Rear differential suggestions

[roger55]

Missyblue,
If you haven't seen my build thread, I think you may enjoy seeing it and it may give you some ideas. The link is in my signature. It's very, very detailed and has many large sized photos.

My take on the rear end is that disc brakes aren't necessary. You want them on the front where about 80% of braking force comes from. A front disc, rear drum power brake system is by far the most popular thing done. I went with the CPP 6-lug disc kit for the front with their power master that mounts on the firewall. I love it. The brakes are perfect in the truck. The kits have a few quirks with installation but the end result was terrific. Details are in my build thread.
I also detail the mods I made to use that drum brake '65 GMC Dana 44 rear. The 3.54 posi and 700R4 combo couldn't be better.

Truck as purchased:



After my 2-year restomod:

[dsraven]

just a side note, but if you plan to do anything with the brake master cylinder do your homework first if using a donor master cylinder. a disc brake master cylinder is different than a drum brake master cylinder and a disc front drum rear is another difference. the drum brake portion of the master possibly has a residual valve built into the outlet port to keep a bit of pressure in the line. this keeps about 2 lbs pressure I think, because there are springs to retract the brake shoes with drum brakes so 2 lbs keeps dirt and water from entering. disc brakes simply rely on the o ring in the caliper, which rolls slightly with the piston movement, to want to roll back and retract the piston as it comes. a disc brake system doesn't usually have residual valves. you can interchange a bit probably but an inline residual valve may then be required in some instances. some guys will remove the residual valve from the master and use inline ones to control the amount of pressure kept in the line. the other thing to look into is the possible requirement to have residual valves in the lines when the master in almost at the same level as the brake calipers. this is something that some guys have had issues with. too much residual in the line can keep the brakes lightly applied and they can get hot. if doing a power brake unit you may want to look into the hydroboost units. check ogre's or kim57's threads, they have both installed one. in different configurations they take less room and give a good power boost. like said, depending on your driving style and needs, city driving is different than country driving, mostly, so your needs may be different than some guys posting. radial tires, stopping distances, gravel or paved roads, loads carried, sizes of parking stalls these days, etc.
if doing a steering column from a donor I personally would not use a front wheel drive unit because they require more support in the dash area than one that goes through the firewall and is supported at the dash like a rear wheel drive vehicle uses which is mounted on the dash and also at the floor. if in an accident a front wheel drive column could come apart and pivot the lower section up to contact the abdominal area.