OK gang, the object of the exercise is to get all of this ....

(enlarge this pic and have a look - it contains many part descriptions and numbers used)

The proper way to remove and install the spindle nuts is to use the proper 6-slot socket. Of course, if you're a high-tech redneck like me, you can bang them out with a hammer and screwdriver!

Note - there are a huge number of different lock washer and spindle nut arrangements out there. Some are 6 slot as shown some are 4 slot, some are a large hex head and some are a special rounded hex head. Also, some lock washers use tabs as shown, and some have holes that index onto little "tits" on the spindle nuts. You will have to adapt, improvise, overcome.

Next, you grasp the hub firmly, and pull it off the spindle. Careful! - If it still has the drums on, it will be very heavy. Use caution to avoid dropping the inner spindle flat washer and outer wheel bearing cone as the assembly pops off the spindle. Turn it outside pointing up, as the hub seal will keep the inner wheel bearing from falling out.

Afterwards, this is what the bare spindle looks like (hopefully your isn't as beat as mine - it's had a hard life!)

Of course, you may well have the drum brake backing plate still attached at this stage. If you do, unbolt it now and set it aside / throw it away.

Here's the back of the hub, and all the spindle washers and nuts laid out from left to right in the order they go back on. In other words, the washer on the left goes in first after the hub is placed back on the spindle.

Here's the first important note on different full float (FF) rear axles. The Outside Diameter (OD) of the back side of the hub (indicated by the red arrow in the pic) are different on different axles. I know that on a Dana 70, this OD is just about an 1/8" too big to fit through hole on the rotor most commonly used (1977 Chevy K20 4x4 front rotor). Most people just machine it down. You can do this the brutal homebrew way with a hand grinder, as this hub/rotor interface is not a machined fit, the lugs keep the hub and rotor together concentrically (true).

Once the hubs are removed you need to separate the drums from the hubs and discard the drums. Do this by pressing out the 8 wheel studs with a big hammer and a soft brass drift.

In my case, the drums were long since gone, so all I had to do was press out the wheel studs in preparation for attaching the rotor to the hub.

The next step is to install the rotors onto the back of the hub, and securely attach the two together by staking them together with the wheel studs. I used the same hammer and brass drift method to drive the studs back in.

The observant amongst you will note that the picture to the left shows a rotor and hub staked together with new, longer-than-stock wheel studs - this picture was sent to me by reader Dale Young and is used with his kind permission as I had installed mine back on the axle before taking a suitable picture to show this step.

For a complete discussion on wheel stud options - see my article: 14-Bolt Disc Brakes V2

Hub and rotor installed on axle for test-fit and marking of calliper brackets .

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the stock 14-Bolt wheel studs have a large round head that doesn't fit quite right into the small bore designed for the stud head in the 3/4 ton rotor. The solution is to source new studs that do. I am cheap, lazy, and only ever drive this rig offroad at a crawl, so I simply re-used my studs for now. Eventually, I will replace them, as the net result of re-using them is that the lug nuts only just fully engage the threads on the stud, with no "stickout" of the stud, and this is certainly not ideal. When I figure out all the details on the stud dimensions and part numbers, I will add the info to this article.

UPDATE:

Here are pics and part numbers of the studs recommended by reader Joe DeLano for use in the 14-Bolt disc brake conversion. They are:

• Dorman Part #: DOR-610-228 (shorter, for use with steel wheels)
• Dorman Part #: DOR-610-301 (longer, for use with aluminum wheels that have a thicker centre)

For a complete discussion on wheel stud options - see my article: 14-Bolt Disc Brakes V2

I made my own calliper brackets from 3/8" mild steel plate. Two pieces 8"x8" is sufficient to cut 2 brackets. I based my brackets on AFCO Racing part number 40120-1, which they describe as " Calliper Bracket Rear - GM - 3 1/2in. Radius".

Nobody would mistake them for art, that's for darn sure!

Depending on your axle (and its radius), many folks have reported success with the brackets from A&A Manufacturing. Be warned though, that you may need to customize / modify the brackets to make them taller, because the A&A and AFCO brackets are all designed for stock cars, which do not use a rotor as large in diameter as the 3/4 ton truck rotor.

The AFCO bracket has the correct hole spacing for the calliper slide bolts (the distance between the centre of the holes is exactly 71/16", and the holes are tapped to 7/16-NC14), and the correct 3.5" tube radius for the 14-Bolt, but it is not a direct fit. The "throat" area needs to be opened up a bit to fit around the 3/4 ton chevy callipers (area indicated by red arrows), and most significantly, it is not the right "height" between the radius and the calliper bolt holes. It needs to be 1/2" taller, so that the calliper clears the large diameter 3/4 ton Chevy front rotor. The blue arrow indicates where it has to be taller. If you were to use it as is, the calliper bolts would hit the rotor id before the radius of the bracket was anywhere near the axle tube.

Of course, I did not know this BEFORE I purchased them, and since they were cheap, and a pita to return, I simply tack welded them to my homebrew brackets (yellow arrows) to help guide me in drilling and tapping the holes for calliper slide bolts.

Here I am drilling and tapping the holes, guided by the AFCO bracket.

Machinist I am NOT! :-)

Before you take the bracket and calliper assembly to the axle for test fit and marking for welding, it is important that you have the calliper properly oriented on the slide bolts, so that you get maximum possible calliper movement, and therefore the best possible accommodation for wear in the brake pads while still achieving full braking.

This pic shows the forces and movements when the brakes are applied. Keep in mind it is the left rear calliper, and would be installed on the axle in the orientation shown with the bleeder screw inboard of the rotor, and at the top.

When the brakes are applied, the piston is forced out of its bore in the direction of the red arrow. The inner pad is thus forced against the rotor. As the rotor is immovable laterally (held in place on the spindle by the spindle nuts and bearings, and is incapable of sliding back and forth laterally on the spindle), the rotor "pushes back" at the yellow arrow. The net result is, that as the brakes are applied, the calliper will slide on its bolts in the direction of the blue arrows, until all clearances are taken up.

This pic shows the same thing from the top of the left hand calliper.

Once you have the unit correctly assembled and aligned like this, you're ready to slap it on the axle to test-fit and mark where the bracket is to be welded on.

 Place the calliper over the rotor, and rotate to the desired position. I chose as high as possible on the rotor (about the 1'o'clock position) for clearance from the rocks, while still maintaining the bleeder screw reasonably close to being at the top for easier brake bleeding.

You can of course mount the calliper right on top of the rotor at the 12 o'clock position, but that would mean it has to be dismounted for bleeding.

Once this positing is established, before you mark where the calliper bracket will be welded on, you should check 3 important clearances.

ONE - as shown at left - check inside of brake pad to rotor hat OD clearance (yellow arrow).

FINALLY - check the OD of the rotor to the OD of the brake pad match up. In my case, you can see I made the calliper bracket just a hair too tall, and the pad stands proud of the rotor just a bit. Not enough for me to redo the brackets, and certainly much better a hair off in this direction, rather than the other!

Now it's time to mark where on the axle tube (actually, on the spindle in this case) the calliper bracket will be welded. Just approximately will do, it's just for cleaning purposes at this point.

When that's done, remove the complete bracket/calliper/rotor/hub assembly, and clean / grind the area of the spindle where you will be welding on the calliper brackets.

You can also remove the drum brake backing plate flange from the axle by cutting or grinding it off at this point if you desire. Mine has long gone (yellow arrow).

During grinding I attempted to protect the spindle with tape.

Once the spindle is clean, reinstall and check everything as above. If it all looks good, go ahead and tack weld the bracket in place.

Then, do a final clearance check, and then remove the calliper and pads, rotor, and hub, in preparation for the finish welding.

Protect the spindle with some anti-splatter or other protective covering, and weld on the calliper brackets.

This is where proper fit-up comes into play. You can see where the weld got a little hairy once the gap between bracket and spindle started to get a little large.

Mind you, nobody's any more likely to confuse me with a professional welder than they are to confuse me with a machinist (or ballet dancer, for that matter).

Still - I don't think the bracket will be flopping off anytime soon.

And it looks OK once it has cooled, been painted, and dried!

When that's done, install the hub and rotor, adjust the wheel bearings, and install the calliper and pads, then all that's left is the plumbing.