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Dana35 Drum to Disc Brake Conversion Page 1

After installing bigger tires, gears, lockers and every conceivable piece of armor and I'm sure I'm missing some its been a big concern of mine to upgrade the brakes to something that will provide not only day to day braking, but also provide a means to stop in an emergency if the need arrives. My choices where pretty slim. I could of bought a Teraflex disc conversion kit, or a TSM disc brake conversion kit. However at the moment they are out of my budget because you are buying brand new right out of the box solutions. There is nothing wrong with a brand new setup however I couldn't stomach the idea of paying 500-600 for a conversion kit so I waited.

Out of the blue I kept seeing references to a 96 ZJ Grand Cherokee swap. I was even told it was a direct bolt on if your donor Jeep is a Dana35. I called around in my local area and I couldn't seem to track down a donor for my project. Again I gave up and decided to pursue other projects and its been 6months in the making. A buddy of mine did some business with Kevins Offroad who just happens to specialize in Grand Cherokees and Cherokees. He told me he didn't carry the parts, but I should contact AMC4x4 and ask for Nacho. I contacted Nacho and he said "Oh sure I have all the parts you need for your conversion and I can ship them out tomorrow for 250+20 for shipping. Whipped out the credit card and it was a done deal. He said all I would need to do is buy new pads and have the rotors turned if not replaced.

Questions or comments visit the forum here.

Tools: Other Items: Time:
14mm Socket
Allen Wenches
Jack Stands
Floor Jack
Needle Nose Pliers		 Brake Fluid
80/90 gear lube		 Approximately 3 hours

It is advised that you have all of your parts inspected by competent person who knows the operation of a brake system. You do not want to install or use something that can be faulty and not perform when you need it. I took my rotors down to my local parts store and had them inspected and turned to remove all of the surface rust and purchased new pads.

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(2) Baking Plates/Caliper adapters
(2) Calipers
(2) Emergency Cables
(2) Rotors
(4) Brake Pads
(4) Bolts to attach the Calipers to the Baking Plates/Caliper adapters.
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Pre Assembled to make sure everything bolted up properly
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For reference sake this is the assembly for the drivers side. Notice where the Emergency cable connects.
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Now since everything appears to bolt together properly I decided it was time to do some house cleaning on the backing plate by scrubbing it with a piece of steel wool and shooting it with some Rustoleum primer and flat black paint.
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Jack up your rear end with a floor jack and use some good quality floor jacks. Also make sure you chalk the front wheels with something to make sure it can not roll forward.
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Crack open the rear diff cover and let all the fluid drain out. If your nervous on this or simply do not know how. Here's a really good write-up on how.
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Now you've taken your tires off right? Pull your drums off and set them aside.
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With your drums off this is your axle. This needs to be removed so you can install your baking plate.
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Since you've drained your rear diff, use your hand and turn your rear driveline so you can find this set screw. NOTE There are two set screws. Mine is a allen, but Ive been told some are a hex head bolt.
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To make sure you have the correct set screw look at the above picture. Its the set screw just above the opening where your spider gears are.


You might need to loosen the set screw all the way and then again turn your driveline until the set screw is at the very top so you can pull it out.
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Now with the set screw removed the pinion mate gear shaft should nearly fall out. Set it aside on a clean surface because you have to re-install at a later date.
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Now with the pinion mate gear shaft removed you should be able to remove your "C" clips to pull your axle shafts. Now burn this image into your head because the next picture will be what it looks like when you push your axle in.

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