Is 84&85 devilles too new for the conversion? That's all they have at the local bone yard.

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http://hometown.aol.com/racedvl/racedvl69index.html

Crystal Lake IL. 30 Miles north of Chicago

I used the rear end out of a full size Lincoln. It is one inch wider and has the same five lug bolt pattern It is a Ford nine inch. Lots of flexibility in gear ratios.

Not sure about the '84 & '85 Caddy stuff, but i have heard of folks using the rear calipers off of an Eldorado (front wheel drive). I tried to go this route at first, but soon realized the headaches with this conversion. (rotors too small to fit over axles, bracketry required MAJOR modifications, etc).

I used the backing plates, calipers (used for cores on new ones) off of a '78 Seville (NOT Deville)and bought new '78 Seville rotors (5' x 5 bolt pattern). Make sure the caliper cores you get from a bone yard have the emergency brake cable bracketry, because the new ones you get DO NOT have these on them and you will need for the new ones. Also, make sure the e-brake ratcheting arm will move, if it won't, that means the piston is stuck/froze/rusted in the caliper body and this makes the unit pretty much useless.

After gathering all the hardware stuff, i then did my modifications to the axles and the backing plates. If ya need more info on the mods, let me know and i will email you with details.

I think the Lincoln rear end that Fleetimus spoke of is a Versaille rear end. I looked for about 3 months for one of these rear ends before i finally decided on the Caddy swap. Not sure about in your area, but the Versaille rear end is next to impossible to find around here. All the street rodders and drag racers snatch them up pretty quick.

Hope this helps and let me know if i can help out in any way.

These pics were in the "test fitting" stages and more modifications were required once i got the new calipers. I ended up having to mount the backing plates on the BACK side of the axle flange which requires taking a "pie-shaped" section out of the backing plate.

http://members.aol.com/nduroracer/rear-right.jpg
http://members.aol.com/nduroracer/rear-left.jpg

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Keep On Truckin'

Shane
nduroracer@aol.com
'70 C10 SWB...frame off resto in progress


[This message has been edited by Shane (edited 03-19-2001).]

need the stuff from a 73-79 or so seville.. keep on looking Jason http://67-72chevytrucks.com/board/ubbhtml/smile.gif

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www.xframeimpala.com (http://www.xframeimpala.com)


68 4x4 short fleetside deluxe cab 327 air
56 big window short stepside 235 dual 1 brls
64ImpalaSS 327
70 C10 LWB fleetside custom/10 350/TH350

I didn't use a Versailles. I used a full size. Both Lincoln & T-bird have the same rear ends. Late 60's thru mid 70's. It has been working great. I put 3.25 gears in it with a t400. Getting almost 16mpg on the highway and will still pull the car trailer.

I think the years are '77-'78-'79 for the disc brakes on the Seville. I found a '76 Seville in a local bone yard and it had DRUM rear brakes.



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Keep On Truckin'

Shane
nduroracer@aol.com
'70 C10 SWB...frame off resto in progress

i wish i knew about this swap about a year and a half ago.... at this junkyard i always go to there was about 10 COMPLETE mid 80s caddys... most had rear disks to but they all got crushed

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www.xframeimpala.com (http://www.xframeimpala.com)


68 4x4 short fleetside deluxe cab 327 air
56 big window short stepside 235 dual 1 brls
64ImpalaSS 327
70 C10 LWB fleetside custom/10 350/TH350

Shane, Whats the difference between the Seville and Deville caliber bracket?? The years 77-79 are both rear wheel drive. I have a set off a Deville and they look the same as the ones in your picture.Thanks

Not sure about the '77-'79 Deville brackets. The ones i looked at in the bone yard along those years were drum brake, so maybe the disc brake rear was optional. I really dont know.

The reason i went with the Seville is the rotors are 5"x5 bolt pattern and if i ever need to replace I can buy just the rotor and slip it on with no modifications to the rotors. All the mods were done to the axle instead of the rotor. Not sure what the bolt/lug pattern is on the Deville. Sorry.

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Keep On Truckin'

Shane
nduroracer@aol.com
http://www.animfactory.com/animations/sports/racing_flags/finish_med_md_blk.gif

[This message has been edited by Shane (edited 03-21-2001).]

The deville is also 5 on 5 lug. I would have to think they are the same bracket and rotor. How did you open up the center hole in the bracket to fit the larger truck housing?? Any pics of the finished installation of the bracket on the back of the housing flange?? Thanks Also, why did you move the bracket to the back of the flange??

[This message has been edited by 72BBGMC (edited 03-21-2001).]

72BBGMC,

I opened up the backing plate center hole on a Bridgeport mill, with a boring head. Once i had the center hole bored out, I re-drilled the mounting holes. Most machine shops should be able to do this for you. You need to make them a sketch with the dimensions of the bored hole and the position of the new drilled holes. Better yet, take your old backing plate (drum brake baking plates) with you and tell them to use that as a reference for your modifications. You will also have to have the axles turned to fit the rotors too. I suggest buying new rotors and take them to the machine shop, so the machinist has something to use as a reference. If you cant find anyone to do this for you, email me, i may be able to work something out for you.

I cut the "pie-shaped" section with a "Zizz" wheel, or however ya spell it. I made sure that i had at least 2 bolts opposite the rotation of the wheel/tire. This is to counter act the torque placed on the backing plate when the brakes are appplied. With the Caddy setup, the passenger side caliper is mounted on the the rear of the axle and the drivers side caliper is mounted on the front of the axle. On the passenger side, i cut it so that the top of the backing plate has two bolts in it and the bottom has one, where as the drivers side, the plate has the two bolts on the bottom and only one bolt on the top.

I got the idea of only using 3 bolts and mounting on the back of the flange from the aftermarket kits you can buy for the Chevy 12 bolt rear end. They use Caddy calipers and Caddy rotors, which you can buy at your local parts place. What your paying the extra money for is the brackets that they have designed and made. Their brackets are 2 piece and only use 3 of the 4 bolts on the axle flange.

I had to mount the backing plate on the back side of the flange in order to get the correct spacing. With the bracket mounted on the front of the flange, the caliper would not line up with the rotor and the backing plate. Once placing it on the back of the flange, it lined up perfectly.

I hope to have you guys some pics this weekend. Hope this explanation helps out some.

http://members.aol.com/nduroracer/smiley.gif


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Keep On Truckin'

Shane
nduroracer@aol.com

[This message has been edited by Shane (edited 03-21-2001).]

I have a disc brake rear end out of an Imperial, it's not the popular ford, but it's real stout piece, i have pics of it on my web site.

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'69 CST Short fleetside
Lowered, 400 small block, 700R4, 4 wheel disc brakes, all stainless hard and flex lines, Dana 9 1/4" rear end 4.11's w/Detroit Locker, soon to have 18" rims
Looking for some parts to your truck or just want to see my truck? See it at www.geocities.com/low69cst/index.html (http://www.geocities.com/low69cst/index.html)

Steve Chin wrote a good web site article on the swap of disc on a 67-72. http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1963/Articles/BlzrRearDisc.html

I went at it a little different...I just got a 95 Z28 rear end. Caliper to caliper with parking cables, brake lines, AND rear sway bar with a 3.23 posi. Cost me a whopping $200 (only had 35,000 miles on it). A little grinding from a "donor" axle a presto.

Mike