crown vic rear brake conversion
Thread Starter
1st Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 87
From:
crown vic rear brake conversion
Does anybody have any information about using crown vic brakes to convert our rear drums? This is the ad on ebay. God or bad idea?
Convert your classic mustang /falcon to rear disc brakes. These bolt on to any 9" or 8" housing ends w/small axle bearings,this is what comes in your early mustangs and falcons as well as many other early model fords , these bolt up with minor modifications. These brakes have parking brake provisions. 5 on 4 1/2 bolt pattern for wheel . This is a auction with NO RESERVE ,being sold to the highest bidder,these do not fit oem orig. 14" steel rims,must trim lower part of axle flange flat to fit,parking cables are lead offs w/enough material to tie into your existing cables, that part is gonna be your own enginering,these work great if you are wanting a modern rear disc set up for added stopping power, these are removed from the mid 90s crown victorias,calipers are fresh pull offs w/no signs of leaking or sticking,rotors are turned and ready to install, all parking brake hardware is in place and functional, cleaned and painted.
Convert your classic mustang /falcon to rear disc brakes. These bolt on to any 9" or 8" housing ends w/small axle bearings,this is what comes in your early mustangs and falcons as well as many other early model fords , these bolt up with minor modifications. These brakes have parking brake provisions. 5 on 4 1/2 bolt pattern for wheel . This is a auction with NO RESERVE ,being sold to the highest bidder,these do not fit oem orig. 14" steel rims,must trim lower part of axle flange flat to fit,parking cables are lead offs w/enough material to tie into your existing cables, that part is gonna be your own enginering,these work great if you are wanting a modern rear disc set up for added stopping power, these are removed from the mid 90s crown victorias,calipers are fresh pull offs w/no signs of leaking or sticking,rotors are turned and ready to install, all parking brake hardware is in place and functional, cleaned and painted.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 266
don't go with this guy i bought some off him and got total crap i ended up having to get new rotors and pads plus you'll need a adpater plate for the rear.
Google mustang crown vitoria rear disc brake conversion
look for the one on the mercurycougar fourms and a guy named fast merc puts together complete kits and instructions for like 270+
Google mustang crown vitoria rear disc brake conversion
look for the one on the mercurycougar fourms and a guy named fast merc puts together complete kits and instructions for like 270+
1st Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 51
I went to the junkyard and bought a set off of a 2000 crown vic cop car. I bought new pads, hoses, and rotors at autozone pretty cheap. The more you can get the better (hoses, lines, metric fittings, parking brake cables and housings). They bolted right on. You do need to make your your own parking brake cables. I used parts from my 66 and parts from the crown vic to make the cables work. Here are some pictures before I installed the new rotors.
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5
From:
Crown Vic how-to
Here's a very good How-to written by a guy on the Classic Mustangs mailing list. I made a few notes that I did differently.
http://ynned.tripod.com/crown_vic_di...vic_rear_discs
It's on Tripod free so be aware of pop-ups.
Keven did this conversion a dozen or so years ago and has been well pleased. I've got about 1K miles on it and been happy so far. I just sourced the brackets from a junk yard, and bought calipers, rotors and pads from NAPA. Get the calipers with the brackets if you can, as there's a core charge. IIRC, my cost was <$200 for all the new stuff.
Here's some pictures that may help.
http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/i...0rear%20discs/
http://ynned.tripod.com/crown_vic_di...vic_rear_discs
It's on Tripod free so be aware of pop-ups.
Keven did this conversion a dozen or so years ago and has been well pleased. I've got about 1K miles on it and been happy so far. I just sourced the brackets from a junk yard, and bought calipers, rotors and pads from NAPA. Get the calipers with the brackets if you can, as there's a core charge. IIRC, my cost was <$200 for all the new stuff.
Here's some pictures that may help.
http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/i...0rear%20discs/
5th Gear Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,106
From:
You will need shims like 1/4 of an inch thick to make up the difference of the bracket , these will secure the bearing and keep it still. They need to be at least over 1/4" wide also and not cut out of a piece of muffler pipe (too thin a wall thickness). I have 3 sets of these in use, some are off a Crown Vic and/or Explorer. So far I have had no issues and one set in on a track car and has got its workout. Heres one I shrotened and modified for the 65 in progress.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 764
From: California
You will need shims like 1/4 of an inch thick to make up the difference of the bracket , these will secure the bearing and keep it still. They need to be at least over 1/4" wide also and not cut out of a piece of muffler pipe (too thin a wall thickness). I have 3 sets of these in use, some are off a Crown Vic and/or Explorer. So far I have had no issues and one set in on a track car and has got its workout. Heres one I shrotened and modified for the 65 in progress.
67EvilEleanor: What exact rear brake setup is in this picture? You say its crown vic, but CV's use a different mounting position for the calipers on each side of the axle. Is this an explorer brake setup? I am going back and forth about which setup I would like to grab from a salvage yard as a future project. Thanks.
Has anyone taken pictures of their e-brake setup with either CV or explorer brakes? It seems like this is one thing I can't find pictures of.
Besides the CV swap and explorer swap, are there any OE-parts swaps that have built in e-brake setups?
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8
From: CA
OK, figured I'd chime in here as this post has some good and less good info on the Crown Vic rear brake swap.
I am fastmerc (cougarsteve!) provider of spacer kits to help this swap be simple and safe! Here are some pointers for youse all. Hope you don't mind.
First, the last post on this thread asks about the staggered caliper mounts. This is a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car thing. It brakes exactly the same as a non-staggered setup as found on the Explorers! Think about it....the rearend doesn't care where you apply brake clamping to the rotor.......you're gonna stop. The ONLY thing that hangs in folks minds and disturbs the balance of the universe is "this side is different than that side.......!!
If you just can't get over the interchange of the left and right parts.....it is cheaper to do it this way from a manufacturing point of view....and stocking parts...... the solution is to get one caliper from an Exploder that isn't the same as the Crown Vic calipers! NOW THIS IS ONLY FOR 1996-2002 Crown Vic etc BRAKES!!!!! 1991-1995 calipers were never made to do this, that I know of. Explorers didn't get rear discs until about 1995 or 1996 and were basically the same up thru about 2010.
I now provide only the 96-02 spacer kits and instructions, as the demand for the 91-95 brakes has vanished into a whisper. Someone mentioned that you need bearing spacers that are 3/16" thick to keep the axles from moving around, and this is true for 1991-1995 brakes! The 96-02 dimension is different but a spacer is also required. You will need to remove the wheel bearing to install the bearing spacer properly. If you have never done the wheel bearings....perhaps now is a good time to do so! Machine shop can do this job easily.....take the spacers and my instructions along.....easy peasy!
Owners of the small hub axles (wheel center size) up thru 1973 will also need rotor alignment shims to keep the rotors in proper position. In 1974, Ford changed the axle hub dimension to a larger "corporate size" and the rotor shims are no longer needed! So Maverick guys....pay attention to your wheel hub sizes as your axle shafts may have been changed over the years....
Here is more! DO NOT EXPECT EXPLORER BRAKES TO BOLT ON TO YOUR SMALL BEARING 65-73 REARENDS!!!!! The bolt pattern on the Explorer brakes is for a BIG BEARING and uses a Torino backing plate bolt pattern. The caliper mount/backing plate centers on the wheel bearing so this dimension IS important and is another reason why they do not interchange! You want Crown Vic/ Grand Marquis/ Town Car parts!
IF you have a big bolt rearend, then the Explorer brakes are the solution, but the mounting holes will not align properly....you can make one bolt hole fit, but the other three will need to be welded up and redrilled to do this properly. Not a big deal.
For EITHER the Crown Vic or Explorer conversions you will need to potentially remove extra material from the bottom of the rear end flanges. Easily done with a simple pattern and cut off wheel. Does NOT prevent one from putting drums back on the car......
For early Mustangs Cougars etc, with 14" stock steel wheels, and rally wheels, the swap may require some wheel spacers, 1/8"-3/16" thick to help clear 14" stocker steel wheels. 15" wheels should not be a problem, but check first.
Here is a SHOPPING LIST if you go to your local self serve for parts! This is also posted on my online sale thing... Study up on how to get axles out of an 8.8 rear!
Caliper brackets/backing plates with integral parking brakes (mini drum brakes!)
Calipers and flex hoses
Parking brake cables- Cut LH cable under front seat, ahead of the swedged on ball......take the splicer thingy too.....might be able to reuse it.
10-Wheel Studs- Yes take the wheel studs, or buy new..... Big hammer will allow you to remove them safely.....watch out for your remaining your good thumb......
Rotors and pads: OPTIONAL! I always recommend that when you are checking wheels to fit, that you use NEW ROTORS AND PADS to have everything at maximum dimensions when checking for interference!!! These parts are cheap from Rock Auto..... and you really can't have the rotors turned more than once.....maybe twice.....if you;'re lucky. Cheaper just to buy new! You can also get new parking brake shoe kits from RA for minimal bucks. Ford redesigned these parking brake parts (read this as "made cheaper") in 96.....
You will need some metric to SAE brake line adapters and I list some in my instructions.
Hope this helps sort some of this out! I reserve the right to have forgotten something and may come back and re-edit.... PM me if you have specific questions!
One last thing: Wilwood never used to offer the axle bearing spacers with their kits! (they do now!!!) But I have had several inquires about "why my axles move in and out when I am cornering....."I hear a clunk"....." Beware!!! Baer brake kits do not require the bearing spacers but both kits still need the rotor/hub alignment spacers/shims!
Cheers!
Steve
I am fastmerc (cougarsteve!) provider of spacer kits to help this swap be simple and safe! Here are some pointers for youse all. Hope you don't mind.
First, the last post on this thread asks about the staggered caliper mounts. This is a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car thing. It brakes exactly the same as a non-staggered setup as found on the Explorers! Think about it....the rearend doesn't care where you apply brake clamping to the rotor.......you're gonna stop. The ONLY thing that hangs in folks minds and disturbs the balance of the universe is "this side is different than that side.......!!
If you just can't get over the interchange of the left and right parts.....it is cheaper to do it this way from a manufacturing point of view....and stocking parts...... the solution is to get one caliper from an Exploder that isn't the same as the Crown Vic calipers! NOW THIS IS ONLY FOR 1996-2002 Crown Vic etc BRAKES!!!!! 1991-1995 calipers were never made to do this, that I know of. Explorers didn't get rear discs until about 1995 or 1996 and were basically the same up thru about 2010.
I now provide only the 96-02 spacer kits and instructions, as the demand for the 91-95 brakes has vanished into a whisper. Someone mentioned that you need bearing spacers that are 3/16" thick to keep the axles from moving around, and this is true for 1991-1995 brakes! The 96-02 dimension is different but a spacer is also required. You will need to remove the wheel bearing to install the bearing spacer properly. If you have never done the wheel bearings....perhaps now is a good time to do so! Machine shop can do this job easily.....take the spacers and my instructions along.....easy peasy!
Owners of the small hub axles (wheel center size) up thru 1973 will also need rotor alignment shims to keep the rotors in proper position. In 1974, Ford changed the axle hub dimension to a larger "corporate size" and the rotor shims are no longer needed! So Maverick guys....pay attention to your wheel hub sizes as your axle shafts may have been changed over the years....
Here is more! DO NOT EXPECT EXPLORER BRAKES TO BOLT ON TO YOUR SMALL BEARING 65-73 REARENDS!!!!! The bolt pattern on the Explorer brakes is for a BIG BEARING and uses a Torino backing plate bolt pattern. The caliper mount/backing plate centers on the wheel bearing so this dimension IS important and is another reason why they do not interchange! You want Crown Vic/ Grand Marquis/ Town Car parts!
IF you have a big bolt rearend, then the Explorer brakes are the solution, but the mounting holes will not align properly....you can make one bolt hole fit, but the other three will need to be welded up and redrilled to do this properly. Not a big deal.
For EITHER the Crown Vic or Explorer conversions you will need to potentially remove extra material from the bottom of the rear end flanges. Easily done with a simple pattern and cut off wheel. Does NOT prevent one from putting drums back on the car......
For early Mustangs Cougars etc, with 14" stock steel wheels, and rally wheels, the swap may require some wheel spacers, 1/8"-3/16" thick to help clear 14" stocker steel wheels. 15" wheels should not be a problem, but check first.
Here is a SHOPPING LIST if you go to your local self serve for parts! This is also posted on my online sale thing... Study up on how to get axles out of an 8.8 rear!
Caliper brackets/backing plates with integral parking brakes (mini drum brakes!)
Calipers and flex hoses
Parking brake cables- Cut LH cable under front seat, ahead of the swedged on ball......take the splicer thingy too.....might be able to reuse it.
10-Wheel Studs- Yes take the wheel studs, or buy new..... Big hammer will allow you to remove them safely.....watch out for your remaining your good thumb......
Rotors and pads: OPTIONAL! I always recommend that when you are checking wheels to fit, that you use NEW ROTORS AND PADS to have everything at maximum dimensions when checking for interference!!! These parts are cheap from Rock Auto..... and you really can't have the rotors turned more than once.....maybe twice.....if you;'re lucky. Cheaper just to buy new! You can also get new parking brake shoe kits from RA for minimal bucks. Ford redesigned these parking brake parts (read this as "made cheaper") in 96.....
You will need some metric to SAE brake line adapters and I list some in my instructions.
Hope this helps sort some of this out! I reserve the right to have forgotten something and may come back and re-edit.... PM me if you have specific questions!
One last thing: Wilwood never used to offer the axle bearing spacers with their kits! (they do now!!!) But I have had several inquires about "why my axles move in and out when I am cornering....."I hear a clunk"....." Beware!!! Baer brake kits do not require the bearing spacers but both kits still need the rotor/hub alignment spacers/shims!
Cheers!
Steve
Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 3
From: Missouri
OK, figured I'd chime in here as this post has some good and less good info on the Crown Vic rear brake swap.
I am fastmerc (cougarsteve!) provider of spacer kits to help this swap be simple and safe! Here are some pointers for youse all. Hope you don't mind.
First, the last post on this thread asks about the staggered caliper mounts. This is a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car thing. It brakes exactly the same as a non-staggered setup as found on the Explorers! Think about it....the rearend doesn't care where you apply brake clamping to the rotor.......you're gonna stop. The ONLY thing that hangs in folks minds and disturbs the balance of the universe is "this side is different than that side.......!!
If you just can't get over the interchange of the left and right parts.....it is cheaper to do it this way from a manufacturing point of view....and stocking parts...... the solution is to get one caliper from an Exploder that isn't the same as the Crown Vic calipers! NOW THIS IS ONLY FOR 1996-2002 Crown Vic etc BRAKES!!!!! 1991-1995 calipers were never made to do this, that I know of. Explorers didn't get rear discs until about 1995 or 1996 and were basically the same up thru about 2010.
I now provide only the 96-02 spacer kits and instructions, as the demand for the 91-95 brakes has vanished into a whisper. Someone mentioned that you need bearing spacers that are 3/16" thick to keep the axles from moving around, and this is true for 1991-1995 brakes! The 96-02 dimension is different but a spacer is also required. You will need to remove the wheel bearing to install the bearing spacer properly. If you have never done the wheel bearings....perhaps now is a good time to do so! Machine shop can do this job easily.....take the spacers and my instructions along.....easy peasy!
Owners of the small hub axles (wheel center size) up thru 1973 will also need rotor alignment shims to keep the rotors in proper position. In 1974, Ford changed the axle hub dimension to a larger "corporate size" and the rotor shims are no longer needed! So Maverick guys....pay attention to your wheel hub sizes as your axle shafts may have been changed over the years....
Here is more! DO NOT EXPECT EXPLORER BRAKES TO BOLT ON TO YOUR SMALL BEARING 65-73 REARENDS!!!!! The bolt pattern on the Explorer brakes is for a BIG BEARING and uses a Torino backing plate bolt pattern. The caliper mount/backing plate centers on the wheel bearing so this dimension IS important and is another reason why they do not interchange! You want Crown Vic/ Grand Marquis/ Town Car parts!
IF you have a big bolt rearend, then the Explorer brakes are the solution, but the mounting holes will not align properly....you can make one bolt hole fit, but the other three will need to be welded up and redrilled to do this properly. Not a big deal.
For EITHER the Crown Vic or Explorer conversions you will need to potentially remove extra material from the bottom of the rear end flanges. Easily done with a simple pattern and cut off wheel. Does NOT prevent one from putting drums back on the car......
For early Mustangs Cougars etc, with 14" stock steel wheels, and rally wheels, the swap may require some wheel spacers, 1/8"-3/16" thick to help clear 14" stocker steel wheels. 15" wheels should not be a problem, but check first.
Here is a SHOPPING LIST if you go to your local self serve for parts! This is also posted on my online sale thing... Study up on how to get axles out of an 8.8 rear!
Caliper brackets/backing plates with integral parking brakes (mini drum brakes!)
Calipers and flex hoses
Parking brake cables- Cut LH cable under front seat, ahead of the swedged on ball......take the splicer thingy too.....might be able to reuse it.
10-Wheel Studs- Yes take the wheel studs, or buy new..... Big hammer will allow you to remove them safely.....watch out for your remaining your good thumb......
Rotors and pads: OPTIONAL! I always recommend that when you are checking wheels to fit, that you use NEW ROTORS AND PADS to have everything at maximum dimensions when checking for interference!!! These parts are cheap from Rock Auto..... and you really can't have the rotors turned more than once.....maybe twice.....if you;'re lucky. Cheaper just to buy new! You can also get new parking brake shoe kits from RA for minimal bucks. Ford redesigned these parking brake parts (read this as "made cheaper") in 96.....
You will need some metric to SAE brake line adapters and I list some in my instructions.
Hope this helps sort some of this out! I reserve the right to have forgotten something and may come back and re-edit.... PM me if you have specific questions!
One last thing: Wilwood never used to offer the axle bearing spacers with their kits! (they do now!!!) But I have had several inquires about "why my axles move in and out when I am cornering....."I hear a clunk"....." Beware!!! Baer brake kits do not require the bearing spacers but both kits still need the rotor/hub alignment spacers/shims!
Cheers!
Steve
I am fastmerc (cougarsteve!) provider of spacer kits to help this swap be simple and safe! Here are some pointers for youse all. Hope you don't mind.
First, the last post on this thread asks about the staggered caliper mounts. This is a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car thing. It brakes exactly the same as a non-staggered setup as found on the Explorers! Think about it....the rearend doesn't care where you apply brake clamping to the rotor.......you're gonna stop. The ONLY thing that hangs in folks minds and disturbs the balance of the universe is "this side is different than that side.......!!
If you just can't get over the interchange of the left and right parts.....it is cheaper to do it this way from a manufacturing point of view....and stocking parts...... the solution is to get one caliper from an Exploder that isn't the same as the Crown Vic calipers! NOW THIS IS ONLY FOR 1996-2002 Crown Vic etc BRAKES!!!!! 1991-1995 calipers were never made to do this, that I know of. Explorers didn't get rear discs until about 1995 or 1996 and were basically the same up thru about 2010.
I now provide only the 96-02 spacer kits and instructions, as the demand for the 91-95 brakes has vanished into a whisper. Someone mentioned that you need bearing spacers that are 3/16" thick to keep the axles from moving around, and this is true for 1991-1995 brakes! The 96-02 dimension is different but a spacer is also required. You will need to remove the wheel bearing to install the bearing spacer properly. If you have never done the wheel bearings....perhaps now is a good time to do so! Machine shop can do this job easily.....take the spacers and my instructions along.....easy peasy!
Owners of the small hub axles (wheel center size) up thru 1973 will also need rotor alignment shims to keep the rotors in proper position. In 1974, Ford changed the axle hub dimension to a larger "corporate size" and the rotor shims are no longer needed! So Maverick guys....pay attention to your wheel hub sizes as your axle shafts may have been changed over the years....
Here is more! DO NOT EXPECT EXPLORER BRAKES TO BOLT ON TO YOUR SMALL BEARING 65-73 REARENDS!!!!! The bolt pattern on the Explorer brakes is for a BIG BEARING and uses a Torino backing plate bolt pattern. The caliper mount/backing plate centers on the wheel bearing so this dimension IS important and is another reason why they do not interchange! You want Crown Vic/ Grand Marquis/ Town Car parts!
IF you have a big bolt rearend, then the Explorer brakes are the solution, but the mounting holes will not align properly....you can make one bolt hole fit, but the other three will need to be welded up and redrilled to do this properly. Not a big deal.
For EITHER the Crown Vic or Explorer conversions you will need to potentially remove extra material from the bottom of the rear end flanges. Easily done with a simple pattern and cut off wheel. Does NOT prevent one from putting drums back on the car......
For early Mustangs Cougars etc, with 14" stock steel wheels, and rally wheels, the swap may require some wheel spacers, 1/8"-3/16" thick to help clear 14" stocker steel wheels. 15" wheels should not be a problem, but check first.
Here is a SHOPPING LIST if you go to your local self serve for parts! This is also posted on my online sale thing... Study up on how to get axles out of an 8.8 rear!
Caliper brackets/backing plates with integral parking brakes (mini drum brakes!)
Calipers and flex hoses
Parking brake cables- Cut LH cable under front seat, ahead of the swedged on ball......take the splicer thingy too.....might be able to reuse it.
10-Wheel Studs- Yes take the wheel studs, or buy new..... Big hammer will allow you to remove them safely.....watch out for your remaining your good thumb......
Rotors and pads: OPTIONAL! I always recommend that when you are checking wheels to fit, that you use NEW ROTORS AND PADS to have everything at maximum dimensions when checking for interference!!! These parts are cheap from Rock Auto..... and you really can't have the rotors turned more than once.....maybe twice.....if you;'re lucky. Cheaper just to buy new! You can also get new parking brake shoe kits from RA for minimal bucks. Ford redesigned these parking brake parts (read this as "made cheaper") in 96.....
You will need some metric to SAE brake line adapters and I list some in my instructions.
Hope this helps sort some of this out! I reserve the right to have forgotten something and may come back and re-edit.... PM me if you have specific questions!
One last thing: Wilwood never used to offer the axle bearing spacers with their kits! (they do now!!!) But I have had several inquires about "why my axles move in and out when I am cornering....."I hear a clunk"....." Beware!!! Baer brake kits do not require the bearing spacers but both kits still need the rotor/hub alignment spacers/shims!
Cheers!
Steve