E350 rear disc axle swap

[97strokerHD]

was wondering if anyone had any info on being able to swap a E350 disc brake rear axle into an obs. haven't really found much info on it and haven't had a chance to take any measurements yet which i will as soon as possible. hoping its as simple as welding new spring perches and shock tabs onto the axle. also was wondering if the dana 70 which i have read comes in most e350s would be substantially weaker than the 10.25 rear or not. any help or info would be greatly appreciated. trying to find a cheaper way to get rear discs and use parts available at most local parts stores.

 

[Krause]

The E-series axles are not as wide as the 10.25, so you would have a narrower tire stance on top of having to move the perches. IMO not worth it, would compromise the stability of the truck. Best way to get rear disks is to swap in superdoodie axles, do a search on here and there are several threads covering it.

 

[97strokerHD]

e350 disc axle swap

I have already thought about doing the superduty axle swap but I am trying to go a different route first. want to keep the 8x6.5 lug pattern so its easier and cheaper to get wheels. plus my truck already has a dana 60 so I don't know if it would really be worth it. trying to find a cost effective way to get rear disc brakes.

 

[Honeydew_OBS]

96 e350 rear rotors, 73-87 Chevy 3/4 ton front calipers, brackets can be homemade or bought from ruff stuff, glo, etc. also need the brake lines and brake tabs too. After adding it up, a kit from Great Lake off-road was cheaper and no running to the hardware or parts store 100 times. This is if you want to keep your sterling rear.

 

[97strokerHD]

has anyone had any luck with using the caddy rear calipers with the built in parking brake? heard a lot of mixed reviews about them so far.

 

[JSchuricht]

If you want to be different and cost effective, develop a kit and sell it to the rest of us to get your money back.

My plans are to use a 10.5 from a superduty. I will either have the hubs redrilled for 8x6.5 and use van rotors or steal the knuckles/Dynatrac free spin/SSB brakes off my 00, get new wheels and switch to 05+ axles on the SD. I know which way I want to go but my wallet is resisting.

 

[Got4wd]

has anyone had any luck with using the caddy rear calipers with the built in parking brake? heard a lot of mixed reviews about them so far.

Single piston on a 3/4-1 ton truck. I don't think so. Do it right and go a dual caliper piston.

 

[gnxtc2]

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

I have already thought about doing the superduty axle swap but I am trying to go a different route first. want to keep the 8x6.5 lug pattern so its easier and cheaper to get wheels. plus my truck already has a dana 60 so I don't know if it would really be worth it. trying to find a cost effective way to get rear disc brakes.

96 e350 rear rotors, 73-87 Chevy 3/4 ton front calipers, brackets can be homemade or bought from ruff stuff, glo, etc. also need the brake lines and brake tabs too. After adding it up, a kit from Great Lake off-road was cheaper and no running to the hardware or parts store 100 times. This is if you want to keep your sterling rear.

Then you have no E-brake

has anyone had any luck with using the caddy rear calipers with the built in parking brake? heard a lot of mixed reviews about them so far.

Yea...junk
http://www.powerstrokenation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49247

If you want to be different and cost effective, develop a kit and sell it to the rest of us to get your money back.

My plans are to use a 10.5 from a superduty. I will either have the hubs redrilled for 8x6.5 and use van rotors or steal the knuckles/Dynatrac free spin/SSB brakes off my 00, get new wheels and switch to 05+ axles on the SD. I know which way I want to go but my wallet is resisting.

Start at pg 9, unless you want to read the entire thread which I recommend

http://www.powerstrokenation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115781

Single piston on a 3/4-1 ton truck. I don't think so. Do it right and go a dual caliper piston.

x2 ^^^^ or a SD axle with a hub conversion.

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[97strokerHD]

plan is to use a super duty 10.5 and have the hubs machined to 8x6.5 and have some wheel studs machined. it may initially cost more but will be able to use off the shelf ford parts. there is a 25 page thread on the nation. http://powerstrokenation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115781
Hopefully the link works but this seems like the best route to take to keep ford parts and have minimal issues in the future. other than the hub issue the axle is basically a direct bolt in. thanks for all your input and advice.

 

[blaze42069]

Holy hell guys why make stuff difficult?? I used 1999 e350 rotors which has the same bolt pattern as obs yet is the same diameter and measurements as the 99-04 superduty rotor. I used 2004 rear superduty calipers and fabbed brackets to mount the SD caliper mounting bracket to the obs diff. Easy peasy and the stock master cylinder was good enough to handle the bigger brakes and it was a huge difference. I also prefer the SD calipers due to having dual pistons to the cadillac's single piston. I also couldn't find a ebrake bracket to activate the ebrake on the cadillac calipers. Apparently they don't make new brackets and I couldn't find any used ones. This was a good upgrade but 05+ brakes are even better.

On edit: there was some minor grinding of the ebrake shoes to fit around the obs hubs too. But i eventually got them in too.

 

[Garbage_Mechanic]

Blaze, your idea is a good one if you are the fabricator type. I personally think I'm going to go with a super duty rear with reworked hubs for OBS pattern. The other upside to this is bringing the rear track with out to match the front with no wheel spacers.

 

[97strokerHD]

i figure that is the easiest route to go because all the parts are available from your local parts store. this way if i am out in the middle of nowhere and need parts i can get them. the axle is basically a bolt in. i have access to quite a bit of machining equipment at the college i go to so why waste the resources.

 

[blaze42069]

Blaze, your idea is a good one if you are the fabricator type. I personally think I'm going to go with a super duty rear with reworked hubs for OBS pattern. The other upside to this is bringing the rear track with out to match the front with no wheel spacers.

Ya I hated the rear diff being narrower than the front, so I put 08 diffs in. Putting the SD diff is a good call, u will really notice a difference when towing. Good luck let us know how it works out for ya.

 

[m j]

I put a mix of SD and e350 brakes on my 10.25
pretty easy

 

[97strokerHD]

Does anyone know if anything needs done with the master cylinder or the proportioning valve to run the 10.5 rear brakes correctly and efficiently? Maybe just a valve from a 99-04 super duty.