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Other Applications
Galaxie owners are already aware that the intermediate spindles from '72 thru '79 are a straight bolt in for '60 thru '64 models. The existing Galaxie tie-rod end must also be changed out to the intermediate tie-rod end. However, we have not come across any owners that are aware of the upgrade to the 12” rotors. If you are a owner of the 60-64 Galaxie, and are contemplating converting to front disc brakes, we highly recommend that you complete the upgrade by stepping up to the larger rotors. You will be glad you did. As we mentioned earlier, this conversion will work for Galaxie owners that have converted or wish to convert their front drum brakes to disc. Keep in mind, if you want a 5 on 4 1/2" bolt pattern with the larger 12" rotors you will need to use the parts mentioned previously incoporated on a '72 or '73 intermediate spindle. The '72 Thunderbird 12" rotor will not work on '74 and up intermediate spindles. In 1974, Ford standardized the front wheel bearings between intermediate and full size vehicles. However, if you already have a car with the '74 and up intermediate front disc brakes then you can easily make this upgrade using the full size Ford 12" inch rotor since both the inner and outer wheel bearings are common. Remember, this will mean you'll have a 5 on 5" bolt pattern up front. A great solution for this would be to add 5 on 5" rear axles in the rear by having yours modified professionally or swapping in an entire disc brake rear end from a full size 70's Lincoln Mark series car. See the article Discovery: Salvage Yard Rear Disc Conversion for Middle 70's Intermediate.

Cost
12" Rotors AR8125 (2): $229.98
Inner wheel bearings set 13 (2): $23.98
Outer wheel bearings set 12 (2): $21.98
Grease seal (2): $7.78
Loaded calipers (2): $85.98
Caliper mounting bracket, used (2): $20.00
Brake hose (2): $59.98
Total $449.68

These prices are average through several local parts stores and are for top quality parts. Anyone should be able to meet or beat these numbers. The actual cost for this project was much lower while still using the best quality parts available.

Notes
1) Ford did not use a rotor that measures exactly 11" or 12" in diameter on the cars mentioned. This figure is used just for simplicity. 11" rotors will measure approximately 10 47/64" (10.734) and 12" rotors are 11 47/64" (11.734) in actual diameter. We have also seen these listed as having a size ranging from .66 - .81 as the fraction.

2) Upgrade will require the use of 15" wheel in the majority if not all cases.

3) Caliper mounting bracket can be found on full size Ford, Lincoln and
Mercury vehicles from '73 and up to about '79. The brackets used had the
following identifications on them: 1 A S - L [2991] Fomoco Left Hand, Fomoco [0632] S - R A 2 Right hand

4) Spindle, Rotor, and Bearing combination for the 5 on 5" configuration: Late model intermediate model spindle 74-79, 12" rotor from full size model, Inner bearing - set 18, outer bearing - set 12

5) Spindle, Rotor, and Bearing combination for the 5 on 4 1/2" configuration: Early model intermediate model spindle 72/73, 12" rotor from a 72 T-Bird, Inner bearing - set 13, outer bearing - set 12

6) Autospecialty supplies 12" brake rotors for '72 Thunderbirds. Here are their part numbers along with other rotors mentioned in this article. The numbers in parentheses are of an unknown source, possiblly stamped into the rotor by the manufacturer. All rotors are approximately 1.80" - 1.850" thick when new with a minimum usable thickness of 1.200".
AR-8105 (BPC541) - 11" - 5 on 4 1/2"
AR-8125 (BPC540) - 12" - 5 on 4 1/2"
AR-8107 (BPC562) - 12" - 5 on 5"

7) Spindle diameter for the early inner bearing is 1.375"
8) Spindle diameter for the late inner bearing is 1.495"
9) Spindle diameter for both the early and late outer bearing is .865"

10) Set 12 outer bearing, cone - LM12710, cup - LM12749
11) Set 13 inner bearing, cone - L68149, cup - L68110
12) Set 18 inner bearing, cone - JL69349, cup - JL69310

 
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  Galaxie owners can benefit too from this upgrade. This gal has already been converted to a front disc set-up with 11" rotors from a '72 Ford intermediate.
   
 


The addtional braking leverage achieved with a 1" larger rotor has placed our upgrade high on this Galaxie owner's project list.