If you are looking for 4-wheel disc brakes you might try what I did. I have
an '80 T/A 8.5-inch posi rearend in my '56 Chevy pickup. The '79-81 T/A
rearends had a factory option for discs, but they are not that easy to find
(I suppose you could order from a dealer but I'm sure they will want a small
fortune for the parts). The Caddy Seville rearends (late 70s) have rear
discs and I believe carry the same part numbers as those on the T/A, but
they are not that easy to find either. I discovered that the full size
Caddy Sedan Deville also come with rear discs.
I picked up a bad '79 Sedan Deville rearend for $50 - now these axles are
5x5 but I only wanted the backing plates and calipers which bolted onto my
80 T/A rearend w/o modification. I have seen it mentioned on another
message board that the drum axles and disc axles are different and require
shimming - I have not found that to be the case yet and I'm not sure where
the shims would go at this point. The only possible drawback is the
calipers mount differently from side to side. The passenger side caliper
mounts to the front of the car and the driver's side mounts to the rear of
the car. This will make the e-brake a little more cumbersome to setup but
it'll still be fine. Control Cables, Inc ( 562.802.1122 or
http://www.controlcables.com/index.htm ) in California can makeup just about
any kind of cable.
I picked up an 80 Vette m/c and I need to find a 4-wheel disc
proportioning/combination valve ( I would have taken the one from the Caddy
or the Vette if they had been available). They are available for about $100
new (MP Brakes and ECI).
The truck is not running yet so I haven't had a chance to test drive the
braking system but I don't expect any problems. Just another possible
solution for those of you looking for 4-wheel discs and wanting the same
bolt-pattern on all four wheels.
More info -
***********
A post I found on the F-body message board - these part numbers will
probably work for any 10- or 12-bolt rearend:
http://www.v8fbody.com/faq2.html#ch2-4
Q: What do I need to convert my rear drums to disc brakes?
A: If you want to take the cheap route, late model (1979-1988) G-body (Grand
Prix, Monte Carlo, Regal, Cutlass Supreme) front calipers will work on the
rear
of the 2nd gen cars. But, you won't have an emergency brake. Otherwise you
can
obtain the parts from stock equipped cars:
'79 - '81 caliper mounting bracket (10004494 LH / 10004495 RH)
'79 caliper (18005294 LH / 18008295 RH)
*** OR ***
'80 - '81 caliper (18006748 LH / 18006749 RH)
'79 - '81 proportioning valve (1257187)
'79 - '80 master cylinder (18005285)
*** OR ***
'81 turbo master cylinder (18008061)
*** OR ***
'81 master cylinder (18008060)
'79 - '81 emergency brake cable (10004675 LH / 10004676 RH)
'79 - '81 power brake booster (18004365)
'79 - '81 rear axle shaft (1263988)
'79 - '81 rotors (10005272)
************
As with any "swapping of parts project" make sure everything is compatible
and works together. Brakes are not something to be taken lightly. -Bob
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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