yourpc48 Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 (edited) I started my conversion this evening. I had a few minutes to do a little checking and I may have made a really lucky pick for my parts. I wanted to find some way of using more current parts to convert my car to disk so I can get parts at the parts store for years to come. So off to the wreckers I went. While looking for a rear end for my car I also glanced at some disk brake parts that would adapt to my car without too much effort. I took the front rotors and calipers off of a 96 (95-2001 are the same) Explorer including the hose and bracket and also keeping the 2 mounting bolts per side. This evening I pulled the drum off the passenger side of the car and pulled the drum off the hub. I pulled the backing plates and brake assemblies off the car. Put the studs back in the hub and then mounted it back on the spindle. Took the caliper and rotor and put it up on the hub and it fit good but I put the caliper to the front but I had to put it to the back. It seems to clear everything. It fit the hub almost perfectly. Ill check closer on one part I am wondering about. Now I just need to work up a bracket to mount the caliper. The parts car had been out in the yard for a while so the caliper is tight on the rotor from some surface rust. That should hold it in place long enough for me to measure for the bracket. Heres some pics. The very small shoulder on the hub in the last picture may have to be removed to have the caliper go flush against the hub. It may clear the caliper since the caliper has a bevel on the inside of the hole. Edited April 19, 2012 by yourpc48 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 More pics. Yeah the bolts that hold the wheel cylinders hold the entire front brake assembly on the car. 2 nuts and it all came off. The fourth pic shows how nice the caliper center fits the original hub. Wow I got lucky there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 (edited) Finally a shot from the top of the gap I have to fill to get the caliper to bolt to the spindle. Then done. Woo Hoo. Ill post pics of the bracket process when I get time to do that part of the project. Wish me luck. Edited April 19, 2012 by yourpc48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 This might sound like a dumb question but what is the "Explorer".......I am in Australia and I don't think its sold here, but curious as to what brand..thanks, andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 This might sound like a dumb question but what is the "Explorer".......I am in Australia and I don't think its sold here, but curious as to what brand..thanks, andyd Ford SUV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Horne Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Yesterday, I tried an explorer rotor on my 38 Coupe's front hub. It would fit with a little grinding on the Coupe hub, or a little grinding on the inside of the Explorer rotor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 IF you have to remove metal to conformf for fit, it would be best to turn the rotor on a lathe and make the unit as close to a concentric fit as possible..also as you mod only the rotor and not the hub, retro back to stock will be easier also.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassfiddler Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 With this set up, can you use the original stock wheels? Looking forward to seeing the bracket you make to hold the caliper. This is the exact kind of thread I was hoping to see to help guide me on my brake conversion. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 I will be gone through the weekend so I will probably get back to it next weekend some time. The rotor for the 4 wheel drive 96 Ford Explorer fit right on the factory hub without grinding. The close up picture of the hub shows a small lip. I have not taken a close look to see if the rotor clears this lip yet. It was starting to get dark outside and I dont have a shop to work in. My mind is building that bracket as we speak. Part of the reason I wanted to build the brakes this way was so I could buy parts off the shelf without special ordering since I can forsee getting the Volare parts as a problem down the road a bit (they dont stock them at any of my local parts stores) and I wanted someone to be able to put the drums back on if they chose to. After looking at the new/remanufactured part prices at the NAPA website I found that my parts would cost about $260 The conversion using the Volare and S10 parts would run a little over $300. I am not including the cost of studs or lug nuts on either conversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 With this set up, can you use the original stock wheels? Looking forward to seeing the bracket you make to hold the caliper. This is the exact kind of thread I was hoping to see to help guide me on my brake conversion. Thanks for posting. I dont know if you can or not. I dont even have my mag wheel mounted yet. I had to stop before I could check. I have 3 original wheels for my car and I will check that. Mine are 16 inch wheels not the 15. All I will be able to check is with the 16. I will try to check later today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Elder Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Good going looks like a break thru:)in our quest for newer brake tech, I can't remember who but someone on here said mitsu gallant brakes fit also......maybe they will chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niel Hoback Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 That was mee. 2000 Mitsu Galant rotor fit the wheel bolt pattern is the same. Thats as far as I got because my son and daughter-in-law are still driving it. They won't let me take the brakes off of it. Yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51wayfarer Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Coincidentally, I recently started mocking up '02-'05 Explorer Sport Trac components (12" rotors vs the 11.25" or so rotors from the '95-'01 Explorer) in my search for BIG brakes at low bucks. I am somewhat of a brake freak and generally have adapted Wilwood stuff in previous projects. The ST rotors have 2.83" hub registers and a total height of 2.61". This offset works well with my '41 hubs, assuming the caliper bracket is designed to fit between the steering arms and spindle ala the Scarebird brackets. The two lower bolt holes on the spindle would need to be tapped. There is .590" of thickness there, so 9/16" bolts should work OK. The reason for tapping those holes is because there is not enough bolt head to rotor face clearance on the outboard side of the spindle casting. Using rotors with less "offset" will gain you clearance, but reduces caliper to wheel clearance. Stock 16x4" wheels will fit this "big" brake setup, but requires an approx. .625"-.750 wheel spacer to run between the wheel and rotor. Not really ideal. Wheel Vintiques 16x6" smoothie wheels (with .5" of positive offset, same as the stock wheels) fit the big rotors without any clearance problem. Now....after all that, I am not running this setup. Instead, I am adapting Jaguar XJ spindles and control arms to the stock crossmember. You get a balljoint front end, rear steer arms of the proper length for CTO racks (you retain original turning radius) and can dial in whatever drop you want to run. There is a static drop of around 2.75" between the Jag spindle and stock spindle at the same lower control arm height. Sorry for the hijack, I can start a new thread if there is any interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Very cool, I'm in when you're done. How about posting a parts list with the years on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 I'm at the hair place with my wife right now. I will post a NAPA parts list later tonight. I will list the economy parts I looked up earlier at that $260ish price. I got lucky and got all my core parts at the wrecking yard for $50 I will also post a real play by play of the total process. (did I mention I hate my smartphone keyboard!) Takes forever to type anything. Ill get back later ;)tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40P10touring sedan Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Cool project! Looks like it might work for the 40s too. Questions; 1- what MC are you planning on using? 2- When your done with the fronts are you going to do the rear axle?{modern drums or rotors...go rotors is my vote!} I keep seeing kits for rear discs for late 60s mopar 8 1/4, 8 3/4 and dana rears but every time I ask can this be used on the 40 plymouth's 8 3/4 tapered axle rear all I get is a "no", but no "why".... Anyway, great job so far, keep up the fine work!...it'd be great to do the same for our old cars as, say, an old grand voy....roughly $280 does everything in one shot{tophats and pads}. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) Cool project! Looks like it might work for the 40s too. Questions; 1- what MC are you planning on using? 2- When your done with the fronts are you going to do the rear axle?{modern drums or rotors...go rotors is my vote!} I keep seeing kits for rear discs for late 60s mopar 8 1/4, 8 3/4 and dana rears but every time I ask can this be used on the 40 plymouth's 8 3/4 tapered axle rear all I get is a "no", but no "why".... Anyway, great job so far, keep up the fine work!...it'd be great to do the same for our old cars as, say, an old grand voy....roughly $280 does everything in one shot{tophats and pads}. In answer to your questions 1 Original MC at first with a 86 Jeep Cherokee Laredo Proportioning valve. The jeeps are about the same Curb Weight as some of our cars. I also checked the MC bore for the Explorer and its a little over 1 inch. Many of our cars including mine have an 1 1/8 inch bore so the stock one from our cars should work fine. I am still working on a decent solution to the master cylinder issue. I have found several possible solutions to the master and I am building that in my head as well. 2 I am planning on removing the original rear and replacing it with a disk brake rear from a 95 to 2001 Ford Explorer as well. The rear is what got me looking at the fronts at the wrecking yard. Problem with the only rear I found at the cheap wrecking yard is that it had 4.10 gear ratio and I want a 3.55 or 3.73 to lower my RPMs at highway speed. 3. I looked at the calipers and rotors from my 99 grand voyager expresso and others at the yard. The caliper looks to need a seperate bracket that is part of the spindle on the van so I dont think they will work. Edited April 20, 2012 by yourpc48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) OK so I have put the mag wheel on and it seems to fit fine. I need to hot glue one of the calipers to the rotor so it will stay in place while I mock things up. The rotor and caliper I put on last night moved after installing my wheel so I couldnt accurately check with the steel wheel. Thats ok because the one I put on the passenger side last night belongs to the drivers side anyway. The passenger one is lightly stuck in place by a light coat of surface rust so it will get a few dabs of removable hot glue so it will stay in the factory position on the rotor while I make my templates and the adapter plates. I think I have a really good idea how to make the adapter plate but I will have to climb back under the car for another look see. Here are the NAPA part numbers but the core charges are really high. Part of the reason I went looking for newer parts for the project is so I could find some cheap parts at the wrecking yard. I paid $25 a side for the calipers, rotors, and lines. The other yards wanted $50 a side and thats still probably not too bad since its less than the core charges. There are more expensive parts and you may be able to get the calipers loaded for less total but this would get you started at the lowest cost I could find at a quick glance. Rotor- NB 4886576 Left Caliper W/mount- CAL SE5158A Right Caliper W/mount- CAL SE5157A Mounting bolts- BK 6751534 Left brake hose- UP 381158 Right brake hose- UP 381157 Brake pads- TS TS7532M I took the hose mount brackets off the front of the Explorer as well so no cost there. If you take these parts off at the wrecking yard you will need 4 things and they come off so easy. A way to remove the wheels if they are still on the front of the car. A line wrench for the brake line that goes into the hose. A 10mm socket for the bracket that holds the hose to the frame and a 15mm socket for the 2 bolts that hold the assembly to the spindle. If you take the hose and bracket loose and then the 2 bolts for the caliper the caliper comes right off. Then the rotor should also just fall right off the rig since its the caliper and wheel that hold that on. Im not sure yet if the hoses are long enough yet and I think they are metric so a short adapter line may be involved. While I am under there I will utilize the time and space and put those F1 shock mounts and shocks on. Then all I will need is to take care of the sloppy steering box and it will be like a new car. Edited April 20, 2012 by yourpc48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) I checked out the Mitsubishi Galant calipers and they are a single piston not a double. With the mounting bracket they are about the same price as the Explorer though. The mounting would be similar to the Explorer as well. I dont know about the rotor. I forgot to mention that clearances on the wheel to the steering arm is going to be increased (Away from the steering arm) for those that have a clearnce issue like mine did. The thick rotor will move the wheel out about a 1/4 inch from stock due to it sitting on the original hub surface . Edited April 20, 2012 by yourpc48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger the Dodger Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 51wayfarer. Start a new thread, sounds interesting. Thanks, roger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 In answer to your questions1 Original MC at first with a 86 Jeep Cherokee Laredo Proportioning valve. The jeeps are about the same Curb Weight as some of our cars. I also checked the MC bore for the Explorer and its a little over 1 inch. Many of our cars including mine have an 1 1/8 inch bore so the stock one from our cars should work fine. I am still working on a decent solution to the master cylinder issue. I have found several possible solutions to the master and I am building that in my head as well. 2 I am planning on removing the original rear and replacing it with a disk brake rear from a 95 to 2001 Ford Explorer as well. The rear is what got me looking at the fronts at the wrecking yard. Problem with the only rear I found at the cheap wrecking yard is that it had 4.10 gear ratio and I want a 3.55 or 3.73 to lower my RPMs at highway speed. 3. I looked at the calipers and rotors from my 99 grand voyager expresso and others at the yard. The caliper looks to need a seperate bracket that is part of the spindle on the van so I dont think they will work. I just bought an Explorer rearend for mine yesterday: im surprised you had trouble finding a 3:73. I counted 15 Explorers at the yard i was at and all of them except one had either a 3:55 or a 3:73. Almost all of the 3:73 ones were limited slip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop138 Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 I have the Scarebird kit on my 52 Windsor and used a 95-96 Crown Vic rotor---the hub fits perfect in the rotor----I think the hubs are the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Horne Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 I was checking prices of 2000 Explorer, Rotors, Calipers, Brake Pads, Hoses, for my wife's Explorer, on ebay......$145 delivered for all... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Great news!!! I put a little hot glue on the caliper to make sure it didnt move on the rotor. I put it on the stock 16 inch wheel. It looks like the factory 16 inch wheels would fit with no modifications. There is about an 1/8 inch of clearance from the part of the wheel that comes closest to the caliper. Here are a couple of pics. .jpg] On the down side the hose is too short to make it to the frame and be able to turn so I will be looking for a longer hose to fit or an extension of some sort. I do know that the hose will brobably end up being relocated to the rear of the A arm instead of the factory location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourpc48 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 I just bought an Explorer rearend for mine yesterday: im surprised you had trouble finding a 3:73. I counted 15 Explorers at the yard i was at and all of them except one had either a 3:55 or a 3:73. Almost all of the 3:73 ones were limited slip. Did you get the disk or drum type. I had my pick of drum type. I went to that yard specifically for the disk rear because my other yards want $300 to $400 and this Upull yard said $150 so I went there the next day. Needless to say there were a lot of rears missing from the Explorer section since I live in 4X4 country. Mudding and Sand dunes here to enjoy so people blow those things out more often. Did you get the sway bar with it? I think that it would adapt easy enough but I was going to measure when I got the rear home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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