Drum to Disk Brake Swap (93-97 F-Body)

Materials needed:
-A lot of tools :-)
-A patient girlfriend and someone else willing to help
-Calipers
-New ebrake lines
-Rotors
-at 2 bottles of differential fluid
-at least 2 bottles of brake fluid
-grease for the calipers
-Caliper brackets
-a brake bleeding kit

Begin by Jacking up the rear of the car and placing jack stands under the rear jacking points on both sides. Make sure you put blocks aroudn both front wheels. I also placed a small hydraulic jack under the differential so that I could raise and lower it as needed. Pull off the top of the drums.

Next get something for the differential fluid to drain into and remove the cover. Remember the fluid drains best when its warm.

Turn the differential so that the screw faces towards you. The easiest way to do this is to put the car in neutral and turn the driveshaft. Remove that sideways facing screw (seen in the last picture at the bottom of the differential. It will probably not go all the way out, but just enough to remove the center piece and the two C clips pictured here.

The center piece just pulls right out. The two c clips can be removed by pushing the axles in gently and you can catch them as they fall off. Place them both aside and do not loose them! Then remove the axles. Pull them out straight so as not to bend them. Be Careful!

Now would be a good time take the brake lines out of the back of the drums.

Unscrew the brass fitting and the brake line will pop out. Be careful not to strip it because you will have to screw it back in later. You may wish to cover the end of the line so no dirt gets in there.

Next get under the center of the car and find where the two ebrake cables meet into one. With a screwdriver pry out the cables from the clamps and pull them out. It took me a while to figure just how to get them out.

Next unbolt the drum as you should be able to get to the bolts now. Using the same bolts bolt the backing plates onto the axles with the caliper holes towards the back of the car. Be sure the caliper holes are also recessed inward or the caliper will not fit correctly.

Put the axleshafts back into the rear. Now you must measure the distance from the end of the axleshafts to the inside of the bracket. If the distance is greater than 2.75 you must remove the caliper bracket and install GM shim number ********. Place the axle shafts back in again and place all three pieces back into the diff.

(***Be sure to take this measurement with the c clips in place in the differential or you will get an incorrect reading.***)

Now make sure you have greased up the pistons on the calipers. Your local auto parts store will be able to tell you what sort of grease to use. With the brake pads on the calipers slide them into place around the rotors and bolt them on. You might need to depress the caliper and you can do so using a C clamp.

Screw the ends of the old brake lines in to the rubber lines included with the caliper. route the ebrake cables back through the same brackets the old ones came out of and install them where the lines meet. Clean up the lid to the differential and place some permatex around the edge. Make sure you have placed all three pieces back into the differential (c clips and spacer). Screw them in well.

Bolt the cover back on. It is ok to use the old seal if it is in good shape. Dont do it too tight or you will have leaks. I only tightened it as much as i could with one hand and a 3/8ths wrench.
Refill the differential to the fill plug and snug it up.

Make sure you do a good job of bleeding the brakes. There will probably be a lot of air in the lines. You must go around every bleeder, not just the rear wheels.

Stick the rear wheels back on the car and youre ready to go!

Pages:
1) Newest Pictures
2) Exhaust Setup and Sound Clip
3) Under the Hood
4) Wheels and Gauges
5) Drum to Disk Swap
6) Interior Pictures
7) Car Show Pictures
8) Older Pictures
9) Random Pictures
10) Stuff For Sale!
11) Hard Lessons To Learn