converting to disc brakes

[eightysixwinter]

everything in the rear end is rusted. the drums and everything inside. axle seal is in fact leaking. the more people i talk to the more i want to convert this from drum to disc brakes. can anyone point me to any articles or resources? should i just go to the local junk yards and look around? the e-brake cable was totally gone and all connections were rusted so i just ripped the whole thing out(no hills around here anyway).. i have an 86 grand marquis non police non wagon

[1987cp]

I haven't done the swap yet, but I do have a disk-brake rearend out of a '91 Town Car that I intend to swap under my '81 one of these years. The parts *look* nearly identical to the common Explorer disks that other Ford guys like to swap to, and I've been told that they'll work OK with my stock master cylinder and adjustable Wilwood/Summit/Stainless Steel Brakes proportioning valve. I don't think I have any pics of it, but I can easily get some. I personally hesitate at the thought of swapping the whole housing, but there is the slight benefit that the one I have is 1" wider overall than the original one and has an 8.8" diff instead of the older 8.5" (though they're interchangable anyway). Scott (lincolnmania) may have leads from time to time on the brackets and other essential parts needed to install disks on your existing rearend.

If you go here and scroll down to post #19, there's some info and pics on replacing axle seals and bearings on my old '79 Country Squire.

[88grandmarq]

if the rear end is that rusty and cruddy, it will be much easier to bolt in a rear disc rear end. pretty much anything from 91-97 car will work. I used E-brake cables from a 93 CV and connected them to my factory cable with some cable anchors.

I think Scott has been using a 1/4" turn buckle, which will allow for adjusting the cable.

[1987cp]

if the rear end is that rusty and cruddy, it will be much easier to bolt in a rear disc rear end.

... provided it's doable to get the bolts out of the suspension mounting points. I only mention that because I still have yet to successfully remove all the bolts from my donor rearend.

I really like the turnbuckle idea; need to find a link to how those can be attached and stuff.

[82LTDQS]

I know I seen a guide here someplace buy lincolnmania for the rear brake disc swap. I didnt see it in the stickies, but I know its here. Ask gadget, he may know where to look.

[Lincolnmania]

ancient chineese secret

[1987cp]

:lol:

[gadget73]

What 88grandmarq said. Basically you'll need to pop the axles out and remove the drum backing plates. The disc backing plates go in place. If you've got the rear open, you'll want to replace the bearings and seals. If the axles are pitted or grooved, you'll need to replace them or maybe run repair bearings. I'd really suggest rebuilding the whole rear.

[88grandmarq]

... provided it's doable to get the bolts out of the suspension mounting points. I only mention that because I still have yet to successfully remove all the bolts from my donor rearend.

I really like the turnbuckle idea; need to find a link to how those can be attached and stuff.

not sure about the rust belt.... here in the south, all the rear end mounting bolts are easy to get out. Scott and I pulled a K code from a town car,at the local pull a part, with hand tools and a breaker bar in just under an hour.