Ok i found that my custom rear end on the tj is a 78 ford f100 dana 44... it needs a shoe/drum job. so i find that a 1990 grand marquie will do the job for the drum. its a 11" 1/32 2 1/4 inch drum 5x4.5... ok great. i order up some 2 1/4 shoes, parts, the drums and i get it all on and my backing plate wont work with it. the drum hits on the plate..!!..
my question.... will most any dana 44 backing plate work with the 2 1/4 backspacing? If the drum is 2 1/4 and the pads are 2 1/4 does the backing plate also need to be 2 1/4.? or a 2 1/2 to clear the drum? currie sells em but wants 100.00 ea plate and any bs i need, i just dont know what bs i need.lol.. WOW!... anyone know of a good junk yard swap for this set up?

found my problem. the BOM on the housing shows it to be a ford 77 78 f100 44 but it turned out to be a late 60's. regardless, i was under the assumption that it had ford brakes since its 11". its not. its 72-76 JEEP CJ 11" brakes. SO with that said, availability is MUCH more abundant!. Thanks Brian at Tri county gear!