I've converted a 02 2500 diesel truck from 2nd gen brakes to 3rd gen disk brakes (front and rear). Of course the truck has eight bolt rims (2010 laramie rims), 03 calipers/abutments, 03 rotor. I'm sure you can do the same thing with the 1500 trucks. You could also run the 4th gen brakes. That truck had dana 60/dana 80 axles.

Running the stock 2nd gen brakes I got lots of brake fade if you pull heavy trailers. The 3rd gen parts are cheaper than the 4th gen.

 

So I just picked up a 3rd gen rotor and caliper from the local parts store to check the fit (before ordering better parts on rockauto for half the money haha). Turns out this doesn't work. The caliper and bracket is very similar, almost identical between the 2nd and 3rd gen, but the mounting bosses on the axle housing where the caliper bolts on must be further away from the axle center-line on the 3rd gen to accommodate the larger rotor diameter. The caliper hits on the rotor and you can't actually get the caliper bracket bolts in because you can't get the caliper close enough to the center line. Looks like we are stuck with OEM size. O well, I tried.

 

We are talking 1500 to 1500? I wonder if the wheel bearings aren't farther out

 

Yeah 1500 to 1500.

I'm not talking about the spacing being wrong in terms of the center line of the truck, like the axis between driver and passenger side. I'm saying that essentially the 3rd gen caliper brackets place the caliper in the exact same place as the 2nd gen caliper brackets, but the 3rd gen caliper is over an inch larger diameter, so it hits the inside of the caliper and prevents it from being able to sit all the way down over the rotor.

O well, I got cardone reman coated calipers, raybestos element3 coated rotors, ackebono proact pads, and new raybestos hydraulic hoses for both sides for $277 shipped in the OEM size (and I'll get 50 back when I return the caliper cores). Can't beat that. Hell, O'Reily wanted $150 for 1 caliper and 1 junky uncoated rotor. Gotta love rockauto.

 

Not a bad deal at all! I'm going to upgrade my 2500 and 1500 brakes. The 2500 is getting 3rd gen and the 1500 is getting brembos

 

I wasn't aware Brembo made anything for 2nd gen 1500s. O well, I'm sure they are far more than I'd want to spend anyway. I honestly feel like the stock brakes are pretty decent at slowing the truck down (at least on the later years when they went to dual piston fronts like I've got). Not really sufficient if you're towing much, but that's what trailer brakes are for.

 

That last part is very true and often forgotten

 

I did this upgrade today with my 01 2500. I ordered the Powerstop Z36 truck & tow kit for a 2005 2500 ram and had no problems. The calipers were threaded for 3/8-24 banjo bolts so my 01 banjo bolts and brake lines hooked right up (the kit did not include any). The lead wheel weights inside my 17 in Grid wheels rubbed slightly so I filed them down just enough to clear. The 2nd gen 16" wheels will not fit.

I took this opportunity to replace all my hard lines with stainless pre-bent from Inline tube. All of the bends in the lines were very close to factory and needed minimal adjusting for fit, and all the fittings were correct.