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By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
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Does anyone know if there is a kit available for rear discs for 55 TBird?
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By paul2748 - 15 Years Ago
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If you have changed to a 9 inch there are kits available.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 15 Years Ago
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Earl: I believe the bolt pattern on the ends of the Bird housing, where the back plates bolt on, is the same as the '57 big bearing housing, like Bird, wagon, police, retractable, Ranchero. I'm not sure about the axle shaft length from the bearing to the flange. Check with one of the disc brake conversion companies, they may have info to help you decide.
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By Eddie Paskey - 15 Years Ago
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Hey Earl;; Larry's T-Bird shows a rear kit in their catalog. $795. God Bless Eddie
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By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
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I am doing something I shouldn't do. I Assume the rear end is stock as I have never done anything with it. How do I determine which rear end I have or is it all the same ? I was told some time ago that the rear end was either 9" or Dana. I have no idea now.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 15 Years Ago
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Earl: The stock rear for the Bird is a Dana. Easy way to tell, the Dana has no removable third member and has a sheet metal cover on the back side of the rear end. The internal parts are loaded from the back.
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By MoonShadow - 15 Years Ago
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I talked to Rob when he did his 9" swap in his sedan. He told me the stock 56 brake backing plates would bolt up to the new rear end. Made me wonder it a disc swap would work on a stock 56 Victoria rear? Chuck in NH
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 15 Years Ago
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Chuck: '56 passenger had a smaller wheel bearing, bolt pattern, and bolt sizes than the Dana. But Ford continued both sizes for several years, so if Rob used a '57 passenger rear, then the '56 backing plates would fit. In '57 the big bearings were used on the wagons, police, Rancheros, Retractables, Birds.
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By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
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I have the Dana rear end. Anyone make disc kits for that ?
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By bird55 - 15 Years Ago
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Earl, I talked to these guys once when I was considering this.
http://www.mpbrakes.com/products/product-detail.cfm?product_id=283
Make sure they understand (and you do too) what rearend housing you have. If it is stock it would be a Dana/spicer 44. As John said, it loads from the rear.
IMHO, I changed my mind on this part of the project because of discussion on this site of COST vs effectiveness, they will be slighlty heavier too. All in all for my money I opted out. Front discs are another story I highly reccomend that option, they do most of the work as you know, not the back. Don't forget I said, "for the my money!" 
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By yehaabill - 15 Years Ago
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Birdman Y-Guy: You might look into '93-up Explorer with 8.8 disc set-up. Cheap,at the local pull-apart, width should be close, and its leaf spring also. May have to change M/C..... Just an idea, Bill
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By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
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I have discs on the front. Will look into the explorer brakes. Thanks Bill
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By miker - 15 Years Ago
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I put rear disc on my bird, Dana rear end, about 5 years ago. It was way more trouble than it's worth. There's a shop in Denver, I can look it up, where they did a set for the owner's car. They used the early GM units with the built in parking brake on the disc itself, and built a bracket to mount it to the axle. What they forgot to tell me was that that unit requires a 10 psi residual valve, not a 5 like most disc. I went thru everything twice before I finally got brakes. It was American Braking Systems (I think it its abspowerbrakes.com) that finally said "Oh yeah, those are the one's you need drum brake residual valves on". Unless you've got big tires and are going road racing, I wouldn't bother.
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By morgus - 15 Years Ago
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I HAVE A 55 BIRD WITH REAR DISC--DID THIS IN 2003--WORKS GREAT--I HAVE 20 OR SO PHOTOS OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO DO THIS---THE REAR IS A DANA 44 'HYBRED' (CENTER SECTION IS LIKE COMMON MO-PAR UNIT) BUT THE AXLES AND BEARING ENDS ARE FORD TYPE---BIRDS USED THIS REAR IN 55 AND 56 --57 WENT TO FORD 9 INCH--THE KIT I USED WAS FROM MASTER POWER BRAKES CO.--ORDER THE KIT FOR A JEEP CJ-5, I THINK---THEY MAY ASK YOU TO SEND PHOTOS OF YOUR END FLANGES--I ALREADY HAVE DONE THIS --I HAVE THE PHOTOS OF THIS FLANGE---YOU WILL ALSO HAVE TO CHANGE THE MASTER-AND ADD A PROP VALVE--MASTER HAS THIS ,TOO---I WENT TO FOUR WHEEL DISC'S SO I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT MASTER TO USE--MASTER PWR KNOWS---E-MAIL ME IF YOU WANT INFO---morgus@accesstoledo.com ------I'M IN TOLEDO OHIO----ED----419-377-9449 -------WITH THIS KIT--EVEN THE EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLES MATCHED UP AND WORK FINE----BYE----ED
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By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
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what year cj-5? send photos . sent e-mail.
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By PF Arcand - 15 Years Ago
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Birdman: Unless you have money to burn, lots of patience & are road racing your car, I doubt that the conversion is worth the effort & expense. As a possible alternative, I believe MP brake has a drum conversion kit that feature ceramic linings, that may fit your car. Obviously, it's your call however..
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By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
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MP brakes has rear disc kit for 750.00 went down there and looked at all kits available and purchased the disc kit. They are installed and doing well so far. Its nothing but money.....
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By morgus - 15 Years Ago
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stock 55 and 56 birds are dana 44's--ford style---57 bird are 9 inch ford---when i went to 4 wheel discs on my 55 bird in 2003, i used the kit for a jeep c-j 5 or cj-7----this worked--but i had to shim out the caliper mount a tad to put it in the center of the rotor. unbeleivably--the emerg. brake cables hooked right up!!!!--- i went with billet wheels--15 inch--and everything clears--don't know if it will on 14 inch rims........bye EDDIE
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By paul2748 - 15 Years Ago
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Who's kit???
morgus (9/14/2009)
stock 55 and 56 birds are dana 44's--ford style---57 bird are 9 inch ford---when i went to 4 wheel discs on my 55 bird in 2003, i used the kit for a jeep c-j 5 or cj-7----this worked--but i had to shim out the caliper mount a tad to put it in the center of the rotor. unbeleivably--the emerg. brake cables hooked right up!!!!--- i went with billet wheels--15 inch--and everything clears--don't know if it will on 14 inch rims........bye EDDIE
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