Dynatrac ABS Retrofit Kit - Adding ABS To Your Solid Axle Swap

Back in the early 1990s, we used to fight the ABS braking systems built into trucks. They were junk back then, and on more than one occasion almost killed us in the dirt. But newer ABS systems are much improved over those systems of yesteryear, and the computer controls and ABS systems on late-model trucks are getting harder to bypass, leaving lights on your dash, and what's worse: braking systems that are actually functioning poorly once the ABS is disabled.

When we swapped a solid front axle onto a 2002 Chevy 2500 4x4, we knew we would be disabling the ABS system, and we assumed that it would be much like doing so on an early '90s truck--the brakes would work just fine and only the ABS function would be disabled. Such was not the case! With a 1980s Ford Dana 60 swapped into the front of our 2002 Chevy truck, the brakes seemed fine (pressure and clamping power-wise) during normal driving, but we were in for a surprise when we had to quickly get on the brake pedal. Any attempts at sudden stops became panicked sideways slides as the rear brakes locked up. And this is not when the pedal was slammed to the ground; it would happen during moderate braking situations. It was as if we'd disabled some type of fulltime electronic proportioning valve when we unplugged the front ABS wires (which very well might be the case).

Something obviously had to be done. We could have just Band-Aided the system with an add-on proportioning valve, but this really wouldn't be fixing the issue and only masking it.

Knowing that Dynatrac makes high-quality front axles with ABS sensors installed, we thought they might have an add-on ABS kit for those of us doing our solid axle swaps with junkyard axles. It turns out they do have something for those of us who like to scour around for crusty old axles to put under our nice new trucks.

Dynatrac's ABS retrofit kit needs to be put on by a machine shop experienced in retrofitting ABS onto a solid axle's hubs and spindles, as the tone ring-to-ABS sensor distance is extremely important for a proper reading. You can also buy already-retrofitted hubs and spindles directly from Dynatrac to save yourself the time and hassle of finding a shop that knows how to correctly add ABS to your solid axle. If you want to send Dynatrac your original hubs and spindles for them to add the ABS equipment, they absolutely must be in good condition and cleaned of all dirt, grease, and grime.

This is what Dynatrac's ABS...        read full caption This is what Dynatrac's ABS retrofit kit looks like. The tone rings might vary slightly depending if you are doing this kit on a Chevy truck or a Dodge or Ford half ton truck. A fair amount of the cost of this kit is tied up in those little ABS sensors.	To adapt this kit, you'll...        read full caption To adapt this kit, you'll have to pull your hubs, spindles, and rotors off. Since there has to be some machining on your hubs and you'll have to pull them out anyways, this is a good time to go buy new bearings and seals. We had our truck apart at Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, where we pulled and cleaned the hubs and spindles before shipping them to Dynatrac.	We pounded out the studs before...        read full caption We pounded out the studs before shipping the hubs. The rotors might need machining as well to clear the ABS sensors, but you really will not know until you get your retrofitted hubs and spindles back.
If your local machine shop...        read full caption If your local machine shop is experienced at adding ABS tone rings to hubs (not likely), you can delete some time lost with shipping services.....	.....The hub needs to be held...        read full caption .....The hub needs to be held perfectly in the lathe so the edge can be machined down, allowing the tone ring to be pressed on.	The ABS block will need to...        read full caption The ABS block will need to be welded to the spindle as well. This is probably the trickiest part of the retrofit, and the reason previous experience is needed to make sure the correct distance from the tone ring to the ABS sensor is achieved.
Once the ABS block is on the...        read full caption Once the ABS block is on the spindle, the ABS sensor is installed on the block and then the hub and spindle shoved back into the rotor to make sure that the rotor clears the ABS sensor.....	....Our sensor did not clear...        read full caption ....Our sensor did not clear so we had to remove a minimal amount of material from our rotors to get the sensors to clear. This does not have to be so precise as long as the rotor clears the ABS sensor, so you can do this on any lathe big enough to hold a brake rotor.	After the rotor was machined...        read full caption After the rotor was machined for clearance, Mel Wade of Off Road Evolution pushed the studs back through the hub and rotor combo using a hydraulic press.
Dynatrac also supplies these...        read full caption Dynatrac also supplies these special (necessary for clearance) 12-point spindle nuts that you will not be able to find at your local hardware store. You'll use these instead of the original ones to attach your spindle to the knuckle.	With the spindle back on the...        read full caption With the spindle back on the axle, the next step is to install the ABS sensor in the block. Make sure the ABS sensor wire is strapped clear of all moving parts so as not to damage the expensive little sensor.	Except for a wire running...        read full caption Except for a wire running along the brakeline, you would never know that w just retrofitted this solid front axle with ABS. It still works just as well as it ever did off-road, but now it's much safer to drive on-road.