bkahler

Like most things I was probably trying to over analyze the situation. With that much clearance a 1/2" isn't going to be noticable let alone a problem. I went ahead and ordered 1-1/2" spacers. An inch to make up the difference between original and Cherokee axle and the extra 1/2 inch to come closer to the same relationship with the front wheels when using the Rustyhope kit. Thanks for the measurements! Brad

I've noticed that most if not all vehicles seem to have a slightly wider stance in front. As you suggested it probably has something to do with stability and cornering.

I've been doing some research on wheel adapters and came across these lug nuts. Not quite the look I'm going for...... ?

I've been doing some calculations (yeah, that's dangerous!) between Rustyhope's front rotors and my original front drums. I come up with a .78" difference between the two wheel mounting surfaces on each side. In other words the Rustyhope kit provides a wider stance by .78" per side. Since I am buying wheel spacers/adapters so the Cherokee axle wheel placement will be at least the same as original I'm wondering if I should get 1-1/2" spacers instead of 1-1/4" spacers. This would keep the wheel stance about the same per side only slightly wider overall. Would there be any issues with fender clearance by adding 1/2" to the placement of the wheels in back to widen the stance to bring it closer to the front? Thanks! Brad

Torque..... Here's the ratings for 1951 trucks: 1/2 ton - 175 ft/lbs @ 1600 3/4 ton - 175 ft/lbs @ 1600 1 ton - 190 ft/lbs @ 1200 1-1/2 ton - 192 ft/lbs @ 1200 2 ton - 193 ft/lbs @ 1200 2-1/2 ton - 206 ft/lbs @ 1200 2-3/4 ton - 253 ft/lbs @ 1300 3 ton - 280 ft/lbs @ 1600 3-1/2 ton - 280 ft/lbs @ 1600 4 ton - 330 ft/lbs @ 1200

Originally I was more inclined to go with loose spacers and longer wheel studs. As I've done more research and get comments from people it seems that the style that bolts to the hub and provides new studs is a better way to go. I believe what I will end up doing is buying 1-1/4" adapters that bolt to the original hubs and if need be trim the ends of my 1-1/4" long wheels studs be to fit the adapters. Thanks for the info. Brad

For the adapter plate I've fabricated I think it boils down to one of three options. 1) Grind the MC enough to fit a socket head cap screw (no mods to adapter plate, mod to MC) 2) Countersink the plate and use flat head screws (mods to adapter plate, no mods to MC) 3) Grind the MC enough to allow clearance for a bolt to fit in the hole and use a round or horseshoe shaped spacer. (no mods to adapter plate, mods to MC) There is an advantage to not modifying the MC and that is if you're on the road somewhere and the MC fails you can get one off the shelf at just about any parts store and bolt in place and you're back on your way. If you have to modify the MC to make it fit that means it's no longer an off the shelf bolt in place affair. Not using counter sunk screws means the adapter plate is stronger but negates the advantage in the paragraph above. My preference would be option two, countersink the holes but I want to be comfortable knowing that I haven't compromised the integrity of the adapter plate. Decisions........ One thing I need to keep in mind is until I bolt the assembly to the bell housing and install the brake pedal I don't know for certain that the MC is bolted in the right location on the adapter plate. Based on all my measurements and calculations I believe it is but in the world I come from, until a change is tested you don't know for certain that it's right. My assumption in this case is the travel of the push rod needs to be as close to center line of the MC as I can make it. With this Cherokee MC the MC has a cylinder protruding from it that the pedal push rod has to slip into. If it's not in line with the center of the MC then I believe it could bind. Thanks! Brad

If I go with this style of spacer I'm inclined to to with 1-1/4" as that would only require a slight buffing of the wheel stud tips to get proper clearance. I'm not overly interested in replacing the wheels studs or cutting them down for that matter. I generally take the easy way out whenever possible! Thanks, Brad

Merle, Would you consider this type of spacer better than using longer studs with a "loose" spacer? With my axle change I need to add 1 inch to each side to put the wheels back where they were originally. The problem with a 1 inch spacer of this type is my wheel studs are 1-1/4" which means they are to long for a 1" spacer. If you feel this spacer is better I would then consider going to 1-1/4 inch spacers or possibly even 1-1/2 inch so my studs would clear. The question is will the addition 1/4 to 1/2" per side make a difference in the wheel wells for the rear wheels? Brad

I'm getting old and slow and had to sit and think on about what you wrote overnight, however I think I finally get what you're trying to describe If I understand correctly you're looking for way to get the bracket bolted to the bell housing with out using countersunk screws which would weaken the adapter plate. An alternative to fabricating some sort of horseshoe shaped bracket might be to grind material away on the MC as shown in red in the attached picture and using a round spacer with a longer bolt to space the head of the bolt above the top of the MC casting. I think a spacer with a 1/8" wall and about 1/2" in height would be sufficient.

I can see where it would work to add spacers to provide clearance for adapter plate mounting. However the use of a spacer would move the MC closer to the steering column in an area where clearance is at a premium. One thing I had been wondering about was just how much stress the MC is actually under. I would think if everything is aligned properly the overall stress would be minimal. Considering the Grand Cherokee MC mounts with just two 5/16" bolts I wouldn't think the stress wouldn't be to much.

Took the time this evening to make a mounting bracket for the Grand Cherokee MC. Once all of the holes were in place I found an interesting dilemma. The two holes at the top of the bracket are very slightly blocked by the MC. This will necessitate grinding clearance spots on the MC casting. Not a whole lot and I don't think it will interfere with the integrity of the MC but without modifying the bell housing casting by boring out the holes in the casting to remove the threads I don't see any other alternative. For myself I'm not willing to permanently alter the bell housing so I'll modify the MC itself. Sometime this week I hope to do the grinding on the MC for clearance so I can actually mount the MC to the truck and verify the brake pedal pushrod mates properly to the MC. Back when I had the original MC bolted to the truck I noticed that it appeared to sit slightly at an angle. Tonight that became pretty obvious once I bolted the plate to the truck! Not sure why Dodge mounted it that way but it sure looks odd. That angle is not something I can correct by relocating holes due to the interference of the top holes with the MC. It would just make one of the holes worse. Anyway, I'm a little closer to having an MC bolted to the truck Brad It just dawned on me, the two two bolts could be countersunk and flathead screws could be used to fasten the plate to the bell housing and then the MC would be bolted in place. Something to think about......

Eric, Here's a picture that you posted on your page showing the rear frame area. At first glance it would appear the shocks mount above the frame on a C-Series truck. Brad

I've experienced and also heard of issues with rebuilt calipers myself. It's probably just luck of the draw when it comes to whether or not problems will occur. I at least try to buy from companies I've heard of as in this instance my new calipers are Raybestos for the rear and ACDelco for the front.

Dang, now I'm really curious! I keep forgetting I have the salesman's book, maybe it references torque. I'll try and remember to look this evening.

What kind of caliper mounting is on your truck?

All mounting hardware and boots are new with the calipers. That might explain why I've not found any real failure info in my searches.

I've checked a lot of the online mopar parts sites and all show as discontinued. One of them does list the right side as being in stock but their website hangs during the last step when ordering and worse, they provide NO contact information anywhere on their website! I hadn't thought about checking locally but there is a Jeep dealer not far from me so maybe that will be my next attempt. Thanks! Brad

That or something similar is my one concern. Of the two pads the pad that the piston presses on is designed to move inward towards the rotor. The caliper itself also slides in and out on two bolts or studs to compensate for pad wear. Currently there is an obvious wear area in the caliper bracket that corresponds to where the sliding pad is located. What I don't know is how much if any this will impact brake operation. So far I've not found any pertinent information searching online. The only thing I can take way from that fact is maybe it's not a problem. This is something I need to stew on a little more I guess. Brad

Spent several hours on Saturday and Sunday cutting off all of the extra brackets on the Cherokee axle. I had planned on using my acetylene torch to cut the brackets off and then smooth them out with the grinder but after cutting about 2" into a bracket my acetylene hose cracked and I had a nice little fire right at the torch handle! That meant I had to use cutoff wheels to remove everything. So in spite of the equipment failure I manged to make the axle tubes look pretty decent, it just took longer than planned. Sorry no pictures, I was bundled up in heavy clothes and gloves and didn't take the time to take any. The Cherokee axle obviously came from a northern state as evidenced by all the rust. I now have all of the rust cleaned up with the exception of the two backing plates and the caliper brackets. Those pieces are currently soaking in Evapo-rust. I'm pretty sure the caliper brackets are salvageable and probably the left backing plate but the right plate has some rust through that might be more than I want to deal with. Unfortunately the only way I can buy the backing plates is as a complete set which includes the caliper brackets and parking brake shoes at about $250 for both sides. That's a lot of money when I only need the two stamped sheet metal backing plates. After the discussion on leaf springs a few days ago I decided to go with liner inserts sold by Speedway Motors. I've already received the shipment so the next step is to start dismantling the leaf springs so I can remove the paint between the leaf springs. I'm thinking I'll try using a wire wheel first to see how well that works. I really hope to have all of the spring work, axle modifications and front disc brakes installed before the end of March. Well, I can dream anyway.......! Brad

Thanks Merle, That certainly simplifies my search for wheel spacers and wheel studs.

The 3/8" aluminum flat stock arrived yesterday so sometime this week I'll use my template to make an adapter. I was planning on making through holes for the Jeep MC mounting bolts but I think I'll drill and tap for 5/16-18 bolts instead. The 3/8" plate provides enough thread engagement for a 5/16 bolt and I think it would be easier than dealing with counter sunk bolts. Stay tuned.

Wow! That is one tiny master cylinder! Have you driven the truck yet with that setup?

98 HP.......doesn't seem much by today's standards but its good enough. Ever hear what the torque rating is/was?

Hub centric? Wow, wasn't expecting that. I measured the hubs on my truck and came up with 46mm or 1.810" center bore. A quick Google search came up with zilch as far as hub centric wheel spacers with a 46mm bore. Is this something I'm going to have to custom make?