If there's an automotive equivalent of the old saying, "Two heads are better than one," it might be something along the lines of, "Four discs are better than two." Going fast is cool, but if you don't have the "whoa" for the "go," sooner or later you're going to run out of road before you run out of speed.
Stainless Steel Brakes has a rear-disc-brake conversion kit for Dodge Dakotas and Durangos that is virtually a remove-and-replace operation. The kit is extremely complete, and the instructions leave no guesswork when it comes to bolting them up.
The kit is designed to work with your existing steel hydraulic lines and parking-brake cable, so your stock rear drums can be converted to disc brakes in an easy day of wrenching.
The only things needed to complete the job are new brake fluid, new gear oil for the rear end, and a new rear-end housing cover gasket. So follow along as we give you an installation overview of this cool conversion. If you are looking for one of these kits, check the source box at the end of the article.
Here's a shot of the complete...
Here's a shot of the complete kit.
To begin the conversion, the...
To begin the conversion, the rear-drum brake assembly must be removed, backing plate and all.
This tool is available from...
This tool is available from most auto parts stores, and will make removing the parking-brake cable from the backing plate a breeze.
To remove the backing plates...
To remove the backing plates from the rearend housing, the axles have to come out. To do that, the differential has to be opened up and the C-clips popped off the axleshafts. A 7mm hex-head socket is needed to remove the pinion shaft lock bolt. Once the C-clips are off, the axles can be slid out. Take care to not damage the seals as you remove the axleshafts.
After the axletube ends are...
After the axletube ends are stripped, the caliper mounting brackets are installed. The left and right brackets are identical. When installed, the top part of the bracket should face toward the front of the truck. The bracket installs with the original hardware, and is torqued to 40 lb-ft.
Next install the supplied...
Next install the supplied bolts and spacers to mount the splash shield. The spacers are 31/44- and 51/48-inch thick.
The longer ones go on the...
The longer ones go on the driver side of the vehicle, the shorter ones go on the passenger side, and they are not interchangeable.
Next, the caliper mounts are...
Next, the caliper mounts are installed behind the splash shield.
The parking-brake cable L-brackets...
The parking-brake cable L-brackets install onto the upper front bolts on both sides of the rearend housing, and the parking cable is fitted. After the parking-brake cable's bracket is in place, the shield/spacer/bracket assembly can be secured to the first bracket using the supplied 71/416-inch elastic stop nuts, which are torqued to 60-80 lb-ft.
After the mounting brackets...
After the mounting brackets are in place, the axles can be reinstalled, the C-clips put back on, and the differential buttoned back up.
After the axles are in, the...
After the axles are in, the slotted rotors are installed. They fit over the stock axle register and wheel studs. The hot tip here is to hold the rotors on the axle flanges with a pair of lug nuts while the caliper is being fitted.
The caliper then mounts to...
The caliper then mounts to the bracket and is attached with the supplied hardware. The calipers are mounted so the bleeder screw is toward the rear of the truck. The caliper mounting bolts are torqued to 80-100 lb-ft. The parking-brake cable is attached to the caliper and the banjo-bolt brake lines are installed on the top of the caliper
The bleeder screws in the...
The bleeder screws in the top of the banjo bolts are used to bleed the brakes in this application, instead of the bleeder screws located on the caliper housing.
The Stainless Steel Brakes...
The Stainless Steel Brakes slotted rotors look great behind these American Racing six-spokes. After the calipers are on, you're done with the rear of the truck.
After the brakes are installed...
After the brakes are installed in the back, the metering in the distribution block must be modified to work with the disc brakes. To do this, the block must be removed from its mount to gain access to the large nut on the back. With the nut off, remove and set aside the spring from inside the block
Next a rubber seal is removed...
Next a rubber seal is removed from the piston and plunger
The piston is pushed back...
The piston is pushed back into the nut, and the nut is reinstalled. Don't let the master cylinder go dry during this procedure. After the distribution block is bolted back in place, bleed the system and start stopping!