rear disks--possible inexpensive option

[flatlander]

Branik Motorsports here in Ft Wayne builds custom rock crawlers and makes parts for the same. In a casual conversation this evening he mentioned that the brackets for a Dana 60 are $20 a piece. Throw in front rotors and calipers from a 75-85 2500 series chevy truck and you have 4 wheel disks.

I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[Russ]

 

[oregon-mike]

Wow, that'd be cool, but my 93 has the Sterling axle....any major diff's between the 60 & the Sterling for mounting those brackets do you suppose?

I'll keep an eye on this post for sure

 

[spencnaz]

Rear drums for your truck are the best bet, they're self-energizing and have greater braking force than a disk.

Leave the disks on the front and keep the drums. Disks are put on rockcrawlers due to their light weight.

 

[Russ]

Rear drums for your truck are the best bet, they're self-energizing and have greater braking force than a disk.

Would you care to eloborate?

 

[swampdigger]

Self energizing: when you apply drum brakes, the drum has a tendency to pull the shoes in toward it, reducing the force needed to brake.

They can have greater braking force depending on the size....

But disks are also cheap, self adjust properly and reliably, and are self cleaning. If you want the ease of application and greater braking force, just use a bigger brake booster and a bigger disk. This is why it's hard to find a vehicle nowadays with drum brakes of any kind, trucks especially.

 

[swampdigger]

Too bad he didn't have those brackets for the Sterling axle. I'd be all over that in a heartbeat for the price.

 

[6xCrew]

If drums are better then why put disks on the front of ANY car truck or whatever where 90% of your stopping power is? Sorry man.

Now the comments about self energizing are correct but they are NOT better than disks for stopping power.

Calvin

 

[Diesel JD]

Yeah see if he can make them for a sterling 10.25.

 

[towcat]

comparing two systems when they are cold, drums win. the difference becomes very appearent when both heat up. drum brake performance fade off whereas discs get better.

 

[6xCrew]

Disks win when they get wet too. Or so my butt tells me. When doing a disk convertion on a normally drum rear axle some concederation needs to be given to the proportioning valve. The systems are different. Maybe one off a normally disked rear truck or van? I do not know really. I have these things in my garage for a dualie box van or something. They are diskes. I have also seen a set on a cab&cassis in a wrecking yard. No time to figure it now. I got a diesel swap to do first.

Maybe this guy will donate a set of D60 stuff for modification, fitment and testing on a sterling?

Good luck,

Calvin

 

[TLBREWER]

Consider the maintenance aspect also. I'd gladly give up a little braking force to not have to adjust the drums all the time or change brake shoes...pads are much easier.

Tom

 

[Diesel JD]

So true...I'm not really even comfortable working with drum brakes...but my brother has discs all the way around on his Isuzu Trooper. I'm not gonna say his brake job was easy...but it wasn't hard. That's probably the ONLY thing Isuzu did to make servicing the trooper easier!

 

[payableondeath6]

If there's a Sterling version I'll take two

 

[Agnem]

Well what I'm wondering is what is Barney doing with a Dana 60? Doesn't his truck have a 70, or Ford 10.25 like everybody else?