So ssbc has a disc brake conversion upgrade for our trucks .I know our rear drums suck horribly. The kit costs $650 and comes with everything I would need. I believe the pads and rotors are the same as the fronts so doing brake jobs would be simple.
i do plan on towing with my truck after the resto is finished
I do plan on taking it off road quite a bit
I will daily drive it for the next 20 years once I'm done then probably restore it again.

So the question is..... Should I go ahead and drop 650 on a rear disc conversion?
What do you guys think

 

nope. Do you have 9" or 10" brakes on the back now? I have 2 Dakotas, both club cab, one each has 9" rears and the other has 10's. I have never had a problem unless something in my brakes was worn out.... or a rusted out line or something like that.
Though my 4wd is the one with 10" back brakes, I have seen 2wds with them too. If I did anything with a brake "upgrade," I'd find the parts to put the 10" brakes on the back. besides just triple checking everything to make sure all was right with them, (and DON'T use a cheap grade of shoes) no frozen wheel cylinders, no leaks, star wheels adjusted like they should be, drums in good shape, etc.
I cringe on these home brew rear disc conversions, the metering and such between drum and disc brakes is vastly different, unless you have a vehicle that could have come either way (drum or disc) within a "gen" or body style, etc., where you can get a metering/ proportioning valve and master from a same type vehicle that came from the factory with 4 wheel discs, I wouldn't bother. Youre not gonna gain as much as you might think vs properly working rear drums.
As the shoes wear and the brake pedal travel increases because of having to move farther to contact the drums ever so gradually, you don't notice it "going away", just one day months down the road you notice "hey this thing ain't stopping like it used to" but to pull the drums and look things over and adjust the star wheel manually to where it should be, you'll notice an almost immediate improvement.

Oh yeah, one thing I see "all the time" that will mess with how well your brakes work..... someone has done a brake job and not paid attention to what a "primary" and "secondary" shoe is....
Primary is the shoe with the smaller (shorter) lining, and Always goes towards the FRONT, secondary is longer, sometimes thicker, and goes to the BACK. I have seen both Primary on one side/ both secondary shoes on the other, also on other vehicles I have seen the primary and secondary flip flopped. IDK if they start on one side and notice "small shoe on the right" so they do both sides that way, well that is only right on the passenger side. On the driver side as you are looking at the shoes with drum off, the small shoe would be to the left (facing frontwards)
Being auto shop in high school doesn't exist most DIY (and some working in shops) never learned things like that.

I drive my 92 2wd 318 club cab Dakota 70 miles a day. Some of those miles are on back country roads and when the corn is down and the tractors aren't on the roads I tend to drive a lot faster than I probably should.... after 220 K miles, my 9" drums still work just fine..... the only place I really ever notice a difference is with a loaded down bed and pulling my pop up camper, the 4wd with its 10" rears does stop a little better..... but the one with 9" brakes does the job too, when I use that truck to go camping with...… just gotta let of the gas only slightly sooner..... but even then not by much.

 

Thanks volaredon for some additional insight
i did know about the primary and secondary shoes already.
I've already got literally all new parts for my 9inch drums.
I wanted to see if anybody had do e a set yet. Ssbc wouldn't go under the "home brew" classification though. There products are actually extremely well r&d'd and built.
If I do go that route I'll be putting on a 4 wheel disc master cylinder and an adjustable prop valve. But that's IF I go that route .I'm still a decent ways away from being ready for that part of the project.
Was just a thought.
Thanks for the input

 

Personally, I would not pay 650 to convert..... Have you considered a 9.25 out of a newer dakota? FWIW I used a 8.8 explorer rear, mainly because i already had it and it has the 5x4.5 pattern. I planned to changed the proportioning valve to one made for disc to disc. They are available on ebay..... But honestly, mine seems to work fine without it.
I can tell you the newer trucks use the same master cylinder, drum disc vs disc disc.
Again, if I was in your shoes and wanted disc, I would look at a 9.25....

 

Ragtop's 8.8 convert was sweet. I'd do what he suggested though with the 9.25 if you really want discs. it'll be cheaper to just get a whole used axle.

 

Yeah I seen that build he did.
but.... I'm a bit of a purist and refuse to put Ford parts on a Dodge lol. That's basphemy.
Gonna stick with stock rears for now and see how it does

 

But the 9.25 is a Chrysler rear end so that's still an option and IMO the most cost effective option. That's what both myself and ragtop were suggesting for you. Just gotta find a decent deal.

 

Lots of complaints in this area about rear disc on trucks that work on the farm. Seems they aren't as maintenance free as the drums are.

Personally don't see a reason why one would need disc on the rear. I certainly wouldn't be interested at $650.

Steve

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azboyinmi

but.... I'm a bit of a purist and refuse to put Ford parts on a Dodge lol. That's basphemy.

Well it's a good thing you did not get that SSBC kit then!! It uses GM calipers!!
All joking aside, below are my thoughts.....

I believe a 9.25 with disc can be purchased for $200.00 or less.....
From what I understand, it can basically be a bolt in for your truck.....

The stock 8.25 drum brake rear end is probably fine for 99% of the people out there.
Mine, at 65,000 miles was wore out. The sure-grip differential was so weak..... and a new one is $451.99 from rock auto
Had a bad left wheel bearing, and the brake backing plates were rusting out.....
In short, the cost to repair was simply not worth it IMO
In addition, I already had a ford explorer 8.8 rear with disc brakes.....
My truck is a toy for me..... , I put the 8.8 rear in it as a project....

In your case, again, IMO, you fall in the 1% range.
You have stated, plan to keep the truck, plan to tow with the truck. And I suspect in time, will be wanting to add more power.
From talking to you and looking at your post, its obvious that you have the ability and talent to swap rears. Heck, anybody rebuilding a cab like you are....., well the rear end is cake.


Advantages to a 9.25
The 9.25 rear is much stronger then the 8.25.
You could consider a gear change, ie 3.92 for towing. If that is of interest, shop for one with that gear. Seems the 3.55 and 3.92 are the most common....
Much better locking rear ends. The 8.25, at least in my 87 is not rebuildable. I "think" the ones in the 9.25 are.
Upgrading to mopar factory disc brakes.

In the end, I believe the question that you need to consider, is a 9.25 rear end upgrade worth it to you?

Good luck, and as always, I enjoy following your post and bouncing ideas back and forth.

 

9.25 may be a possibility in the distant future.
as for now. The rear end is already freshened up with all new bearings etc.
I do plan on going for more power once this engine gives up the ghost and I have to replace it. Then who knows in 5 or 10 years maybe a hemi lol.
As far as discs on the rear end I'll wait to see how it does when driving with a load before I do an axle swap. If I end up going bigger than 31s on the tires I may just swap in a 9.25 with 3.92s and put 3.92s in the front.