Dana 18 TC Disk Emergency brake

I bolted up my in progress disk emergency brake today. Here are some photos. The disk and caliper are off the rear of a Yamaha FZR400. The caliper bolts onto a bracket made of 1/2" steel which is held on by the 2 bolts on the left side of the tailshaft housing on the back of the transfer case. I know some people dont like hydraulic brakes for emergency brakes but I had the caliper sitting around and am more concerned with stopping in an emergency than something which may bleed pressure while parked overnight. At the moment there is only one bolt holding the caliper on. I need to make a bracket coming off the bottom of the mount which will bolt to the other mounting bolt on the caliper, visible in EBIMG9254. The position is driven by trying have the caliper as high as possible while hopefully leaving enough space to mount an overdrive someday, its going to be close if it fits. If not where it is the caliper needs to be about an inch lower since the mounting tab on the caliper presently sits right above the lower bolt on the tailshaft housing. Now that I think about it, numerous cars today come with four wheel disk, anyone know what they do for emergency brakes? Do they have both cable and hydraulic cylinders?
Jon

 

Looks good, Jon. This is a project that many of us have contemplated, and some have tried or completed maybe, for some time now. We've also discussed the diff between a parking brake and an emergency brake. I believe most modern cars, with 4 wheel disc, have a brake shoe type parking brake, cable activated, which works on a surface machined into the center of the rear discs. I never had to work on one yet but, understand that they can be a bear. Keep us updated on your work.

 

........or they have something this, as on Dan's M38 project.



http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/DanStewIII/brake2.jpg

 

I did a similar conversion for a parking brake.
Pics here: https://picasaweb.google.com/jzeber5/JeepStuff#5350524248242304610

 

I am one of the folks who believe in Emergency brakes, and not parking brakes, so I applaud your effort.

As far as it being a hydraulic system instead of cable operated, I do not see a problem as long as it is a totally independent system from the service brakes.

How did you deal with the balance issue of all the additional rotating mass?

 

Thanks for the link to the mechanical linkage on the brake, I may have to add one. As for the balancing, the brake disk is balanced. The spacer between the u-joint and the disk is symmetric, not perfectly but pretty close. I put the disk and spacer on a bubble balance and it sat true on that. I havent had it spun balanced. I may end up in the future but this is a ways from being up and running.

 

i see kits for hotrods that kinda look like that.
and have read that they satisfy the letter of the law.
but wont stop you.
is that true?

 

Jon,
A Ford Taurus I had used a cable actuated worm screw inside the rear calipers. When actuated, the worm screw engaged the caliper piston for positive mechanical pressure on the brake rotor.
I discovered this trying to get the piston to retract while doing a pad replacement.

Don

 

It should stop the jeep. The rotor looks real thin so it will heat up quick. You may only get one or two stops before it gets too hot.

 

Has anyone tried to use something like this?

http://www.jegs.com/p/Wilwood/Wilwood-Mechanical-Parking-Brake-Spot-Calipers/757779/10002/-1

Looks like with a bit of fab and making a disc it could work.

 

Guess my reply was a bit confusing but I was talking about using it as a disk parking brake setup on the D18.

 

Very nice! Looks like that will do the trick!!