Old Explorer Disc Conversion

[dangerranger33]

I know it would probably be better for me to go get a new explorer Rear end and be done with it but has anybody with an older explorer with drums done a disc Conversion using Crown Vic parts? They all got rear discs on them and they are a Dime a dozen around here so I think it would be fairly simple to do a conversion. Like 9" use Lincoln Mark V discs could explorers use Crown Vic Discs and if i missed readin this someplace please point me in the right direction thanx..

 

[427tbolt]

I just got done converting my 91 over to discs. And I tried all differt models to see which ones worked and which ones didn't. The crown vic backing plates will bolt up but to get the calipers and everything else to line up for the sploder not a good idea. So I did find a 96 sploder 8.8 just a core housing that still had the backing plates on it and used those. Now the calipers on the other hand were pretty much universal. The crown vic will bolt up to the sploder backing plates, but you have to use the brake pads for the crown vic. I ended up using the calipers off a 97 F150 with rear discs, and used the pads for the 150. Now the fun part was trying to find the brake hoses at a salvage yard that weren't all ready cut, so I ended up having to get new ones. OUCH, $20 for one side and $33 for the other. I didn't mess around with the rotors, I just went and bought new ones at auto zone. (Auto Zone doesn't handle anything for a 95+ sploder) (rear brakes that is except the rotors and brake pads).

Well hope this helps.

 

[dangerranger33]

So using the crown Vic Caliper braket and Caliper and parts will NOT work? It looked as if it would.... please explain why that won't work or what i would need to get to make it work..... Crown Vic are a dime a dozen hear so that's why that is my prefered path.....

 

[GenerationX]

just thought i'd bump this up...I too was wondering how to convert to discs and i had a question. would all the 2nd gen. parking brake stuff bolt right on or would you use the crown vic stuff? I thought it was illegal if caught without parking brake mechanisms.

 

[427tbolt]

Well, I'm not really sure about the parking brake deal being illeagal. But from what I found out about the crown vic disc seetup was, the 8.8 in the crown vic are 28 spline, and the bolt holes for the backing plates don't line up. I tried to different backing plates from 4 diff disc brake setups. Now the only 2 backing plates I found that would bolt up to the sploder 8.8 was the F-150 with an 8.8 with discs anf the 95+ sploders. Now I have found that the all 4 different setups I tried all had different parking brake setups, everthing was basically the same far has the parking brake shoes. But the brake cables were all different, in lenght and mouting setups. For the parking brake shoes are a bigger set then that of the sploder and crown vics and lincoln, hense the bigger rotors. Now for the calipers, that something different, I found that the calipers from all 4 different setups will all bolt up to each others backing plates. Just remember what you grab the calipers off of, cause you will need to get those brake pads for that caliper. See I used the calipers off the 97 F-150 setup, the brake pads looked the same and were the same size, but the the 3 tabs on the back of the pad that sticks into the piston are different sizes and length too. Just make sure you know how big the hole is in the piston. (The calipers off the sploders have a big and deep hole for the tabs, but the F-150 piston hole is small, and shallow.

I'm still working on figuring out a setup that will work for the parking brake cables, so when I get something working I'll keep ya posted.

Good luck, If anybody has any other question feel free, to e-mail me. at Tbolt_67@yahoo.com

 

[dangerranger33]

that really helps thanx....