Did I get the right backing plates?? (Jeep XJ rear disc conversion)
 

I plan to do the Grand Cherokee rear disc brake swap on my 2000 XJ. I went to the junkyard yesterday and found a '97 Grand Cherokee. I took the calipers, backing plates, and prop valve out of it.I am a bit worried that the backing plates won't fit my Cherokee's 8.25 rear, because the Grand Cherokee looked like it had a bigger rear axle in it. I think it might have been a Dana 44 due to the shape of the diff cover. The plates look exactly the same to all the videos I've seen about this swap, but I'm still worried about the four holes not lining up with the axle housing. I can't afford to disassemble everything and check because my Cherokee is the only thing I have to drive right now. I was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me if these are the correct plates to fit a Dana 35/ Chrylser 8.25 axle. Thanks in advance.https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3720874868.jpg
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Backing plate holes from a GC generally do not fit and have to be enlarged. This is one reason why people look at the Libertys for as they come with 8.25s and generally a direct bolt on.

It might be less work to just enlarge the hole in the backing plates you already have.

The calipers & rotors are different.

Yep. They'll line up. Doesn't take but a few minutes with a dremel to open up those center holes.

Correct. I'm pretty sure the Dana 35 & 44a share the same components.

And don't torture yourself replacing the prop valve. Just swap the guts of the GC one into yours.

+1

Don't mix the p/v parts from the XJ and ZJ.

You should be fine. I did the same swap last year. I didn't even really have to dremel out the center hole too much. Just a little sanding down and I was able to push it on.

If this is your only car, double check you have EVERYTHING you need before attempting this. It is a lot of work and took me a long time to do. Mostly because it was the dead of winter and cold out so I didn't spend more than a couple hours in the garage. And I had another vehicle to drive.

Make sure you have the prop valve spring to swap, rotors, pads, rear brake lines, and the correct ebrake cables. Prepare for a lot of rust and possible broken brake lines. I ended up replacing almost every hard line in my Jeep because they broke when trying to remove them. PB blaster and time are your friends. Good luck!