1979 dana 44 rear drum to disk conversion

would like to change rear drum brakes to disk on my 79 cherokee, do alot of muddy trail rides and tired of chewing thro brake drums and shoes from the mud, any leads as to a rotor and caliper bracket assembly that might be close? i can weld and fab most anything just looking to get a parts arangement idea to start with . have heard that when changing from drum to disk the proportion valve needs to be switch, any truth to that ?  

Do some junkyard hunting and look for an Isuzu.  I have seen these with rear Dana 44s and disk brakes so I am sure you can find a way to convert the parts over to yours.  
I was going to go this route but instesd went with a Dana 60 with disk brakes.
I still have not changed out my proportioning valve (its on the list) and under a panic stop situation it will cause the rear to lock first. So yes, you need to change the valve.  

The disk brakes on Isuzu Rodeos use a caliper mounting bracket that is integrated in the very odd and as far as I know Isuzu specific bearing retaining plate on those Dana 44s. So You could swap in the entire Isuzu Dana44 with disc brakes. I dont think parts will swap between your axle and an Isuzu.

Here is a rear disc kit that looks pretty comprehensive in terms of parts:
http://www.bjsoffroad.com/prod-815.htm

I have been thinking about how you would add discs to a FSJ Dana 44 (or maybe AMC 20) with a couple new parts and some junk yard parts. I think you could do the following, but its not something I have tried yet.  First look for some weld on caliper mounting brackets that would work with 72'-87' Chevy 1/2ton 4x4 trucks and 72'-91' 1/2ton Blazers and Suburban front calipers. These weld on caliper mounting brackets should be made out of 1/4 inch plate. As for rotors I think you could maybe use Chevy front rotors, I am not sure. I guess these usually are attached to the Chevy/FSJ front hubs with pressed in studs, so I am not sure if they would fit over the rear axle shaft mounting flange/studs etc. You could then re assemble the axle without the drum brake backing plate (You'd also have to add a spacer to compensate for the difference without the drum backing plate). You could then loosely bolt (loaded) calipers to the caliper mounting brackets, slide the calipers over the rotor, and slide the rotor on the axle. This should give you the placement of the caliper mounting bracket on the axle. Weld bracket to axle and you are done.

Either way you also would probably need an adjustable proportioning valve to adjust the front rear braking power bias.I have used the Willwood Brakes adjustable proportioning valve a couple times.  
P.s. I am not Dr. Vern (but I am happy to take credit for his writing!)

ended up getting a bracket kit from daves customs unlimited , kit comes with all mounting hardware and instructions . this is a bolt on kit. figured bolt on would be easyer set up. found e-brake style(1978) cadilac calipers( on ebay) with all mounting hardware  and brake hoses and loaded with pads which was sweet. can use 89 chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 rotors bec they are same lug pattern and spacing needed for the rear. the only issue was with the leaf springs and the top mounting bolt of the caplipers , cant get bolt in with out gringing about 1/8th inch off of it, some grinding of the shims was done so they wouldnt rub on the inside of the rotors. tryed driving it with out changing the proportion valve , no issues  yet dry wet or in mud. have to hook up e-brake cables im told to keep the calipers adjusted bec they turn and adjust  as they are used. after wheeling one time i noticed the rear brakes are not working as they first did, shouldnt be big deal to exstend the adjuster rod on front cable to make stock rear cables to work nicely . only lacking about 4inches to have them work. thanks for putting the question in the magizine you guys give good tech help. thought i would post my findings.  

I always try and support vendors of jeep parts. Just looked at bj's kit.  $619    that is just not right.
 IFSJA has a DIY threads....
here is what one said... ebay seller doug100 is where I got mine from. SteelTech conversion kit. Costs about $250 with shipping. Includes brackets, insturctions and new rotors. You supply calipers( couple of options). I went Pontiac Firebird frontw without e-brake. Got cores in junkyard for $10 then remans with lifetime warranty from Checker for $60.
here is another thread....
http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=86664&highlight=scotty+disc+brake+thread  
"if you don't run, you rust"

the kits are way to pricey , can mix and match parts as needed to get iit to work . onlt thing i would have done different was not to use e-brake style calipers , they seem to not adjust correctly , but still better then drums i rear . ive gotten parts from bjs offroad and they have never impressed me , tech suport sux and takes forever to get parts from them. ive talked to other people and had no issues with them .