F-150 8.8 Swap?

[Stic-o]

Thanks Everyone, I think I may go full width now that I know it is possiable, to keep the stuff from my 8.8.

 

[FROADER]

SWEET!

 

[Stic-o]

well the saga goes on.

I got a '89 FS Bronco 8.8 over the weekend, looks to be in good shape, but now I am questioning the disc idea....kinda.

first of all why have none of the bronco guys done it yet?

My thoughs ar to swap all of my stuff over, and it should work. the problem comes with the rotor. now my idea was just to have a explorer rotor drilled for 5 on 5.5. makes sence right?

Well my fear now is that the hub size is different. The question is are all 8.8 hubs the same size?

 

[james t]

Y2K F150 rear rotor. Cheap and should slide right on.

If it doesnt fit perfect, you can always grind down the outside of the axle flange. 9" guys have been doing this on disc swaps for a long time. One of the more popular 9" discs is to use CJ7 front rotors and turn down the flange on the axle. You can do it however is easiest to you... i used a grinder.

 

[Stic-o]

Y2K F150 rear rotor. Cheap and should slide right on.

If it doesnt fit perfect, you can always grind down the outside of the axle flange. 9" guys have been doing this on disc swaps for a long time. One of the more popular 9" discs is to use CJ7 front rotors and turn down the flange on the axle. You can do it however is easiest to you... i used a grinder.

I looked at 97+ rotors, but the are 2" bigger then the exporer brakes. I looked at CJ5 but not CJ7. I'll have to check again.

Dosn't anyone do custom rotors? I just need a Exporer rotor with a bigger hub center and 5 on 5.5 pattern. how hard is that

 

[Michael]

Dosn't anyone do custom rotors? I just need a Exporer rotor with a bigger hub center and 5 on 5.5 pattern. how hard is that

Any machine shop should be able to do that for you. Take them an off the shelf rotor and give them a new center hole measurement. The bolt pattern redrill is simple as well.

 

[Stic-o]

Any machine shop should be able to do that for you. Take them an off the shelf rotor and give them a new center hole measurement. The bolt pattern redrill is simple as well.

If that is the case I'm Golden!

 

[Stic-o]

Ok looks like I may have a good solution.

Looks like I may be able to use a 92 Suzuki Sidekick 4dr front brake rotor. they ar as close as I can find so far.

Explorer
5x4.5 lug pattern
small hub
outside dia 11 7/32 (.2185)
height 2.29

Sidekick
5x5.5 lug pattern
larger hub
outside dia. 11 19/64 (.2968)
height 1.815

The only thing that may hurt me is the height

but they are pretty dam close

Zuk rotor

 

[zainyD]

Good topic. I swapped a full width 8.8 into my Ranger when I did the front D44. I am fed up with the stupid drum brakes in the back and am thinking about a disc brake conversion if I can do it on the cheap.

 

[Stic-o]

It looks like someone is ahead of me...

I found this today. a 8.8 kit for 150's for 289.95.

(dead link)

I think I will still try to get mine to work. Mine will be cheaper....I hope

 

[offroader_69_me]

I am using an 87 f150 8.8 with the stock drums which are bigger and wider than the X-spec 8.8 shoes, I did move the spring perches in, but am now considering moving them back out and mounting the springs "truck style"

good luck with it!

 

[Jefe]

Ok looks like I may have a good solution.

Looks like I may be able to use a 92 Suzuki Sidekick 4dr front brake rotor. they ar as close as I can find so far.

Explorer
5x4.5 lug pattern
small hub
outside dia 11 7/32 (.2185)
height 2.29

Sidekick
5x5.5 lug pattern
larger hub
outside dia. 11 19/64 (.2968)
height 1.815

The only thing that may hurt me is the height

but they are pretty dam close

Zuk rotor

Between the height, and the fact that that rotor is vented so it will be thicker than the stock explorer rotor will be a problem I imagine.

Why not just rework your stock rotors? I know it will work with a 5x5.5 bolt pattern as many jeeps upgrade to the 8.8 w/ discs. Johns disc brake kit even came with explorer rotors that were drilled for both 5x4.5 and 5x5.5.

You also have to deal with parking brake somehow. the explorer has the parking brake drum in the center of the rotor.

EDIT: all the explorer disc brake stuff just bolts to the axle tube flange so it should swap over unless the axle has to change length to do so? If so I'd rather pay the $250 for custom alloy axles rather than a custom brake kit.

 

[Stic-o]

Between the height, and the fact that that rotor is vented so it will be thicker than the stock explorer rotor will be a problem I imagine.

Why not just rework your stock rotors? I know it will work with a 5x5.5 bolt pattern as many jeeps upgrade to the 8.8 w/ discs. Johns disc brake kit even came with explorer rotors that were drilled for both 5x4.5 and 5x5.5.

You also have to deal with parking brake somehow. the explorer has the parking brake drum in the center of the rotor.

EDIT: all the explorer disc brake stuff just bolts to the axle tube flange so it should swap over unless the axle has to change length to do so? If so I'd rather pay the $250 for custom alloy axles rather than a custom brake kit.

I'm not worried about the bolt pattern, that is easy to have redrilled, the part I was worried about was the hub bore. I belive the FS 8.8 is bigger to match the lug patern. Don't know how much it would cost to get that done That's why I was tring to find a a rotor that would fit. I may lose the parking brake, and just go to a driveshft e-brake...not sure yet though.

But yes, exerything else looks to bolt right over, it's just the rotor that's being a pain

 

[Stic-o]

I just talked to a place called Sutton Industries down in La Puente. They said they can do the lug patten and the center for $100 buck Now I just got to see how much life on my rotors 145k, on them and I know they havn't been turned in at least 80k


by the way Jefe I talked to your rear end guy. $125 now per axle

 

[Jefe]

by the way Jefe I talked to your rear end guy. $125 now per axle

 

[Stic-o]

Breaking News!

Well after some measuring today, we found out everything looks to bolt right on. The rotors will have to be drilled for the lug pattern, and hub bore, but other then that everything matches up.

Now here's the cool thing....it looks to work for the 9 inch too all the holes line up, and again the rotors have to be drilled.

So what have we learned? Well both 9" and 8.8 seem to have the same pattern on the outside of axle housing, so 95+ explorer's will bolt straight on. You just have to re-drill the rotors.

Will post pics once we start the swap.

 

[Stic-o]

Well the axle place will not drill the rotors. They have saftey consers with drilling out the hub, and it being to close the the current lug pattern. So back to the drawing board

I have two options.

1. Go back to the Zuki brake idea and see if it will work
2. I taleked to Currie, they have blank Explorer rotors (or so they say they are Explorer rotors ) they are .21 smaller in dia. but that should not matter. They can drill them to my specs for $140 for the pair. But Curie Tech said it would not work with a factory system. he siad that the backspacing fro the brakes will be off. anther word the rotor and caliper will not line up right. I'll have to do some meserments and see what I find. He said that if it did work, the brakes would only work until the pad wore down half way, then I'd have problems. We'll see.

 

[gijoecam]

I'm still a bit confused.... If'n you're using the F-150 rear axle, why not use the F-150 discs? If anything, I'd have a set of custom axle shafts built to whatever lug specs you want (like if you wanted to match the front set) and then you could run the same bolt pattern front and rear, no?

Not sure how it would work out cost-wise though....

-Joe

 

[Stic-o]

I'm still a bit confused.... If'n you're using the F-150 rear axle, why not use the F-150 discs? If anything, I'd have a set of custom axle shafts built to whatever lug specs you want (like if you wanted to match the front set) and then you could run the same bolt pattern front and rear, no?

Not sure how it would work out cost-wise though....

-Joe

I'm doing a SAS in the front so it will have a 5 on 5.5 on the front. This is why I went to a pre-96 f150/Bronco 8.8. The newer 150's (97+) have rear discs on the 8.8's but they are 13" brakes (explorers are 11") and use a different lug pattern.

 

[RangerX]

Why not stick with the drums, at least for now, and see how you like it. You can always swap later...