OEM donor rear disc brake swap

[gasman826]

I've done several Explorer rear disc to big bearing 9" rear swaps.  I've also posted several pictures under PROJECTS '57 Custom and Raunch Wagon as well as several responses to other posts.  This is a new post to focus on OEM donor rear disc brake swap for 9" small bearing.  The donor cars are '96-02 Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis (not Lincolns)... '03-08 CV and GM will also work but components do not interchange with the earlier models.


Attached PICs are OEM donor rear disc brakes for 9" small bearing.  These are all ready cleaned, painted and freshened up parts...ready to install.

[rovohn]

Thanks for the posting,is this pretty much a straight swap or are there some mods that need to take place?
Cheers John

[gasman826]

Bolts on.  Modifications required to the brake lines and parking brake cables.  A .250" spacer is required between the axle housing and axle bearing to move the bearing outward to compensate for the thickness of the caliper bracket.  A guy on eBay (FASTMERC) offers spacers or you can cut your own.

[wv 57s forever]

do you need a spacer with aftermarket kits?

[gasman826]

I've never done a rear, aftermarket kit.  Most of the aftermarket rear disc kits I looked at did not have a parking brake.

[RICH MUISE]

My aftermarket kit was made by SS Brakes, Inc. I got the kit at Jegs, (think SS Brakes went out of business). However, that said, they are based on 88 Thunderbird, and have an easy setup for the E brake. The kit was for big bearing ends, I'd have to look to find if old style or newer. I had all the info/kit when I had the rear end built, so the axels were turned to accommodate the kit if I remember correctly.

[Ford Blue blood]

Gary can you explain the spacer install?  Pics?  I'm having trouble visualizing where and what moves.

[gasman826]

I checked and I don't have disc brake small bearing install photos.  BUT, I do have a few pictures of the big bearing install on the Raunch Wagon...same procedure.

PIC 1) Currie supplied .250" thick spacer (for big bearing)
PIC 2) .250" spacer installed in housing
PIC 3)  bearing installed just to show how the bearing aligns the rear housing and the caliper bracket.          The bearing is supported half in the rear end and half on the caliper bracket.  This also spaces the out for parking brake and rotor alignment.  Most axles are longer than necessary (check the wear pattern on the spider gears...3/4 spline contact with the spider gears is adequate).  I temporarily installed the bearing before tightening the caliper bracket to insure alignment.
PIC 4) Weld a brake hose tab to the rear end.  I saved the parking brake cables off the donor and hooked them to the '57 brake cables.  I used Lokar parking brake cable kit on the '57 Custom.

[Ford Blue blood]

Thanks much Gary.  I simply forgot the backing plate holds it all together.

[rovohn]

So,I have all of the front and rear disc brake assembly,but I will need a 4 wheel disc master cylinder.Is there a Ford one I can get from Rock Auto that works and is still reasonably priced?
Thanks John

[gasman826]

At one time, I used whatever MC that was attached to the donor booster.  The last few upgrades, I've used Wilwood.  They are expense but guaranteed forever and rebuildable.  They are quite universal and pretty.  A Wilwood MC is easy to order with the required options.  For boosted applications, I use an 1-1/8" bore.  For unboosted, I use a 7/8" bore MC.

[gasman826]

Staying with original subject, OEM Donor rear disc brake swap for small bearing, I just finished an installation of '03 CV donated rear disc on a early small bearing 9".  I upgraded to Strange 31 spline axles with the HD small bearing option.  Mosier and Strange sealed, ball bearings do NOT use an axle seal.  The '03 CV rear disc bolt pattern and bearing size is exactly the same as the small bearing so the axles slid right in.  Unfortunately for my application, the '03 CV calipers are clocked at 12 o'clock and were very close to frame interference.  I rotated the caliper frame 180 degrees to the 6 o'clock position and bolted it all together.  Unconventional...yes, but hydraulics under pressure don't care which way is up.  The down side is that I will have to remove and invert the calipers to bleed.  I didn't bother fishing the parking brake cables out of the CV.  I bought LOKAR universal brake cables and see no issues with these working.  Given a choice, I would have went with the '02 and older CV but a friend offered the whole rear end from the '03 for $50.  I could have used all the donor parts and stayed with a very modest budget.  Instead, I upgraded the rotors, calipers, pads, brake cables and brake hoses but I still am way under a Wilwood conversion budget.  I have more rear brake than I will ever use or need and if needed, OEM parts that are cheap and readily available at almost any parts house.

Another NOTE:  some small bearing ends are shaped like an upside down, irregular pentagon...the bottom being slightly pointed.  On my housing, I had to cut the bottom flange to look like the top of the flange.  It cost me about 30 seconds a side.