7.5" Disc Brakes

[TheRedRangerRidesAgain]

I am curious if any one has ever done a conversion to put disc brakes on a 7.5 rear end that was originally equipped with drums? is there a way to do it? maybe a kit?

 

[LittleBigFoot]

There's plenty of swaps for the 9"

I'm pretty sure theres somethin for the 7.5, but don't hold me to that

 

[regnardrof39]

well like always there is the 8.8 swap from a expo. cheap and easy

 

[kunar]

yea, i remember reading it on the old board but i havent seen it here. whoever it was used discs from a mustang 7.5" rear. he was able to cut and drill everything he needed to, and bolt it all together. no welding required. if you go this route, take pics and do a write up!!

 

[Roger]

Anything is possible, I've seen Vipers calipers on a Caravan using Mustang rotors...

 

[metalmacguyver]

Anything is possible, I've seen Vipers calipers on a Caravan using Mustang rotors...

wtf? who would waste thier time putting performance parts on a minivan?

 

[Shoeboy]

I would. Best sleeper out there, some of those minivans have some balls to them.

 

[Captain Ledd]

wtf? who would waste thier time putting performance parts on a minivan?

If it's a long drive back from the grocery store... That ice cream cannot melt.

On another note, I'm going to be putting my Stock 7.5" brake drums back onto the 8.8 I'm swapping in. I know it's a downgrade, but it's stock and will be easier to get parts for. 2nd - they have worked fine for me for the last 190,000 miles. But it's my last semester of college, who the hell knows when that'll get done

 

[Roger]

Sounds like a safety upgrade to me. Heavy minivan loaded down doesn't stop all that well. On the other hand, yes, some are actually pretty stout. Just remember, before wondering why people modify other vehicles, there are plenty that wonder why we do the same with trucks...

 

[ZMan]

If it's a long drive back from the grocery store... That ice cream cannot melt.

On another note, I'm going to be putting my Stock 7.5" brake drums back onto the 8.8 I'm swapping in. I know it's a downgrade, but it's stock and will be easier to get parts for. 2nd - they have worked fine for me for the last 190,000 miles. But it's my last semester of college, who the hell knows when that'll get done

since when was getting 8.8 brakes HARD? I mean, seriously..the Ranger and explorer are only the best selling SUV/small pickup of all time, I'm pretty sure every parts store has 8.8 brake parts in stock at all times. Not to mention the F-150, mustang, Aerostar, etc all used the 8.8 in one form or another.

 

[Captain Ledd]

since when was getting 8.8 brakes HARD? I mean, seriously..the Ranger and explorer are only the best selling SUV/small pickup of all time, I'm pretty sure every parts store has 8.8 brake parts in stock at all times. Not to mention the F-150, mustang, Aerostar, etc all used the 8.8 in one form or another.

I go into the parts store and say "I need parts for a '97 Ranger (and other stock vehicle information)" and get exactly what I need and not "I need parts for... oh dangit, where did I have that written down" or "I need parts for (insert long list of vehicles here)" OR other things that are relevant that they ask like engine style, transmission style, that I probably won't have the answers to. I'm keeping my Ranger for a very long time if I can help it.

Thats what I mean for ease of finding parts, not the difficulty of actually finding them, but rather the hassle of purchasing them. If it was a less maintenanced part, I'd be more willing to use that if I felt it was better or did what I wanted it to do. I know how popular the 8.8 is

 

[281Ranger]

I am curious if any one has ever done a conversion to put disc brakes on a 7.5 rear end that was originally equipped with drums? is there a way to do it? maybe a kit?

There's a guy who figured out how to put Lincoln Mark VII rear discs on a fox body Mustang. Since the Mustang guys use Ranger axles and drums for their 5-lug conversions, it should work on the Ranger rear. The fox Mustangs and Rangers also use the same brake backing plate. I'm going to give it a try myself when I get to that point.

http://home.pacbell.net/black306/tech/reardisc.html

 

[ZMan]

I go into the parts store and say "I need parts for a '97 Ranger (and other stock vehicle information)" and get exactly what I need and not "I need parts for... oh dangit, where did I have that written down" or "I need parts for (insert long list of vehicles here)" OR other things that are relevant that they ask like engine style, transmission style, that I probably won't have the answers to. I'm keeping my Ranger for a very long time if I can help it.

Thats what I mean for ease of finding parts, not the difficulty of actually finding them, but rather the hassle of purchasing them. If it was a less maintenanced part, I'd be more willing to use that if I felt it was better or did what I wanted it to do. I know how popular the 8.8 is

I'm gonna be blunt here, but thats just plain lazyness there. Only questions I've ever gotten when doing rear brakes is "does it have the 9" or the 10.5"?" Plus, the rear brakes really don't need work all that often so they really do fit into the "less maintenanced" category. When it comes to brakes bigger is always better, keeping the correct sized brakes on that 8.8 is your best option!

 

[Captain Ledd]

I'm gonna be blunt here, but thats just plain lazyness there. Only questions I've ever gotten when doing rear brakes is "does it have the 9" or the 10.5"?" Plus, the rear brakes really don't need work all that often so they really do fit into the "less maintenanced" category. When it comes to brakes bigger is always better, keeping the correct sized brakes on that 8.8 is your best option!

My brakes have worked fine for the last 190,000 miles. They've done everything I've needed them to, why should I change to something different? The only reason I'm going with the 8.8 in the rear is for a more easily found L/S carrier and it's stronger taboot. I can only think that I'll be changing brakes much more often than I'm changing rear axles. 2nd reason: I don't have any brake parts for my 8.8 axle, yet fully functioning 7.5" brakes. If I really need more stopping power I could probably crank up the proportioning valve a bit. I'm going to keep my Ranger around for as long as I possibly can, so yes, I plan on going through several sets of rear brakes. I'm confused as to why it's so wierd as to want to keep some stock parts if they perform as I want and don't have any problems.

I've already built a vehicle ot of 8,000 other ones, and it's a pain to find parts for it, bordering on just swap something else in that I have laying around if something breaks. It's a trail rig, and they're notorious for changes, so I can somewhat deal with it. I really don't feel like doing that with my DD that I'm pounding out miles on. Personal preferance.

Back to the topic, good luck on the swap man. Thats a pretty nice link 281Ranger posted.