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Disc brake conversion on a 1980 chevy 1/2 ton pickup

5K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  Chevrolet4x4s 
#1 ·
I am wanting to put disc brakes on the rear of my 1980 chevy 1/2 ton pickup. Is that possible? I'm new at this so bear with me. Were disc brakes an option on that year or were they all drum brakes? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I may have to change rearends? Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
there are a few companies that make rear brake disc swaps. i am unaware of any vehichle that had rear discs then. not too many trucks have them now. www.wilwood.com www.ssbrakes.com www.mpbrakes.com <a href="http://www.brembo.com]www.brembo.com[/URL] and that seems to be all that i know of. Good Luck with that and i hope that this info helps you make a better decision.
Silver

[ March 05, 2003: Message edited by: Silver ]</p>
 
#3 ·
i think i got my brackets from a co. called tsm or some such, had to grind like crazy on my calipers to get them on their stupid bracket. go to those sites above and read up, they have lots of good information. also you will have to spend extra for calipers that have an emergency brake like an eldorado i believe, if you want them
 
#10 ·
rears

thanks jvsapp,i wish i knew this last year,i got my 12" front rotors off an impalia parts car we had out back,its crushed now.i like using and converting gm parts "the old school way".im building a 48 plymouth biz coupe,rotted up to the door knobs,wasnt even a good parts car,but thanks to helpful folks like your self seell be ready to ride this spring,have couple pics in my gallary
 
#11 ·
I didn't see this mentioned in any of the other posts, and it may go without saying, but you'll also need to change out the master cylinder to work with the drum/ disc setup, maybe even a combination valve, etc. I believe that Stainless Steel Brakes has a complete kit for your conversion....

Steve
 
#12 ·
yup that is a good idea. most times that is over looked. disc/disc setup uses a different master than disc/drum. i've heard of some using fiero master with booster, so i grabbed one with the combo valve and booster once when i could. still have it sitting.

that car looks sweet. the new trunk floor is that from a nova or is that the stock replacement? looks very similar to my nova. there are some aftermarket rear brackets that use GM calipers. caddilac or camaro setups including the parking brake. i got a set for $40 from ebay.
 
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