8.8 disks brake converion for 9"

[CodePoet]

Ok guys, i'm really starting to get frustrated here. I have been searching for a definitive answer on this for months and keep getting jerked around. **Serenity now...serenity now**

I need to know if a set of 8.8" backing plates and brakes can be adapted to a 78 9". I have heard "it's bolt on"...it's not, I tested using my drum backing plates last night. I've heard "drill it out to fit", ok fine, what about e-brake clearance and the battle between the rotor hat and the axle flange? I'm not going to waste my money and pull a set of from the junk yard if they won't work or need more than "drilled out".

There is a crap-ton of bad info out there and need some help here. And the fact that ford has the attention span of a hyper active girl who's eaten a bag of pixey sticks and changes things like end flanges randomly from make to make doesn't make this task any easier haha

whew...feels good to vent alittle on that subject.

 

[Stic-o]

If you have a "big bore torino style " 9" the 8.8 disc backing plates should bolt right on. No the 8.8 rotors will not fit right on.. 1. Becasuse of bolt patern, 2. because the center bore is to small. You can drill out the center bore, but, I would worrry about strenth issues if your using a a set with the 5x4.5 pattern. It starts to get pretty thin between the bore hole and stud holes. Have some blanks drilled to start. The hat should fit over the axle flange of the 8.8 rotors, but not 100% on this. on my FW 8.8 I had to run washers on the studs, because there is a small lip on the inside face of the rotor. You most likly will have to do the same on the 9". the parking brake issues can be solved with some minor grinding on parts.

 

[CodePoet]

I tried to bolt my 8.8 drum backing plate on Sunday evening...no dice. My 9" has a different pattern than the 8.8

I going to skip this hassel and just go straight to GM calpers with an integral parking brake and make a set of adapters for the brackets I already have. Sucks, would have been cool to use the 8.8 parts for shere avaliablity but at this point the explorer has to get out of the garage and on the trail, no time for expermentation.

 

[Stic-o]

then you don't have the big bearing 9"

 

[CodePoet]

78 9" from a full size bronco
31 spline
Flange matches "Big Ford New Style"