Disc Brakes on Rear?

["JOHN MC ADAMS" <clafong@xxxx>]

Jeff and all:

Perhaps I am just daft but I don't understand what significance the axle end play has to do with putting disc brakes on the rear axle.

Aren't the rear calipers going to float in and out like the ones on the front?  Aren't you planning on using a self-adjusting and self-centering type of floating caliper system?

I have seen two types of floating calipers (as used on the front).  There are the ones that float in and out on pins and then there are the ones that float on little slides (like the ways on a lathe) that are machined into the caliper mounting brackets.  There must be other methods as well.

On most modern vehicles, one of the biggest challenges in adapting disc brakes to a conventional rear axle is how to incorporate some sort of an Emergency Brake.  We are very fortunate that our Chrysler 300's came with a supplemental Emergency Brake system mounted on the tailshaft of the transmission.  (Love it or Hate it!)  I believe that it was in 1965 that the Chrysler line changed to the flanged rear axle with a mechanical Emergency Brake provision in the rear drums.

I have heard that some of the disc brake conversion kits for off-road trucks have some method of actuating an Emergency Brake.  Some kits incorporate a mechanical actuator on the rear disc and some kits provide a separate disc brake and caliper that is mounted somewhere along the drive shaft, very similar (but much easier to service and adjust) to our drum brake on the trans.  It is significant that most of these kits are called "Parking Brakes".

Anyway, Please enlighten me about what this has to do with axle end play!  Someday, I would like to add 4 wheel discs and convert to the flanged axles on my ragtop.

John Mc Adams