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............................T--- Disk Brake Rotor Adapter ---
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My next step on the rearend was an adapter to mount the single disc brake rotor to the center carrier. Benny found a piece of scrap aluminum in Texas and mailed it to me. Thanks Benny!! It already had a hole in the center and was cut in a circle shape on the outside. I would need to make the center hole larger and the outer diameter smaller. I started by using my 3-jaw chuck and machined the outside to all the same diameter (still larger than I needed).
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Then I used my 4 jaw chuck to hole the aluminum by the outside diameter and bored out the center to the same inside diameter as the original ring gear. Here you can see that step accomplished and I've slid the adapter onto the center carrier for a trial fit. The center carrier is smaller in diameter in the near part of the picture where the spider and side gears go. Right up against the face where the ring gear was located it is larger in diameter. The adapter is bored to that diameter size.
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A view that shows the flange to the right of the adapter that the ring gear use to bolt to. The adapter will also bolt to that flange with bolts/screws from both sides.
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Next I put the adapter back on the lathe using the 3 jaw chuck to hold it on the inside bore. Then I proceeded to turn the outside diameter down so that it would fit the rotor. The rotor has a flat machined inside face that the adapter is machined to fit.
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I got the rotor from Speedway (part # 910-31906 -- $24.95) and it is a .81 X 11.75 rotor that is used with a brake hat to convert rear drum brakes to disc brakes on cars. I still need to drill the holes to mount it to the adapter.
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Another view showing the relationship of these parts.
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Here I placed the GM Metric caliper (Speedway #910-31045-left -- $34.95) on the rotor to make sure I will have clearance for everything. I'll mount the caliper by using a caliper bracket (Speedway #916-41009 -- $9.95) backwards. The bracket is meant to be welded to the rear axle on a car, but in my case I want the bracket to point the other way and mount to the frame. I will have to do just a little machine work to the bracket to mount it backwards. When I finally get around to that, seems like a long way away right now, I'll post pictures.
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From the other side. If you use the .81 rotor with the metric caliper you need to also buy a brake pad spacer (Speedway #910-41908 -- $5.95) as the .81 rotor is thinner than the stock 1.25 inch thick rotor. I went with the thinner rotor as it saves about 1 pound in weight. I could have used any stock GM metric pads, but splurged on some Wilwood pads (Speedway #835-3998 -- $29.95). These are a medium hard pad. You could also get the metric caliper from any parts house.
I still have to put in 3 sets of holes in the adapter to mount the rotor to the adapter and to mount the adapter to the carrier. I'll post pictures of that next.
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