TJ rear disc brake conversion

With automatics, it's my understanding that there is a rather small "pin" (for lack of a better word) that locks into place when the car is put into park. If on a steep enough of an incline, that pin supposedly has the potential to shear, and thusly allows the vehicle to roll. Now, I've never delved into an automatic transmission beyond changing filters, so that could all be hogwash. I'm just saying it's what I was told. ;)
 
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Haha... that's crazy to think about. I believe it, it's just hard to imagine.
Tis true. My own personal vehicles. Both ran smooth as silk, because the cylinders all had nice, even (albeit very, very low) compression. One was a 225cid slant six Dodge, and the other a VE (that was their designation) 266cid V8 International.
 
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I have owned at least two manual transmission vehicles that had such tired, low compression engines that you could park them on a hill, in 1st or reverse gear, and they would still crawl their way down the hill. That's when I started using the parking brake regularly! ;)

I had the opposite experience with my TJ, meaning my parking brake doesn't like to work. When I first learned to drive a stick shift, my dad always told me to leave it in gear when I parked it. I didn't listen to him until my parking brake didn't work and my Jeep rolled through a parking lot, jumped a curb, and ended up in a bush. I now leave my Jeep in first and engage the parking brake every time I leave it anywhere, incline or not.
 
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Old guys have lots of stories to share, I'll tell you what! :D

Yes, I've learned this. There's an older guy at the gym I go to who talks to me every day and tells me the wildest stories about when he was in Vietnam and a host of other periods of his life. All of them are quite amusing!
 
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What will fit your Dana 35 or Dana 44 TJ Wrangler:

1995-2001 8.8 Ford Explorer rear disc brake assemblies will fit with re-drill.

However to keep your Jeep all Jeep I'd go with:

1995-1998 ZJ Grand Cherokee Dana 35 & Dana 44 rear axle disc brake assemblies. Dana 35 is most common & works for both 35 or 44 on a TJ.

The Dana 35 disc brackets will require a drill motor powered drum sander to open up the axle bearing hole slightly to fit on TJ & Rubicon Dana 44 housings ever so slightly. This is to clear the axle shaft oil seal.

Additional parts needed:

1. Disc brake bearing retainers from a 2003-2006 TJ/rubicon Dana 44 rear axle. These can be either installed when new seals, bearings & bearing retainer is pressed on to the non C clip axle shaft or you can notch the plate to fit around the axle shaft. If sealed with silicone properly, it won't leak and is fine even long term if no access to a press & not changing the seals or bearings. Not an issue on C clip axle shafts.

2. Longer axle to brake four bolts & nuts that hold the caliper brackets on. These are fine thread with lock nuts. Grab these while robbing parts off the donor axle.

3 & 4. Left & Right side parking brake cable assemblies from Omix-Ada or Crown, (if discontinued by the dealer) re-connection to the equalizer & parking brake handle. Ask again for 2003-2006 Rubicon TJ rear axle Dana 44 as refrence vehicle.

5 & 6. ZJ Grand Cherokee rubber brake hoses from axle hard line to calipers and possibly grab the hard lines off the ZJ Grand donor axle to re-use on your axle unless you know how to properly cut install & flair brake line fittings safely.

7 & 8. Grab the attachment bolts for the caliper brake hoses while you're at it. You can drill holes in the axle spring buckets at the same locations on your axle as the original disc brake hose brackets were attached at on the donor axle.

9. Quart of DOT 3 approved unless your Jeep specifically says DOT 4, otherwise make sure to use the same type fluid for the master cylinder.

10. All new hardware kit & parking shoes, pads & possibly new rotors so everything will be fresh & G.T.G. when you're done.MMaybe trade the old calipers in as a core on remans if they at all looked sketchy or if they had composite pistons in them that are cracked, chipped or if they were leaking at all. Also check to see if the guide pins are smooth and the calipers weren't sticking with uneven pad wear. Better safe than sorry.

11. OPTIONAL, speed bleeders if you wanna make it quick, otherwise clear fishtank hose and jar or vacuum bleeder, whatever method you choose to bleed your brakes and flush the system with all new fluid front & rear as a maintenance safety item.

I have personally converted every CJ-7, YJ & TJ Wrangler I've ever owned to 4-wheel discs and usually also perform a "Big Brake" conversion up front with appropriate master cylinder change out as needed. This is for improved safety and stopping power with the larger wheels, bigger tires, deeper gears and low range crawler 4.3:1 transfer case upgrades on my Jeeps. Nothing like trying to hold the rig back on an extreme downhill decent, try to keep stationary on a steep climb up hill or come off a ledge & your brakes won't hold!
 
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Now there's more brake upgrades that can be done on TJ's that will make a bigger difference in stopping power such as conversion to WJ Grand Cherokee knuckles up front and with that comes the larger Akebono dual piston calipers and rotors. Steering upgrades come with this upgrade also.TThere are a few ways to get around the 5x5 lug bolt pattern, more on this if someone is truly interested....

Food for thougjt if you're running big meats on your Jeep.
 
What will fit your Dana 35 or Dana 44 TJ Wrangler:

1995-2001 8.8 Ford Explorer rear disc brake assemblies will fit with re-drill.

However to keep your Jeep all Jeep I'd go with:

1995-1998 ZJ Grand Cherokee Dana 35 & Dana 44 rear axle disc brake assemblies. Dana 35 is most common & works for both 35 or 44 on a TJ.

The Dana 35 disc brackets will require a drill motor powered drum sander to open up the axle bearing hole slightly to fit on TJ & Rubicon Dana 44 housings ever so slightly. This is to clear the axle shaft oil seal.

Additional parts needed:

1. Disc brake bearing retainers from a 2003-2006 TJ/rubicon Dana 44 rear axle. These can be either installed when new seals, bearings & bearing retainer is pressed on to the non C clip axle shaft or you can notch the plate to fit around the axle shaft. If sealed with silicone properly, it won't leak and is fine even long term if no access to a press & not changing the seals or bearings. Not an issue on C clip axle shafts.

2. Longer axle to brake four bolts & nuts that hold the caliper brackets on. These are fine thread with lock nuts. Grab these while robbing parts off the donor axle.

3 & 4. Left & Right side parking brake cable assemblies from Omix-Ada or Crown, (if discontinued by the dealer) re-connection to the equalizer & parking brake handle. Ask again for 2003-2006 Rubicon TJ rear axle Dana 44 as refrence vehicle.

5 & 6. ZJ Grand Cherokee rubber brake hoses from axle hard line to calipers and possibly grab the hard lines off the ZJ Grand donor axle to re-use on your axle unless you know how to properly cut install & flair brake line fittings safely.

7 & 8. Grab the attachment bolts for the caliper brake hoses while you're at it. You can drill holes in the axle spring buckets at the same locations on your axle as the original disc brake hose brackets were attached at on the donor axle.

9. Quart of DOT 3 approved unless your Jeep specifically says DOT 4, otherwise make sure to use the same type fluid for the master cylinder.

10. All new hardware kit & parking shoes, pads & possibly new rotors so everything will be fresh & G.T.G. when you're done.MMaybe trade the old calipers in as a core on remans if they at all looked sketchy or if they had composite pistons in them that are cracked, chipped or if they were leaking at all. Also check to see if the guide pins are smooth and the calipers weren't sticking with uneven pad wear. Better safe than sorry.

11. OPTIONAL, speed bleeders if you wanna make it quick, otherwise clear fishtank hose and jar or vacuum bleeder, whatever method you choose to bleed your brakes and flush the system with all new fluid front & rear as a maintenance safety item.

I have personally converted every CJ-7, YJ & TJ Wrangler I've ever owned to 4-wheel discs and usually also perform a "Big Brake" conversion up front with appropriate master cylinder change out as needed. This is for improved safety and stopping power with the larger wheels, bigger tires, deeper gears and low range crawler 4.3:1 transfer case upgrades on my Jeeps. Nothing like trying to hold the rig back on an extreme downhill decent, try to keep stationary on a steep climb up hill or come off a ledge & your brakes won't hold!
Thanks. Just what I needed to know. Did not know about the Rubicon retainer plate. Already pressed on the the bearing. Oh well thanks again
 
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Now there's more brake upgrades that can be done on TJ's that will make a bigger difference in stopping power such as conversion to WJ Grand Cherokee knuckles up front and with that comes the larger Akebono dual piston calipers and rotors. Steering upgrades come with this upgrade also.TThere are a few ways to get around the 5x5 lug bolt pattern, more on this if someone is truly interested....

Food for thougjt if you're running big meats on your Jeep.
Interested. I thought grand Cherokees had 5X4.5
 
Thanks. Just what I needed to know. Did not know about the Rubicon retainer plate. Already pressed on the the bearing. Oh well thanks again
You can slot the retainer plates and slip them over the axle shaft after the fact. Not the preferred method but I have done it on the trail and many others have too without any problems. Just have to make sure the seal is good with silicone so no axle oil leaks that could cause dry bearings and then failure. Basically works in a pinch.

If you look at the drum brake retainers vs. Disc retainers, you will notice the drum retainers have a different depth shape to them than the disc retainers. This is because the drum brake backing plate assembly is much thinner stamped steel vs. The heavy cast steel thick disc brake caliper brackets. These bearing retainer plates make up for this difference in their shape to keep the required pressure on the axle seal and bearing assembly is why they are different and why you need the Rubicon Dana 44 retainers installed when switching from drums to discs.

Hope that clarifies it better for everyone, if I had pictures of the two I'd visually show everyone. Maybe I'll dig around in the garage and see if I can come up with the different brake parts to "show" the difference here.
 
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Now there's more brake upgrades that can be done on TJ's that will make a bigger difference in stopping power such as conversion to WJ Grand Cherokee knuckles up front and with that comes the larger Akebono dual piston calipers and rotors. Steering upgrades come with this upgrade also.TThere are a few ways to get around the 5x5 lug bolt pattern, more on this if someone is truly interested....

Food for thougjt if you're running big meats on your Jeep.

It's got me thinking now. So how do you do the front brake switch? It would be really cool to also put manual hubs at the same time. Have auto lockers and the hubs would be a nice addition
 
With automatics, it's my understanding that there is a rather small "pin" (for lack of a better word) that locks into place when the car is put into park. If on a steep enough of an incline, that pin supposedly has the potential to shear, and thusly allows the vehicle to roll. Now, I've never delved into an automatic transmission beyond changing filters, so that could all be hogwash. I'm just saying it's what I was told. ;)
It is a good idea to use the parking brake with auto transmissions. The parking pawl, which locks the trans into park, is small and can shear. It is designed to lock the trans into park not support the vehicles weight. Do you ever notice how difficult it is to shift out of park or the trans "pops" out of park? It is because the pawl is tight/bound up. Using the parking brake to hold the vehicle in place will eliminate that issue.
 
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It is a good idea to use the parking brake with auto transmissions. The parking pawl, which locks the trans into park, is small and can shear. It is designed to lock the trans into park not support the vehicles weight. Do you ever notice how difficult it is to shift out of park or the trans "pops" out of park? It is because the pawl is tight/bound up. Using the parking brake to hold the vehicle in place will eliminate that issue.
Cool. Then what I've heard was true. Bet that pawl is the clicking sound I heard when an old high school girlfriend threw her Dodge into "Park" before it had come to a complete stop. Thanks for the info, Chief.
 
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Cool. Then what I've heard was true. Bet that pawl is the clicking sound I heard when an old high school girlfriend threw her Dodge into "Park" before it had come to a complete stop. Thanks for the info, Chief.
On a turbo 400, you can put the pawl keeper on upside down, and it will just click and never hold. Anybody ever do that before? *raises hand! That is how I know haha.
 
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On a turbo 400, you can put the pawl keeper on upside down, and it will just click and never hold. Anybody ever do that before? *raises hand! That is how I know haha.
Shall we start a thread on wrenching mistakes we've made in the past? Bet we all have something to contribute! :rolleyes:
 
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It's got me thinking now. So how do you do the front brake switch? It would be really cool to also put manual hubs at the same time. Have auto lockers and the hubs would be a nice addition
There are a few ways to accomplish upgrades to the front brakes here:

1. Switch to WJ knuckles off a 99-04 Grand and use the big Akebono dual piston calipers with larger swept area rotors. There are a few things you need to note depending on year of your TJ and the available front unit bearings to use on this conversion due to rotor hat depth, Mostly unit bearings from an 05-06 Rubicon and one can re-drill to 5x4.5 as opposed to moving into 5x5 bolt pattern but you will still have unit bearings up front. There's a bit more to the mod but this is the basic gist of it. This mod is mainly done for the larger brakes capability and minor steering modifications.

2. Change the outer knuckles and run a similar setup to what is on full size trucks of the 70's & 80's vintage with full size stub shafts, internal spline Warn lockout hubs and full size vented truck rotor with the big Modine single piston half/three-quarter ton trucks used. One manufacturer of such a knuckle swap is Reid Racing's orange colored knuckles. These also give you the opportunity to go with a true crossover high-steer arm setup because they are machined to accept flat-top arms, large 3/4 ton truck rod ends all at the same time. This route is not cheap though, each knuckle runs $299 list price plus you'll have to source all the rest of the brake and steering parts from outfits like Parts Mike or Ruff-Stuff Specialties to complete this conversion. What you will end up with is a Jeep axle with standard outer components instead of unitized bearings and larger brakes for the bigger tires. This mod is done for the crossover steering to correct steering angles, eliminate bump steer on large lifts and more durable parts along with the much larger brakes, standard full size truck outer parts and the larger brakes it gives you up front.

3. There are some conversion kits out there for keeping the same brakes but converting to internally splined 5x5.5 bolt pattern half ton truck style locking hubs or the light duty 5x4.5 bolt pattern external Ford ranger/Explorer type cast hub. Both kits used to be marketed by Warn industries but now it appears they only market the lighter-duty Explorer/Ranger style. Yukon axle and gear has started selling the 5x5.5 internal spline hub kit that works just like the old Warn kits did. This kit runs over $1K but will bolt straight up to your existing TJ knuckles. You source 1985-1986 Jeep CJ-7 rotors and have a machine shop open up the center hub holes a bit to accept the new internally splined 5x5.5 bolt pattern hubs. Then you re-use the brake caliper that came with your TJ. There is an internal hub that adapts to the three bolt holes in the TJ knuckle and allows the replacement hub to locate on it with serviceable standard taper bearings. These bearings are farther spaced from each other than the unit-bearings are so they can carry a significantly larger backspace or offset wheel without causing more wear. They are also replaceable or grease able so you can clean them up & inspect for wear. A new stub shaft is mated to your existing inner shafts on the Dana 30 or Dana 44 with the larger 297X joints to make it all play.

The three options above are all close enough to stock Jeep parts that you can bypass the mods if you have a bad failure on the trail and keep going or are over-built to 1-ton specifications so much stronger magnitude parts. I don't recommend any mods that are 1-off and cannot be substituted with Jeep or salvage yard spares.
 
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Shall we start a thread on wrenching mistakes we've made in the past? Bet we all have something to contribute! :rolleyes:
I have some funny stories and some horrific ones. haha

We could start a thread, but then you and I would probably hijack our own thread, lol
 
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