Most 4x4s on the road use a front disc-brake system paired with rear drum brakes. While disc/drum setups will offer adequate braking power for most rigs, a front-disc/rear-disc arrangement will allow for greater braking through turns and steep hills without as big a chance of brake fade. Rear drum-brake setups are also typically heavier than disc arrangements, and extra weight means more for the engine to push and more for the brakes to stop. Converting a rear drum-brake arrangement to a disc-brake setup is one means of shedding some unnecessary weight and improving the braking characteristics of the factory braking system.
TeraFlex offers rear disc-brake kits for all Jeep Wrangler TJs and Grand Cherokee ZJs. The system will also fit Jeep YJs with Dana 35 C-clip axles; Jeep Cherokee XJs with Dana 35, Chrysler 8.25, or Dana 44 rear axles; and performance axle setups that use larger axlehousing ends. Each TeraFlex kit also includes an internal-drum parking brake for excellent holding power and all of the basic components necessary for the conversion.
To install the TeraFlex rear disc-brake system on our '97 Jeep Cherokee Sport, we traveled to Four X Doctor Off Road Preparations in Burbank, California. There, the qualified crew completed the installation in just a few hours and also supplied the remaining necessary items not included in the kit. Check out the photos and captions for the installation details to decide if a rear disc-brake conversion will benefit your vehicle's braking system.
The TeraFlex rear disc-brake conversion kit is offered for many Jeep models. The kit includes disc-brake mounting plates, calipers, rotors, new brake pads, new flex brake lines, and installation hardware. We'll also install a new parking-brake cable (not shown). | 
The factory drum brakes on our Cherokee were extremely rusted and had very old brake pads. The drums were rusted to the point that it took a good bit of motivation to remove them. | 
To carry out the installation of the Tera disc conversion, we sought assistance from Four X Doctor Off Road Preparations in Burbank, California. Here, Four X Doctor crewmember Jim Cruiser unhooks the stock parking-brake cable. |
With the brake drums and axleshafts removed, Jim unbolted the drum-brake backing plate from each axle flange. | 
The axle flange is shown stripped of its factory components. Note that we also installed new axle bearings to go along with the new Chrysler 8.25 axleshafts from Alloy USA. | 
The new TeraFlex mounting plate was positioned on the axle flange. The mounting plates are labeled left and right so that the calipers are positioned correctly so as not to interfere with other components. |