Has anyone heard of swapping Explorer rear disc brakes onto a 9"?

[10secgoal]

could you post a link, please?

Sorry dude...not computer literate enough for that. He sells them all the time though. It falls under 9in or 8in disc brakes. He takes like a lincoln rotor and a caddy caliper. I may evenually do this after the granada swap. Stopping from 110+ isn't what you would call easy with drums all around.

 

[65mistress]

I have a set of those brackets, they went for $89, I haven't had an opportunity to put them on yet. I came across a guy who buys the SN95 GT's and has a hard time keeping them on the road, so I've traded a rear end out of one for a BBK electric fuel pump I had lying around. Does anyone know the extent of cutting and fab work needed to stick the SN95 rearend under a 65 coupe?

The bracket kit on ebay comes with suggestions for different types of setups, including Lincoln mark VII rotors, Caddy Deville rotors (so that you can have an e-brake) and other assorted odds and ends. The brackets are pretty stout.

 

[ratio411]

On the Maverick site guys have been using late 90s Exploder rear discs on 8" rears. Same as the small bearing 9".
The bracket is metric and the holes are slightly smaller. They have been reaming them with a drill to fit the standard retainer bolts.
3 or 4 members claim they are a bolt up.
I intend to try.
Dave

 

[68rustang]

Does anyone know the extent of cutting and fab work needed to stick the SN95 rearend under a 65 coupe?

I am not 100% sure but I think you have to shorten both sides about 1". But if somebody knows the numbers better than me I think you can stick one under the car without shortening it and run late model wheels w/o adapters.

 

[Hack]

I bought a complete 95 GT 5spd car that was hit in the front for $1500.00.

I realize this thread was more about just using the brakes off an exlporer on a 9". I apologize for the hijacking.

Wow, I think you got a great deal. I would expect that to sell for $3 or $4k easy. Thanks for the advice, I do always keep my eyes open locally, but I've never seen a deal like that around here. Many people here garage their Mustangs in the winter.

I'm also sorry about the hijack. I do think most of the people in the thread would be interested in alternative solutions, however. One negative to the 9 inch is it's so heavy. They are also getting a little old and harder to find, at least up here they aren't that easy to find. A local junkyard here wanted $250 for a 9 inch - condition unknown.

 

[ratio411]

One negative to the 9 inch is it's so heavy...

I found some tech info on Ford rears the other day.
I used to believe what you say, but I found that a comparison of:
68 Mustang 8" rear vs 68 Mustang 9" rear (standard case, 28 spline)
The weight difference is about 10 lbs. 2 for the housing, 8 for the chunk assembly. With N case and 31 splines it jumps a couple more pounds. Nothing outragous IMO. 170# vs 180#.
A Versillies 9" is 210#, but that is with the HD housing, heavier axles/bearings, and believe it or not, those disc brakes weigh about 34# compared to 22# drums.
Ford Exploder discs have a larger rotor, yet still weigh only 25# total.

Some food for thought...
Dave

 

[68rustang]

The biggest downside in my book to going with a 9" is that fact that people seem to think they are worth their weight in gold anymore.

 

[ratio411]

I have an '01 Explorer to use for parts...

This might be the problem!
All the posts I have seen where folks did the swap, they reference 97ish Exploders. If you do some research on Fords, around 99 they did a major overhaul on their drivelines, specifically axle specs, brake specs, and wheel bolt patterns.
That could explain why your 01 parts seem so out of place.
8" and small 9" rears have the same ends and folks are reporting perfect fit except for the size of the bracket bolts. They are metric, so you toss those and use your standard axle retainer bolts. To do so the holes in the bracket must be reamed larger ever so slightly... but there is no report of pattern spacing descrepancy.
I will look up some of the mod pages and posts and forward to this thread later.
Dave

 

[ratio411]

The biggest downside in my book to going with a 9" is that fact that people seem to think they are worth their weight in gold anymore.

I don't know first hand how easy this mod is, but there are companies offering the service and some folks doing the mod at home...
Mod:
Your 8" rear
A cheap non-desireable 9" housing

Cut axle tubes off your 8"
Cut axle tubes off 9"
Weld your axle tubes onto the center of 9" housing.

Result:
A 28 spline 9" rear the same width as your old 8".
Reuse your axles and marry to a 28 spline chunk.
For extra support, a 9" back brace can be used on the 'new' housing.

This is what I intend to do.
I already have a 9" housing center with the axle tubes gone. Got it dirt cheap.

Dave

 

[D.Hearne]

The biggest downside in my book to going with a 9" is that fact that people seem to think they are worth their weight in gold anymore.

What do you call "worth their weight in gold"? I've got a Stang-ready 9" for sale in the classifieds that's priced right, a little less than you'd spend to buy a J'Yard 9" and have it narrowed and if you factor in the cost of new axles, it's a down right steal.

 

[68rustang]

Another option:

I used an 8.8" out of a sn95 GT. Just put it under the car last week. Fit like a glove after I welded spring perches onto it.

Yet another option, I have 9" housing, axles, and chunk with junk gears from a Ranchero that is the right width for you guys with 65-66 cars. It will also work for 67-up and allow a little more room for tires. I was going to go this route until I bought the wrecked 95GT for parts. I was going to list the 9" housing on ebay but if any of you guys are interested let me know. Speaking of which, what is gold trading for these days?

edited for sperling

 

[68rustang]

What do you call "worth their weight in gold"? I've got a Stang-ready 9" for sale in the classifieds that's priced right, a little less than you'd spend to buy a J'Yard 9" and have it narrowed and if you factor in the cost of new axles, it's a down right steal.

I was just referring to the prices I see for these things at swap meets. That price you have on yours in the classified is not to shabby.

 

[ratio411]

There are deals to be had...
It does take some looking though.
I got my last 9" rear from a Granada for 82 bux after tax from a junkyard.
It just depends if you buy from someone who cares what they have or someone who just wants to sell parts all day.
Dave

 

[ratio411]

I was just referring to the prices I see for these things at swap meets.

Buying inside the hobby, especially swap meets, will get you burned on a lot of popular parts like the 9".
My take on swap meets is that I buy up desireable parts from sources outside the hobby before the meet. That way if I want something at the meet, I swap parts for it rather than pay cash. It's hard to explain, but if you buy an intake, for example, from an individual for 20, then take it to a meet... you can usually swap it at an inflated value for a part being sold at an inflated value, effectively making your cash go further.
Dave

 

[69 Rustang]

That could explain why your 01 parts seem so out of place.
8" and small 9" rears have the same ends and folks are reporting perfect fit except for the size of the bracket bolts.

Dave/ratio411,
Thanks I will check that out. That may be the solution to getting rear disks and keeping my wife from killing me for stealing parts off her car!
Dave/69 Rustang

 

[Hack]

I found some tech info on Ford rears the other day.
I used to believe what you say, but I found that a comparison of:
68 Mustang 8" rear vs 68 Mustang 9" rear (standard case, 28 spline)
The weight difference is about 10 lbs. 2 for the housing, 8 for the chunk assembly. With N case and 31 splines it jumps a couple more pounds. Nothing outragous IMO. 170# vs 180#.
A Versillies 9" is 210#, but that is with the HD housing, heavier axles/bearings, and believe it or not, those disc brakes weigh about 34# compared to 22# drums.
Ford Exploder discs have a larger rotor, yet still weigh only 25# total.

Some food for thought...
Dave

I was comparing the 9 to an 8.8. I wouldn't suggest someone use an 8 inch rear. How much does an 8.8 weigh? I found a figure of 114 pounds for a bare housing. I don't know what that translates to with everything.

 

[ratio411]

I was comparing the 9 to an 8.8. I wouldn't suggest someone use an 8 inch rear. How much does an 8.8 weigh? I found a figure of 114 pounds for a bare housing. I don't know what that translates to with everything.

I suppose we could work up a close guess...

114 for bare housing... but the housing is much heavier than the others and there is no chunk, so that would be 2 parts in one.
The 9" housing is 38# (light duty), but the entire assembly being 180...

Anyway...
114 housing
30 axles
50 Exploder discs...
That comes up to 194, maybe bare housing meant "without brakes"?
If so, the rear would be 164, but that sounds a little low... could be...
Maybe a good guess on a complete 8.8 would be 165?
Anyone with concrete numbers????
Dave

 

[Edbert]

Explorer brakes are popular add-ons for 8 and 9 inch axles. But swapping out the 8 or 9 for one of them new 8.8s is not exactly a bolt-in, at least nowhere near as easy as the brakes. You'll need to acquire spring perches and weld them in, plus the pinion is not centered on the newer units like it was in the 60s.

 

[68rustang]

I was comparing the 9 to an 8.8. I wouldn't suggest someone use an 8 inch rear. How much does an 8.8 weigh? I found a figure of 114 pounds for a bare housing. I don't know what that translates to with everything.

What constitutes a bare housing? 114 sounds way high if you mean no brakes axles gears etc...

 

[ratio411]

What constitutes a bare housing? 114 sounds way high if you mean no brakes axles gears etc...

Got to remember that the 8.8 does not have a chunk. The bare housing is thicker tubing and the center must have all the strength of the chunk to hold the diff and gears. The 8.8 is not a small rear, and I would imagine that it would not be very light considering that it is a strong rear.
Dave