OP
That is the Ford Explorer spring arrangement. Not unique to any of the aftermarket stuff at all.
Rear disc brake conversion question(s)
- Thread starter mrblaine
- Start date
Understood. Just never seen it on anybody’s Jeep disc conversion except Crown (and yours)
If I didn’t already have a conversion I would be a buyer, no dust shield wouldn’t phase my decision, but an integrated caliper E-brake would be a deal brake-r. I know a guy that has that conversion (Leed I think) and lots of adjustment issues came with it.
OP
It will use the TJ parking brake arrangement but a bit stronger for the anchor lug so you can't break it off like all of the OEM and aftermarket versions. I want it to fold up the ends of the parking brake shoes and survive or be a maintenance part that can be replaced if the slot gets damaged.
All of the OEM and aftermarket versions fail terribly in that aspect with a few instances of driving off with the parking brake applied hard tearing up the lug.
The caliper will also be on the front side under the cable so no need to flip them for shock outboarding. And, it will be a saddle mount caliper. Ruin the sliders for the pads, no problem, just swap on a new saddle.
OP
The backing plates won't interchange with anything but this conversion due to how the caliper mounts and other bits. It will (at this point) use TJ shoes, hardware, and spring kit.
Sounds like a winner then, so next time I break an anchor lug off again (I welded the last one back on successfully) I'm a buyer.
OP
Its early in the development stage yet. I'm now in the process of finding ways to cut manufacturing costs by defining how the parts work and attach to the backing plate. I can do things lots of ways, most of them can really drive costs up, the challenge is not doing that.
Quasi serious question: What about a driveshaft parking brake? There must be a reason those aren't used anymore...
OP
Safety issue. It is common to break driveshafts and u-joints. Not everyone fully understands that you can put it in 4 wheel drive and use the rear output parking brake to stop the front wheels from turning. There is also the issue of blowing up the t-case which makes a parking brake at the wheels more applicable. They also take up a lot of space which makes them problematic with a raised belly skid.
They also require a locker that is locked if parked with a lot of pressure on one side or the open diff will let it roll.
I've done several, none of them didn't suck.
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My first Jeep ('64 Wagoneer) and the Samurai I had both had the driveline brakes. The one in the Jeep was awful at holding it on any hill, and both got contaminated with dust and mud a lot easier than wheel mounted brakes.
@mrblaine, I too might be interested in the conversion, but after I get larger than my 31's. Last time I did my brakes (had a leaky booster/MC) it was way too easy to lock up the wheels and skid through a stop (especially on wet roads), but that has finally settled down to where I can now just about pop eyeballs out when stopping.
Interesting - and makes sense. Our '63 GMC had that setup, my father was always forgetting to release it and would burn the shoes up on it. Happened several times. It seemed to work well enough, but always felt a bit "iffy" all the same...
OP
I *think* it had shoes - I seem to recall seeing them - but it was a long ass time ago so I could be completely wrong. I know one time it actually caught on fire from the heat of being left on - we could see the flames through the slot in the floor where the ebrake lever went through. I think my mother was driving that time - ebrake was then disengaged, and the flames blew out in the slip stream in a few seconds. That old GMC V6 with SM420 just laughed at attempts to stop it with the ebrake!
It was taken to "Dick's Texaco" several times for "new ebrake shoes" - whatever that actually meant.
That is the answer to my question a few posts back. Your backing plate will serve some of the functions of the OEM dust cover, i,e., the spring clips will attach attach it it and perhaps the lubricated bosses that the shoes ride on will be duplicated.
I would still be interested. Would the calipers be mounted in the forward position?
OP
OP