Converting my Dana 60 rear FF to 8 on 170mm and disc brakes
I'd like to convert my rear Dana 60 (in my '96 E350) to rear Ford Truck disc brakes w/parking brake and 170mm lug pattern.
I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and swap in a 10.5 Sterling, mostly because of cost.
My axle is already full float, has 4.10 gears to match the front, and has a locker installed. (rear end cost, gear swap, locker, probably drive shaft work, $1.5K-$2k if I do it myself)
I'm having problems with the drum brakes. They won't stay adjusted, the curved nail pins and mousetrap springs have come apart 3 times now. I don't like to give in, but I'm about "over it".
If I swap them for discs, I may as well eliminate the rear wheel adapters at the same time (my front axle is a 99-01 Dana 60 w/170mm pattern, I have 2 sets of tires/wheels for it)
I've seen the $300 brake conversion kits , that for $200 more, you can add 1979 Cadillac Eldorado rear calipers, that have provisions for a parking brake. Do some cable work, and have a mediocre parking brake, brakes that you can get parts for, a single piston caliper on a 10" vented Chevy 4x4 truck front rotor. Not bad, but But those kits are for light trail rigs with 1 ton axles, like most of us my rig is over 9000lbs, and I tow with it. I think I want a super duty truck 2 piston rear caliper and proper expanding internal shoe parking/ebrake. If I had bigger wheels, I would have gone to F450 front brakes already.
My current hubs can't be re-drilled for 170mm pattern, not enough material to do so.
I'd like to fit a 8 on 170mm 99-'01 or so Ford truck disc brake with expanding shoe type parking brake set up from a metric single rear wheel F series. I'm not sure if those are Dana, or all Sterling? I have no idea if a Sterling hub will fit on a Dana axle stub... Anyone?
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1995 E350 7.3 Diesel, 4x4 high roof camper, UJOR 4" lift
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