rear caliper options, need specific info

[arse_sidewards]

I'm starting to collect parts for rear disc brakes. I can make my own backing plate/brackets, no big deal. I got a free pair of 02' CR-V front calipers (57mm floating) that are easy to make a bracket for and I intend to use along with something for a parking brake. Obviously piston diameter doesn't matter much as these will be working alongside the CR-V calipers.

I've never been able to find a straight answer as to which cable actuated calipers can easily be re-purposed for general use and more importantly, exactly which years of which vehicles they come on. Yeah I know I want some early 90s Taurus or Mustang calipers, but which ones exactly. Google gives me conflicting info on which ones are easy to re-purpose and what years and trim levels they come on.

I assume there's other calipers with a cable parking brake from compact cars that get overlooked because they're too small to work adequately alone on a full-size vehicle or with larger tires, anyone know of a specific example?

In conclusion:

I need someone to tell me that start year through end year make + model has rear discs with a cable actuated caliper for the parking brake. I can do the rest of the research.

[Silverslk]

I had a 1995 VW Jetta that had rear discs with cable operated parking brake.

I just looked up 1995 Mustang GT on Rockauto and found these as well....

[VintageIronFab]

Why not just use the explorer stuff?

[PaulW]

Explorer kits use a drum park brake. Enough said. And as discussed before are a bad choice for off road use. They work great for a daily driver.
Get a kit that uses the caliper for the park brake. Varga is the best, but I never found a kit so you make you own mount. Cable hookup is simple. For a Bronco use the big versions not the Taurus version due to size. My calipers came from Autozone and were new sourced for a Ford 90 Superbird and uses aftermarket vented disks. Also the SVT Mustang uses the big Varga calipers. Somebody mentioned Lincoln calipers, but I have no knowledge of them.
Having said the above, Cadillac caliper kits are available from several vendors and come with with what is needed. They also use a cable operated park brake.
PaulW

[arse_sidewards]

I don't want explorer stuff because I don't want to deal with drums after I've got discs. If I ever upgrade rear axles I'll be in the same position I'm in now only with more brake calipers taking up space, and it will be harder to reuse any of the explorer stuff when I eventually go for a fully driveline mounted brake in the rear. Drum in hat setups also tend to suck more than drums because you're not using them all the time and they develop problems sticking or taking huge amounts of effort as a result. Furthermore, the CR-V calipers and pads are swappable for the calipers on a bunch of other Hondas allowing me to take advantage of that aftermarket.

All conventional wisdom is that the Caddy calipers suck. Maybe it's a product of under-informed people with little experience putting them on every classic car rear end for decades but on the other hand reputations don't get made from nothing.

I looked at the mustang caliper...but there's no Upull yards near me and not a chance I'm gonna ask for anything for a Mustang, wouldn't be much cheaper than buying reman ones online. There's also no chance of me asking for Toyota, Jeep or luxury car items. I like my money to stay mine.

I looked into the Jetta caliper, which is also used on the Passat through the late 90s. It has straightforward 2-bolt mounting with the caliper bracket holding the pads. I think this is what I'll go with. The piston diameter is a 1.5" or 1.875", dunno what a '95 Jetta weighs but I'd bet those stop it really well. RockAuto has calipers that are both 1.5" and 1.875" and CarPart lists a distinction between V6 and I4 models so I'd guess that either V6 = bigger brakes or whatever trim the v6 came in got the larger calipers. The Explorer calipers are 1.88" diameter according to Raybestos which looks a lot like a rounded up 1.875 to me diameter and the Mustang calipers are 1.5"

CR-V fronts are 2.25" so I'm definitely set for stopping power if I put those in back, especially if I pair them with VW calipers.

So right now, '95 Jetta it is. I probably won't get a chance to go to the JY for awhile but when I start making progress I'll post something. Hopefully I'll be able to find a set of calipers off a V6 Jetta but I'll make a backing plate that can mount both calipers anyway in case I feel like using bigger calipers and ditching the parking brake.

Jetta calipers are around $40ea on eBay which is what I might do depending on how much they are locally. Looks like those CR-V calipers will stay on the shelf after all, they were free anyway.

[toddz69]

To clarify what you're trying to do - you want to use the CRV calipers for stopping and just use something like the Jetta calipers as a mechanical parking brake with no hydraulics hooked up to them?

Todd Z.

[arse_sidewards]

To clarify what you're trying to do - you want to use the CRV calipers for stopping and just use something like the Jetta calipers as a mechanical parking brake with no hydraulics hooked up to them?

Todd Z.

That was the plan because I figured that I couldn't find a mechanical caliper that was cheap, readily available and large enough but since some of the Jetta calipers are as big as the Explorer calipers I can just use those. I'll still make brackets that can hold both since it's not much extra work.

[toddz69]

To clarify what you're trying to do - you want to use the CRV calipers for stopping and just use something like the Jetta calipers as a mechanical parking brake with no hydraulics hooked up to them?

Todd Z.

That was the plan because I figured that I couldn't find a mechanical caliper that was cheap, readily available and large enough but since some of the Jetta calipers are as big as the Explorer calipers I can just use those. I'll still make brackets that can hold both since it's not much extra work.

What rotor width will you be using? That can play into your choices for calipers as well.

Todd Z.

[toddz69]

87-88 Turbo T-Bird and 90-91 Tauruses are good applications for Varga calipers. They have 45mm pistons. 90-91 T-Birds also have Varga calipers with 45mm pistons although the pads are apparently larger per Paul's post above (my online applications are divided - some list the same pad as the Taurus and others list a different number).

Stainless Steel Brakes made a rear disc kit for the 8.8 truck rear ends for years using Varga calipers but I don't think it's listed on their website anymore.

Todd Z.

[Wrightracing.net]

Is anyone running front rotors on the rear without the hub? Or the Dodge 5 on 5.5 rotors?

[arse_sidewards]

I was just about to say that. IIRC The CRV uses 11" rotors so they should fit a front rotor fine and the proper offset can be built into the bracket. The CRV rotor is vented so it's comparable thickness. Dunno about the Jetta but I don't really care if the whole pad doesn't hit the rotor as long as enough does and the pads don't make contact with each other as they wear.

A front rotor should fit nearly perfectly in the back because the backside of the front hub is wider than the front. IIRC both the front and rear hubs have and 87mm pilot for the wheel. What I'm not sure of is whether the back side of the 8.8 axle flange is a suitable diameter for the frot rotor. Mounting the rotor on the backside of the hub is also a PITA because removing the rotors would require pulling the axle shafts, not really an elegant solution. I'm 99% certain from eyeballing it that a front rotor won't slip over the rear axle. Once i get the calipers I'll just look up the 5x5.5 list and look on Rockauto for rotor dimensions for something cheap that works.

[PaulW]

My 1990 T-bird calipers were specd for the rear of the supercharged V6 model.
The large single piston calipers use pads that are 4.5" long and have the cable operated cam piston for the park brake. They use a vented rotor that is 1" wide. I have no idea how to find out what the piston diameter is? Calipers are made by Varga.
PW

[VintageIronFab]

Paul did you use a CJ7 rotor then? IIRC the CJ is narrower than a F150

[toddz69]

I was just about to say that. IIRC The CRV uses 11" rotors so they should fit a front rotor fine and the proper offset can be built into the bracket. The CRV rotor is vented so it's comparable thickness. Dunno about the Jetta but I don't really care if the whole pad doesn't hit the rotor as long as enough does and the pads don't make contact with each other as they wear.

A front rotor should fit nearly perfectly in the back because the backside of the front hub is wider than the front. IIRC both the front and rear hubs have and 87mm pilot for the wheel. What I'm not sure of is whether the back side of the 8.8 axle flange is a suitable diameter for the frot rotor. Mounting the rotor on the backside of the hub is also a PITA because removing the rotors would require pulling the axle shafts, not really an elegant solution. I'm 99% certain from eyeballing it that a front rotor won't slip over the rear axle. Once i get the calipers I'll just look up the 5x5.5 list and look on Rockauto for rotor dimensions for something cheap that works.

To take advantage of the path already explored by others on this subject, I'd check out Suzuki Sidekick front rotors. They have a fairly large i.d. on the rotor hat that will likely slip over the flange without machining. The front rotors won't slip over the rear flange as you note.

Todd Z.

[ChaseTruck754]

Just a quick "it could happen" since my uncle laughs & reminds me of an old story where it happened to him.

In the 70's some cars used the rear calipers as a parking brake similar to what you are looking to do. Have a bit of a fun/adventurous drive with a bit of braking & those rotors heat up & expand just a bit. Park on a hill & apply e-brake while rotors are still hot/expanded and you very well might come out to said car being down the hill after the rotors have cooled enough to shrink just a bit & let the things turn inside the calipers.

[Jbfab]

So while we are on the subject. What is a slip on vented rotor that will fit the 8.8 axle flange without an mods. I have a dodge rotor and its close but still needs machining to make it work. Im not against running them on the backside if its an option. If I would do so what wheel studs should i use, (fronts)?

[arse_sidewards]

Whatever rotor slip fits over the front could be made to fit the back by idling in gear on jack-stands and turning down the flange to the same OD as the flange on the front hubs with an angle grinder. It's not exactly a hard to do or expensive process so spare axles wouldn't be a problem.

[toddz69]

So while we are on the subject. What is a slip on vented rotor that will fit the 8.8 axle flange without an mods. I have a dodge rotor and its close but still needs machining to make it work. Im not against running them on the backside if its an option. If I would do so what wheel studs should i use, (fronts)?

See my post above - check on the Sidekick rotors.

Todd Z.

[philofab]

E150 rear rotors in the 99-04 vintage may work.

[arse_sidewards]

E150 rotors should fit because they've got all that extra space for drum-in-hat parking brakes but will they clear a 15?