More GMC-specific Dana 44 info, but this pretty much all ONLY covers the old Cadillac style combo hydraulic rear disc caliper / mechanical corkscrew e-brake mechanism on hydraulic caliper. I am trying to find a good alternate to these brakes, as the e-brakes are not very effective, and the calipers are a mild pain in the @$$ to rebuild.
It looks like getting one of the Ford Crown Vic or Explorer rear disc setups with the integral rotor hat drum parking brake, and then having the center bore opened up on a lathe to keep it's centricity, and then re-drilling the backing plate for the correct bolt pattern, and then fabricating or purchasing a spacer to go under the bearing retainer plate...this may be the best and only route to get the integral parking brake setup. May also require fabrication for the e-brake cables to work on them.
So this makes the p.i.t.a. Seville/etc 79-85 GM calipers look like perhaps a better deal if those OldeDays Classic Parts brackets do in fact directly bolt to our 60-66 GMC axle housing flanges as they reportedly do to the 67-72 GMC Dana 44 rear axle housings... Also, the Seville/Deville/Eldorado/Toronado/Riviera/TransAm caliper setup may likely be much narrower than the integral drum parking brake style, so this may end up being the best bet after all? And just deal with the not-as-strong-holding integral disc caliper mechanical parking brake and more difficult rebuilds?
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Originally Posted by From http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=397576
The Dana 44 rear ends in the 67-72 trucks have axle mounting flanges based on the Ford 9" early big bearing. So basically any disc brake kit based on the Ford 9" early big bearing will / should work. There are a bunch of disc brake kits out there but the most cost effective approach I could find is to buy the parts individually as follows:
Bracket Kit ($70) - https://shop.oldedaysclassiccarparts...&categoryId=29
You could make your own but I figured it would cost more than $70 in materials and my time to make a set.
1985 Cadillac Seville Calipers ($150 to $200) - eBay is your best bet for a reman set but these are still pricey without a core exchange. Just make sure you get the semi-loaded caliper with all the brackets etc. for the parking brake. I got lucky and found a fresh reman set that a guy needed to get rid of. You could also save a few bucks by using the front calipers off the same car if you don't need and e-brake.
1978 Cadillac Seville Rear Rotors ($60 - $120) - I am going with a 5x5 bolt pattern and these rotors come stock with a 5x5 pattern. You will have to get them re-drilled if you need a different bolt pattern. eBay is probably your best price option here as well. The price will depend on if they are cross drilled, slotted, and with or without pads included.
GM Metric Caliper Brake Hose Kit ($40 - $60) - (2) -3 15" long brake hoses; (2) 3/16" inverted flare to -3 adapters; (2) weld-on brake adapter mounts; (2) brake adapter clips; (2) 10mm x 1.5 banjo bolts; (2) 10mm to -3 banjos; (4) 10mm crush washers. Price depends on if you go with rubber or SS braided hoses.
Axle Modifications - The center pilot hub on this rear end is 3.5" and the pilot hole on the Seville rotors is 3.07" which means you will need to have the hub pilot on both axles turned down to 3" (or the rotor hold opened up to 3.51"). The stock bolt pattern is a 6 lug setup so if you want to change this to some other bolt pattern the axles will have to be re-drilled for that pattern. The wheel studs for the 5x5 pattern is 1/2" so those things like that need to be considered as well. This could end up being a lot of machine work so it may be a better to purchase a set of custom built axles from Dutchman, Moser, or Currie. I have the axle dimensions if you are interested.
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redrill your axles to 5x5 pattern
2 front rotors from a AWD astro van (5x5 pattern) 80$
Rear calipers from 1979 Cadillac Eldorado at rockauto170$ including core
weld-on caliper brackets from speedway motors 30$ shipped (or the $80 bolt-on kit above)
longer wheel studs
plus hoses
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I have a 67 GMC with a rear Dana 44 and leaf springs and I pulled one of the axles and counted the splines and my truck is a 30 spline. All of the after market posi diffs are based on the Dana 44 30 spline so there are lots of options. I suspect all of the 67-72 GMC trucks with a D44 would also be 30 spline but you don't know 100% unless you pull an axle and start counting.
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I have a Dana 44 rear also and just had the axle bearings checked and they are Ford 9 bearings. I am now going to determine if the housing end bolt pattern is Ford 9" also.
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I also just measured the bolt dimensions on the axle housing end (68 GMC). They are the same as a big ford housing end. 3.5" x 2.375". You can find these dimensions on the assembly instructions document on the Wilwood website. Wilwood brake set 140-7139 should bolt right up to that housing end. I still need to confirm the bearing offset, I think that may have to be changed or find a brake kit with a different offset.
I just confirmed that the axle pilot hole will have to be turned down to fit the 140-7139 Wilwood kit, but other than that, the axle housing end and bearing on the Dana 44 is big a Ford 9" setup, awesome. Captain Fab also mentions turning down the axle pilot on some of his brake kits (I didn't quite understand at first). Anyway good luck with your setup, I'm glad you got this all posted in the first place, saved me a bunch of time and money.
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If you want to go the build your own route here is what you need:
* Ford 9" Bracket Kit (from Oldedays)
* Left Rear Caliper GM 79-85 (Cardone 18-4139) this one has the parking brake
* Right Rear Caliper GM 79-85 (Cardone 18-4139) this one has the parking brake
* Brake pads for GM 79-85 rear caliper
* 1978 Seville Rear Rotors (can get get slotted and drilled as option)
* Disc Brake Hose Kit (Gear Head 9828) this one is stainless
* Parking brake cable (BrakeBest BC93292) needs a little customization
* Get axles turned for a 3" pilot and outer flange diameter of 6.125" or just have some new axles built like I did. When I compared the cost of all the machine work (including 6 to 5 lug) to the cost of new ones it was only about $100 more. Got mine from Dutchman Motorsports.
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And for reference, the old "Big Ford" 9" rear axle housing bolt pattern, straight from the OldeDays Classic Parts website bracket kit page, is as follows:
https://shop.oldedaysclassiccarparts...&categoryId=29
My rough eyeballed measurements laying under my truck sitting on it's own tires and wheels (not jacked up, couldn't see well at all) and in the rain (rushed) were something somewhere near 3.75x2.75" - I will pull the jack out from the front end tomorrow when I finish reinstalling my freshly painted clutch slave cylinder pushrod, and then jack up the rear and measure it a bit more properly.
Here is the rest of the info from the OldeDays Classic Parts website link above, note they state 3.5"x2.5" bearing pockets in their text, but then they illustrate 3.5"x2.375" in their sketch... Also note, only 5 on 5.5 listed here, no 5 on 5". Perhaps the 90-94 (99-01?) AstroVan 4wd front rotors are what we need here, as one person from the other Chevy/GM trucks forum mentioned?
FITS FORD 9" BIG BEARING (Early Style), REAR DISC BRAKE SET UP that have the same Backing Plate Spacer measurements as in our photo.
NOTE: Must use wheels (rims) made to clear disc brakes
The Bolt Holes for plate are for 1/2" T- bolts.
Fits "Early" Big-Bearing Pockets That Measure 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" Bolt Centers With 1/2'" T-Bolts.
Please make sure of your measurements BEFORE you order.... If unsure please call us direct.
YOU MUST USE THE CALIPERS AND ROTORS THAT WE LIST HERE IN THE LISTING AND NOTHING ELSE.
THEY USE THE 1980 TO 1985 CADILLAC SEVILLE CALIPERS (Rear for e-brake and front for non-ebrake).
For 5 X 4.5" Bolt Pattern use the 1978 Cadillac Seville rear rotors and have them re-drilled. ****Please Note**** Make sure they fit the axle flange before drilling them out (different manufactures have different flange size diameters). If they do not fit you will have to turn your axle flange down in diameter to fit.
For 5 X 5.5" Bolt Pattern use 1978 Cadillac Seville Rear Rotors and have them re-drilled. ****Please Note**** Make sure they fit the axle flange before drilling them out (different manufactures have different flange size diameters). If they do not fit you will have to turn your axle flange down in diameter to fit.
For 5 X 4.75" Bolt Pattern use 1979 Trans Am Rear Rotors - 11" diameter.
NOTE: you will need to check for correct diameter, thickness, offset and fit on axle flange before redrilling the rotor as some rotors may require to have your axle flange turned down to fit.
New. MADE IN USA. Very nice setup.
Comes with hardware and instructions.