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53 Dodge Truck 4 wheel Disk Brakes


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Has anyone successfully installed 4 wheel disk brakes and new master cylinder?  If so, what brand did you use?  Please provide link if you still have one.  What modifications were made as there isn't any room for the new master cylinder boosters around the starter.

 

Thank You,

Dodger

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I've seen some conversion kits for front brakes but I have not followed it as I am interested in restorations.  90% of your stopping power is from the front and that end would be an easy conversion to do.  I think I would go that way.  Also preserves the value of the truck as someone could still convert it back easily I suppose.  

 

Try calling DCM Classics they have parts for your truck and might have a suggestion.  Bob Harrison

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There is no single source kit for disc brakes on the Pilothouse trucks.  As for the rear axle, I doubt you will be able to find any direct conversion of the original Mopar rear differential assembly.  I only made the rear conversion because my original ring gear was cracked in about 10 places.  Sourcing an original type replacement was more effort that it would have been worth.  The Jeep Wrangler conversion wasn't all that difficult and I was able to find a 3.73 that matched what was originally in my truck.  The bonus is having a truck that stops on a dime with little effort :)

 

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2 minutes ago, Dodger said:

BKahler, was your adapter for the mater cylinder or the rear disk conversion ?

 

The adapter was to adapt the MC to the bell housing.  It's nothing more than a 1/2" (or thicker) aluminum plate with the appropriate bolt patterns for the bell housing and the MC.  I may have a copy of it laying around here somewhere.

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Here's a picture of the MC installed with the adaptor plate and a picture of the plate I used as a pattern.  The adaptor itself is 1/2" thick aluminum plate.  The plate can't be any thicker as there would be a clearance issue.  When bolted in place the backside of the MC is about 3/16" from the steering gearbox.  

 

20240921_145814x.jpg.80b3e53e5d5f641cbcba45ba594dbd6e.jpg

 

MCAdapterpattern.jpg.58bfe3aad5c172a9448ccd5cbde785e0.jpg

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Yes !!! I like your fab work.  I think this is the direction I'm heading.  I didn't see the break relay switch on that MC or the pics on the web site you sent.  Is it on the other side of the MC?

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Because I've only had my truck for 3 weeks now I'm still not sure what gearing I have in the rear end.  I do know that I want to go disk all the way around.  Do you remember the parts for the rear disk conversion?

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34 minutes ago, Dodger said:

Because I've only had my truck for 3 weeks now I'm still not sure what gearing I have in the rear end.  I do know that I want to go disk all the way around.  Do you remember the parts for the rear disk conversion?

 

The choice of parts depends on which donor rear axle you choose to go with.  I ended up using a Dana 44HD-A rear axle from a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 3.73 gearing and disc brakes.  It was the first one I found that matched my criteria.  Changes involved removing all of the old perch mounting hardware and adding new replacements.  For the most part, after getting the new perches set up correctly it was a drop-in replacement.  You can read about my rear axle conversion here.  

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