74 Renegade power disk swap

I am contemplating a power disc swap on my 74 cj5. (304 w/ t15). With all new parts it seems I am looking at 2000 bucks +.

I was wondering if you guys know of any list of junk yard parts I could acquire to make this work for much less? I don't really have any business fabricating anything. I have searched around, and all I can find info on is Dana 25's and 27's. Well I think mine has a Dana 30 up front.

How much Difference should I expect from 11inch manual drums to power disks?

Thanks in advance.

 

I think the drums are fine, but disks would be an improvement certainly.

With a Renegade, I presume you have power steering. You could fit a hydroboost first, and see if that's enough of an improvement for you. The hydroboost goes between the master cylinder and the firewall, and could either be made from junk yard parts or bought new. Possible donors are Astro vans and late model Cadillacs - there are more but I don't know which offhand. Here's an article on the Vanco hydroboost http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Brakes/#Vancoreview - if you search, you'll find articles on junk yard conversions.

The most straightforward conversion for Model 30 front disks is to find a later D30 CJ axle with disks and swap everything from the ball joints out. Certainly this will cost less than $2000 - let's see your parts list. I presume you mean 4-wheel disk brakes? I wouldn't bother with the rears, since the fronts do most of the braking anyhow, and 11" drums on the rear should be plenty of rear wheel braking capacity for a CJ. Plus with rear disks, you'll have to figure out how to motivate a parking brake - not straightforward with disks.

 

Sorry, I should have specified. It doesn't have power brakes.

 

Do you have power steering? If so, it would be (comparatively) easy to add a hydroboost.

 

No power steering, but I do plan to add it with junk yard parts and have no idea what I need to do it., but that's a post for a different thread...

 

I think this post may have died on the vine due to my scatter braininess...

I have a 74 cj5 with eleven inch manual drums on all four corners. I have manual steering.

The aforementioned 2000 dollars is in reference to:
850 disk brake kit composed of all new parts.
1000 power brake kit composed of all new parts and necessary hardware for the application.
and a couple hundred dollars or more for other parts that I don't have and need, and to fix something that I break in the process.

I am just wondering if anyone has a parts list of different wrecked vehicles I can look for for necessary parts. The later model dana 30 seems promising, its just seems that down here in tennessee that salvage jeeps are like free beer, you hear about them after they are already gone (I guess because windrock is just up the road).

I have heard a lot of references to Chevy Saginaw power steering components being used to make the switch to power brakes on CJ5's. Is this an avenue that I should investigate further?

 

Regarding power steering, all CJs from '72 on came with manual GM Saginaw steering or optional GM Saginaw power steering. Lots of different vehicles used Saginaw steering. The manual and power steering gears (boxes) have the same bolt pattern, except the manual gear has 3 bolts and the Jeep power gear has 4. You can bolt on almost any Saginaw gear in place of your manual gear. Jeep gears will work, as will gears from GM passenger cars. The gears from big cars are preferred because of their higher ratios (slower steering, more turns). The variable ratio gear from a S-10 4x4 is also popular. though it only uses 3 bolts.

For the engine, you need brackets, pulleys and a pump. The easiest/best source is likely a wrecked/scrapped Wagoneer. These were in production until 1991, and all had 360s and PS after the mid 80s. Replacement hoses should be available from aftermarket sources.

I think you also need the proper flex coupler for PS at the bottom end of the steering shaft - the manual and power gears have a different spline count or diameter ... something. Should also be available aftermarket. Search or ask for a better answer.

Regarding power brakes and power steering - factory power brakes on these vehicles were vacuum assisted, so steering and braking were not dependent on each other. You could have PB and no PS, and vice-versa.

The only source for a factory vacuum assist parts on the 72-75 Jeeps is a wreck AFAIK. There is no source for a direct replacement booster on the aftermarket - you can have an old booster rebuilt, but finding the proper factory booster along with the supporting parts will be very difficult. The usual approach if you want a vacuum boosted system is to either adapt a power booster from another vehicle, or buy a hot rod power booster and adapt it.

I was suggesting a fluid assisted booster called a hydroboost. Instead of vacuum, it uses the power steering pump to provide energy for the power assist. You can't have a hydroboost without a power steering pump.

 

You got a link to the $800 disk kit?

 

http://completeoffroad.com/i-123975-cj-jeep-disc-brake-kit-dana-25-27-30.html

This is the cheapest kit I have found. It uses some reman. and used parts.

I am right now unable to locate the $800 all new kit, because I am at my home, instead of work and on dial up, and it painfully slow to try to locate the kits.

I do right now have to apologize to everyone on this thread for my stupidity. In my relentless research on how to do this swap, I had become disappointed with the small number of articles that google was returning, thus forcing me to call upon you guys to endure my endless newbie inquiries. Well it seems that I have been spelling disc as "disk", and that apparently doesn't return many articles. Just now I did the search with the spelling "disc" and have found a lot of website detailing this swap. So my thanks to all that have endured.

Again, I apologize.

 

Hey, no need to apologize to me. I don't think anyone here minds newbee questions if the asker has looked for an answer and hasn't found one. Many don't get an answer, but instead directions on how to find their answer.

Certain other boards are much less tolerant of basic questions, BTW.

 

I used 77CJ D30 caliper mounts,spindles, calipers and disks. Bolted right up with 6 studs which need to be longer. (NAPA) Ran me about $150, not counting the master cylinder ($90 new) from a 77 CJ. They are getting hard to find, but they're out there. Best thing I ever did then. No more stomp and pray on a hill after a mud hole. Now I have disks in the back. Better yet. Just say stop.

73CJ

 

If you can't find the donor parts or don't have the time/patiences, etc. you might check these guys out. They have a conversion kit that includes pretty much everthing at the wheels you need for about $500-$550

http://pwpinc2.qwestoffice.net/products.htm

It includes all new parts except the caliper brackets which are used but cleaned and painted, in some cases powder coated, and ready to go with the proper bearing races to reuse your drum brake spindles. Just make sure you give them as much info as you can to the vehicle you are converting.

 

I just found this yesterday. I e-mailed the shop and they replied that the instructions and parts list are for for 72-76 cj5s. Looks like all GM and Jeep PNs .

http://www.partsmike.com/drumtodisc.html

 

here's another good drum to disk swap. Its for a d25/27, but 99% of it applies to the drum brake d30 also...
http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/93298_drum_to_disc_brake_upgrade/index.html

 

FYI, Vanco offers a Vacuum boost kit For 72-75 cj's at just under $500 with brackets, master and booster.

That might be the best way to go!

 

JUst found this in craigslist ,,, I'll go offer him 50 bucks ,,,, and just hold on to the brakes, then wait for the rest of the swap items become available. Then sell the axle.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/pts/733849672.html

 

:stout::stout::stout: