MegaMerc destructed rear...

[mitymerc]

I think I've located 410s, TracLoc & maincaps....

I know that the maincaps are linebored w/the rear, so I am concerned about utilizing them w/the existing housing.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Possible doner rears?

If I am not mistaken, 95 96 97 GM & MGM will work are there any Lincs that can be picked from?

A buddy suggested a T Bird T Coupe, that just does not seem feasable.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[gadget73]

Towncar rears are the same as a Grand Marq or Vic. Anything up to 1997 fits, 92-97 are rear disc. 90+ are all the wider rear. 98+ all mount different, though different flavors of different depending on the year.


dunno about swapping main caps. Something tells me its not a good idea though if they are line bored as a set with the rear. If you blew the main caps, I'd wonder about the rest of that housing in terms of stress on the tapped holes and such. I don't think I'd trust it if it came apart.

[mitymerc]

I think I've talked myself out of the discs, I don' t have the time to deal w/adapting things & what ever else might come up. It would almost force me into the big fronts, I have most of the stuff for that but then I would need new tires for the ugly cop wheels plus whatever other issues that may arise...

This is a 91, does that mean I need a 90/91 rear only? That narrows (no pun) my field of search considerably....

[sly]

if you want the same track width, yes. and IIRC, it's 90.5-91 actually. But anything 79-91 will bolt up no issue as long as it's an 8.8 (apparently some early base models got the 7.5).

[gadget73]

It would not force a front disc upgrade. 1992-1994 cars had the same size front brakes with rear disc. The parking brake isn't worth a shit with the discs, and I wouldn't say they actually work better than the 11" drums if the drum stuff is properly adjusted and working but they are easier to service. I just don't like dealing with drum brakes though. If you have 10" rear drums for some reason though, disc all the way.

Even if you get a later rear, its 4 bolts to swap the disc backing plates to the drum plates. Axles have to come out, but thats just a C clip. You will have to run steel lines across a later rear, but you could transplant them if yours are in good shape.

[mitymerc]

The axles & stuff will have to come out anyway as I will be installing a TracLoc & lower gears.

[mcninetyone]

If you don't like the ugly cop wheels with your brake swap.
You can always use 16" HPP's or 17" Fanblades up to 02 on there.

[sxcpotatoes]

I just had a '97 GM rear slapped under the '82 Mark VI late last year because it was making noise, spider gears were grinding themselves to death. It came from a 66k low-mile donor and the rear disc brakes were good on it, some new hoses and it mounts right up. Don't have to dick with anything for proportioning valves or master cylinders or anything, everything just works and no rear lockup as long as it's from a non-ABS car.

Mine did come with the meh highway gears and I kept the TracLok unit & 3.73s out of the old rear end to reuse in it later. It's a little wider track and I left the swaybar off it as well because newer Aero ones mount on the frame somehow. And the emergency brake isn't hooked up at all yet, but I won't park it on hills until I get that all sorted. The clutches wear out eventually on all of them, so I just picked the closest cheapest option to keep the car roadworthy.

[pantera77]

I'm gonna agree on scrapping the blown up rear. I did on mine, I just didn't trust it. Plus one of the cap bolts was broken flush off on it and I didn't feel like extracting it.

I'd just find a clean 90-97 rear end and start from there. I guess one other benefit of disc is that there the poor mans c-clip eliminator. They'll at least keep the wheel from popping out.

[gadget73]

yeah, there is that. I can attest to the fact that it works.

[mitymerc]

If you don't like the ugly cop wheels with your brake swap.
You can always use 16" HPP's or 17" Fanblades up to 02 on there.

The thing is, I already have the cop wheels....

[mitymerc]

I took tomorrow off, I'm going to have the yard pull it.

I expect to get a disc setup, so,

I need:

The complete rear (rotor to rotor)

Parking brake cables from the rear to the center of the car,

The parking brake cable turnbuckle or what ever connects the rear cables to the front cable.

Am I forgetting anything?

Thanks Guys

I thought I was going to pull the dead one tomorrow, but it is a little too cold out + they are talking snow.....

[jaywish]

got to connect the hydraulics. Might need sae to metric adapters. Time for new hoses?

[mitymerc]

got to connect the hydraulics. Might need sae to metric adapters. Time for new hoses?

Thanks Jay, I 'm focused on what I need to get from the yard, new parts will come next week....

[87gtVIC]

Hey Jim I used a turnbuckle and some cable clamps from home depot to secure my parking brake cables. Some have said that theirs attached up to the existing cables but not mine.