E350 van rear end with disc brake on F350, possible?

[G. Mann]

I seem to recall some time back, a mention of using the Van rear end with non metric bolt pattern and rear disc brakes for a swap into F250/350, but my search skills fail to call it up..

So... Anyone done this? .. Remember the thread? ... If it can be done, what doesn't fit/work on the truck from the van?

Would I need to swap the whole rear end, or can I just swap the brake components? Did the van brakes have parking brake inside the disc rotors in all years?

I'm building up a 92 CC, LB, DRW, 7.3. My objective is to have disc brakes with hydroboost. Any chance I can pull that off, or is it a pipe dream?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BDCarrillo]

Newer sterlings on powerstrokes 05+ have disc brakes with an e-brake inside. I don't see (or know) why it wouldn't be feasible to swap those brake parts (bracket/caliper) on with an older van disc (if the diameter is the same) and your current axles. That oughta avoid the odd metric bolt pattern of the 99+.

That's assuming donor pstrokes can be found, and the van disc bought new.

The RABS may not like it and a proportioning valve may be required.

 

[cpdenton]

I know our 2005 church van(e450) has rear discs, and also 16 inch wheels. I think it is the old bolt pattern as well.

I have been searching for one of these rear ends as well, with little success. I do think it will work, but as far as spring mounts and shock mounts, I bet that would all have to be customized.

 

[Double-S-Diesel]

van rear will work, the track width is close, but spring perches are off
park brake is inside the rotor same as the superduty trucks

 

[IDIoit]

X2 on the perches, i recall, that i read that they had to be relocated.
i couldnt find the thread either.
odds are you can find the entire rearend for the same price as the brakes.

never a pipe dream, but a good amount of work.

 

[G. Mann]

Can't go the newer power stroke route.. after 98, Ford went to Metric lug spacing so nothing else fits.

That's exactly why I was hoping I could use a van rear end.. or perhaps just the backing plate with parking brake inside the disc hub, and have all the parts "just bolt up"... maybe without having to change out the whole differential... But.. seems no one has done it "yet"...

Do I get to be the "new list ******" and try it? Damn.. I hope not.. hope it's already been done and it worked...

 

[G. Mann]

http://www.fordmann.com/F350.rear_disc_brakes.htm

Search of the interweb pulled this up.. at least someone has done it.. looks like it's NOT a simple "bolt up the parts and you're good" conversion...

However.... 99 to 2001 vans used disc rear brakes AND SAE lug spacing not metric, with parking brake in center of the disc.

 

[franklin2]

Is it that big of a deal to get a machine shop to re-drill the rear hubs and rotors on a newer rearend for the old standard pattern? You could almost do it yourself if the old wheels were hub centric and fit tight on the newer hub.

 

[GENIUSLOERTS]

I know our 2005 church van(e450) has rear discs, and also 16 inch wheels. I think it is the old bolt pattern as well.

I have been searching for one of these rear ends as well, with little success. I do think it will work, but as far as spring mounts and shock mounts, I bet that would all have to be customized.

I have one. I bought a church van(from near you actually) for the engine and trans for a retro mod project. the lug pattern is 8 x 6.5 and it is rear disc.

 

[towcat]

http://www.fordmann.com/F350.rear_disc_brakes.htm

Search of the interweb pulled this up.. at least someone has done it.. looks like it's NOT a simple "bolt up the parts and you're good" conversion...

However.... 99 to 2001 vans used disc rear brakes AND SAE lug spacing not metric, with parking brake in center of the disc.

it's not as hard as whats in the linky. i do have a 2001 E350 van D70 disc rear with 3.55 gears to show this can be done. Rich/94f450 did the perch relocate and shock mount relocate on his f350 dually van rear years ago. you will need to have good welding skills for this project.

 

[Snowmanw900]

I know I'm resurrecting the dead here with this old thread, but I'm just curious Iif the OP, G. MANN every got this project going or finished or whatever happened to this idea?

I have a 1990 F250 SWD 2 wheel drive idi that I've considered this very idea on. Can anybody confirm what axle they uses and why?

Thanks!

 

[G. Mann]

My 92 dually quad cab is still setting, waiting for an engine build, and other mods.. have not gotten to it "yet"... to many projects ahead of it, so far.
So, after original post, no progress by me. Still looks like a dually van axle in the 94 to 97 year range might be "the choice".

 

[Garbage_Mechan]

This has been discussed a lot over on Powerstroke Army. There a 2 ways to go both center around the rotors off of the van as mentioned. One well proven plan is to use a 2000 to 2004 pickup rearend, re-drill the hubs to OBS pattern and run the van rotors which are the same except lug pattern. The rearend is wider so it matches the front.
The other way is to cut the caliper brackets off a van and weld on a pickup rearend as has been done.
The kits with bolt on caliper brackets that run Cadillac single piston calipers don’t have enough braking force.

 

[Cubey]

On a 78 Dodge van with a Dana 60 rear, I tried to convert it to disc brakes but found that the adapter bracket, which was sold as fitting Dodge Dana 60s, was incompatible with vans. The leaf springs were too close, there was no way the bracket could even be mounted. I had to give up and return everything I had ordered, losing some money to return shipping. So beware, van axles can be very different. Van frames are set further out toward the wheels than truck ones, and therefore so are the leaf springs.

 

[Eli]

This has been discussed a lot over on Powerstroke Army. There a 2 ways to go both center around the rotors off of the van as mentioned. One well proven plan is to use a 2000 to 2004 pickup rearend, re-drill the hubs to OBS pattern and run the van rotors which are the same except lug pattern. The rearend is wider so it matches the front.
The other way is to cut the caliper brackets off a van and weld on a pickup rearend as has been done.
The kits with bolt on caliper brackets that run Cadillac single piston calipers don’t have enough braking force.

If the rotors are the same, does that meant he hub diameter is the same? I'm thinking it might be easier to re-drill the front and use the dirt-common and cheap later hub-centric rims on the older trucks.
Any idea how much wider the rear ends are?
ETA: Can you just use the van hubs and rotors on a Super Duty rear and get the proper 8X6.5" pattern without machine work?

Eli