when I installed a corvette four wheel disc MC the diference was night and day.

X2

 

[RockMonkey]

For reference, the caliper bolts:

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPag...escription=Brake+Caliper+Housing+Bolt+-+Front
http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=RAY&MfrPartNumber=H50042&PartType=351&PTSet=A

 

[RockMonkey]

Banjo bolts: $3.29 each

http://www.partsamerica.com/product...OR&MfrPartNumber=4842051&PartType=708&PTSet=A

 

[RockMonkey]

Any help on the hoses? I'd like the shortest possible rubber hose to account for the caliper movement, then run metal lines to the splitter.

 

[RockMonkey]

Here are some nice short hoses that work with the same Chevy Calipers. $13.52 each

From a 1978 Impala:

http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=TRQ&MfrPartNumber=H97664&PartType=228&PTSet=A

Or from an 81 Impala, $10.99 each

http://www.partsamerica.com/Product...AY&MfrPartNumber=4536846&PartType=228&PTSet=A

And I'll need some of the little hose clips $3.59 each:

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=LEE&MfrPartNumber=14572&PartType=228&PTSet=A

 

[Devel]

we used cadilac calipers on our 9in in the studabaker project, they have a built in ebrake

 

[Coreshot]

excellent thread, 'monkey. I've been trying to figure out how to disc my 9 without buying a kit. I'll be watching...

 

[RockMonkey]

It looks like Checker has pretty much everything I need, and just about the best prices. For the sake of convenience I will probably pick up everything all at once from one place. Here is my shopping list.

I will also need two weld-on caliper brackets which are $13 each from my local 4x4 shop.

So my total is $196 with tax. That's about half of what the cheapest conversion kits I could find cost.

 

[RockMonkey]

I'm not sure if the bolts come as a set of two, or if that price is each. If they come in a set of two (as pictured) I will save 13 bucks.

 

[Nate R]

Not sure if you are still looking for short brake hoses, but I used these with Chevy 1/2 ton calipers. They are fairly short.


*edit* here is the exact one I used.

 

[RockMonkey]

I pressed out the hub from one of the rotors on my front axle to test fit it over the rear axle flange. It doesn't fit. It would require grinding of either the rotor or the axle flange to make it work. I would like to find something that fits without modification. Anyone have any suggestions on 5 on 5.5 rotors?

 

[Herzog]

I pressed out the hub from one of the rotors on my front axle to test fit it over the rear axle flange. It doesn't fit. It would require grinding of either the rotor or the axle flange to make it work. I would like to find something that fits without modification. Anyone have any suggestions on 5 on 5.5 rotors?

Tanner had to grind down his rotors when he did this exact same disk swap.

Just put it up on jack stand, start it up let the axles spin and hold a grinder on the axle flange for a while until the hats fit. IIRC, it didn't take much to make a perfect fit.

 

[RockMonkey]

Tanner had to grind down his rotors when he did this exact same disk swap.

Just put it up on jack stand, start it up let the axles spin and hold a grinder on the axle flange for a while until the hats fit. IIRC, it didn't take much to make a perfect fit.

Yeah, everything I look at just puts me right back at the Ford 44 rotors, and grinding down the axle flanges as you describe. Unfortunately that means I have to wait for the axle to be installed before I can build my brakes. I wanted to have the axles all complete and ready to go before I started building the suspension.