Posted by Hans (email response) on December 25, 1997 at 16:38:35:
In Reply to: 72 W200 drum to disk conversion? posted by Hans on December 22, 1997 at 17:42:58:
I received the following via email. I thought I'd throw it into the soup. Should I swap out the whole axle or just rebuild from the joints out? Is there anything else I should be aware of? Thanks in advance.
hans.miller@mortenson.com
"I own a '71 W100 and thought about the same thing you are thinking of. I swapped out the axle for a GM 3/4 ton. I was unable to find any kit
to convert the drums to disc. I also wanted more than a 1/2 ton. I am only guessing here, but if you have a stock W200 then your front axle at
best a Dana 44. If you do indeed have a Dana 70 up front I would just live with the drums. I don't know what new or remanufactured Dana 70's go for, but the Dana 60's go for around $1600.
In my case, I needed to switch out the master cylinder for a larger capacity master cylinder. I also had to find the appropriate proportioning valve. This may not pose the threat to your truck it did to mine. I had to go out and find one that almost fit and then make it fit. I believe your trucks body style eventually came with disc brakes so the correct master cylinder would not be as troublesome.
Axle swap option:
I was told to buy a GM axle because they have the better braking system and wheel bearings of the two. Almost all of the Dodge front ends came without hubs and they are prone to either wearing out prematurely or breaking under stress. Ford wouldn't be bad if the differential was on
the right side because they also use a GM style hub and braking.
Merry Christmas"