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Brake Advice, trying to figure out all I did way back when...and what to do now!

ba123

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Ok, I plan on going Hydroboost, that part is a no-brainer.

I have stock '76 Disc Brakes in front. Pretty sure I bought new rotors and new calipers in '99 and they were probably upgrades then, but what's the best bang for the buck upgrade for the fronts now?

I found a receipt for rotors, A2320A from Stainless Steel Brakes (for All8 kit 1976 Bronco) and a box label from Autospecialty AR-8306 (with A2320A written on it)

For the rear, I did a couple things back then and I am not entirely sure.

I found some info from Roger Bell that I might have followed in 1999.

"Get some mid to later 80's GM rear calipers. From Buick's or Cadillac's. Call Warn and get the disc brake conversion kit. About $75 and it has the brackets, bolts and everything else you need to just bolt on the rotors. They even have one for small bearing axles just know what you have when you call. Then get some Jeep CJ7 rotors, Bendix p.n. 141257. They bolt right on and are the same wheel pattern. You can get them from All Drum and Rotor (800) 427-6867 in Beaverton OR. The whole package just bolts together. You will probably need a larger MC. I use one from a 79 Lincoln (thanks Quinn) they came with 4 wheel discs. It is a direct bolt in but you need to bend up a few brake lines. Get a set of speed bleeders and save yourself tons of time and grief (thanks Todd Z.). I used the extended universal ebrake cables from Duff's. So far they have worked perfectly. I have a lot of lift and needed new ones anyway. Your stock ones may work depending on your lift and suspension if any. The only other thing I want to do is add a power booster. There are many ways to do that but the Chevette one that has been talked about recently looks promising. I will be looking into it after the Rubicon trip. Good Luck."

I also made my own bracket that I had cut from a water jet fab shop...

Calipers I bought were Cardone 16-4128/9 and found receipt for 1983 Cadillac Eldorado
Also found 16-4138/9 calipers which are for the same but no parking brake. No idea why I'd buy both sets unless this one fits the front.

Found a receipt for some 1982 Volvo 244 calipers but don't see those...could've been for another project but not sure.

I am pretty sure I turned down my axles to fit inside the rear rotors.

Roger does say mid to late Cadillac and I went with 1983, so maybe I followed my own design and bought the Warn brackets just in case?


The flat one is Warn's disc brake bracket (Left) and the Offset one is the one I designed and made (Right)

1680139944315.png

Any advice from you all knowing geniuses would be great. I tried searching but my stuff is so not normal, I believe.

Thanks in advance!
 
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ba123

ba123

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I think these are my notes that might have led to my own bracket:
1680143966011.png

Maybe I should just scrap it all and just buy something?

I really have no idea.
 

nvrstuk

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Roger & I were running the same brakes frt and rear for a bit. We were both changing stuff left and right back in the day!

CJ7 rotors, cali caddy calipers were bolt on for Warn FF stuff if I remember right.
 

toddz69

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Yeah, the Warn brackets were for their FF kit.

Todd Z.
 
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ba123

ba123

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You guys think I should stick with that or is there something easier/better?

For the Warn FF kit, any idea if I would have needed to turn down my axle flanges? Looks like I turned them down from 7.5" to 6.5"
 

SteveL

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The rear caliper brackets from bc will fit with the ff kit. Then the bleeder screws will be in the correct place. Otherwise bleeding the rears with the warn brackets is a pita. Sounds like you have the stock front set up. You can upgrade to the t-bird calipers for a bigger piston.
 

SteveL

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With the ff kit you don't need to grind the flanges. I think the issue was that some of the stock axles didn't quite fit th hole in the cj rotors so you had to do a little grinding.
 
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ba123

ba123

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@Rustytruck I just saw your post from a while back:
"rotor conversions were done many ways in the past. cj 7 rotors were used and the went over the studs and over the flange of the axle. this required the outside diameter of the axle to be turned down so the rotor would go over the flange. there have also been situations where the rotors were mounted on the axle from the inside of the axle flange with the studs going through the rotor and then the axle flange. this was pretty rare since it would require machining the back side of the axle flange and there was the torino flange on 74-75 medium duty axles using the explorer axles and disc brakes. and there were the Lincoln Versailles axle swaps to get disc brakes. and I am sure there have been many more than that. go to the installer and video the problem with your phone and post the problem."

This looks like you described exactly what I was doing....any advice for what to do from here?

The rear caliper brackets from bc will fit with the ff kit. Then the bleeder screws will be in the correct place. Otherwise bleeding the rears with the warn brackets is a pita. Sounds like you have the stock front set up. You can upgrade to the t-bird calipers for a bigger piston.
Thanks Steve! I don't have the FF, just the brake brackets for it. Are you saying I should dump them and get the BC ones or any other? And thanks for the TBird info. I thought I read that somewhere, but wasn't sure. Do I stick with stock rotors? The only thing that changes is the caliper?
With the ff kit you don't need to grind the flanges. I think the issue was that some of the stock axles didn't quite fit th hole in the cj rotors so you had to do a little grinding.
Yeah, I think the FF brackets want you to put the rotor behind the axle and I wanted it outside of it. Don't know why. Maybe Rusty can answer why...maybe it won't fit on mine that way? I have the Big Bearing, New Style flange I believe.
 
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ba123

ba123

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Also, for the BC bracket, that looks a lot like my own bracket. Maybe they copied me from the EBML days, hsha!
 

SteveL

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Pretty sure bc brackets are the same where the rotor is on the inside of the axle flange. I have both rear set ups and prefer the warn style with the rotor pressed on the inside with the wheel studs. My 66 has the tsm rear disc with the rotor sitting on the outside of the flange. With it on the outside the lug nuts hold the rotor on between the rim and axle flange. This let's the rotor kinda flop around when you change a tire. Also I think the ones with the rotor on the outside are a custom drilled rotor not available on the shelf like the cj rotor
 
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ba123

ba123

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I figured I’d test fit and try to figure out what works. I think keeping it with the disc outside the axle works well for my wheel spacing so leaning towards leaving that. Can anyone tell me for sure which of those brackets is the warn one? I thought it was the flat one but I’m not positive.

The calipers I have seem to work with the flat one but if I go with the e-brake ones, the cable isn’t the best angle. Here’s the one without the e-brake.
308DC37E-7A36-4DC9-9780-447DB5983354.jpeg
Here is the offset one, I like the location better but the spacing is off for these calipers. Maybe the later Cadi ones would work?
00B7012C-BDED-4CBD-B240-D845F1A5B5B2.jpeg
 

SteveL

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My warn brackes look like the position in the lower pic. If the caddy calipers aren't lining up its because the rotor goes on the inside of the Flange with em. At least that's how it is with my ff kit.
 
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ba123

ba123

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Yeah, I saw you said that but maybe my Warn ones are different?

I found the instructions and they show them as being flat (no offset) and installing on the outside of the flange (towards 3rd member). It does show it rotated back like that other pic though. It also says to install the rotor on the to the backside of the wheel hub, which I did not.

FA7014DF-9AE4-4C92-BF3D-961CA3FCB0A5.jpeg
 

nvrstuk

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I Think they want the caliper on the back just to get the bleeders pointed in the right direction.

It's been decades but I do remember that the warn full folder c j 7 bracket was offset.
 
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ba123

ba123

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Ok, so I just messed with it some more. It might work with the offset bracket on the inside of the flange and with the rotors on the inside of the axle flange.

I was planning on only running a single shock (Duff's MS2020). If I go this route, any issue with just using the forward mount since that rear shock is in the way anyway?

Otherwise, not sure what to do. Totally open to just getting rid of this stuff for a better alternative if one exists for this axle. This is the '76 large bearing "Heavy Duty" "new style" axle.
 

nvrstuk

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Doesn't matter where the caliper is mounted, just make it fir with the least hassle.

Upside down just makes it harder to bleed the brakes, not reql practical for wheeling but... :)
 
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ba123

ba123

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My wheels look lined up when I have the rotor on the outside of the axle flange. Is this right? Is the rear more narrow stock or am I imagining and mis-measuring?
 

SteveL

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The war.n caliper bracket gets the bleeder near the top but not on top of the caliper. To get it bled right you need to remove the caliper and hold it upright to get all the air out. It's a pita. To me it's worth the cash for the bc brackets that put the bleeder in the right place. I think they're like $150 and come with longer lug bolts to mount the rotor. Not sure if they come with the mounting hardware to the housing but it would make sense.
 
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ba123

ba123

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Any issue with this setup then?

BB80CF69-A364-4A00-8288-8E7424A5D882.jpeg
Other than the parking brake of course.

The BC Broncos kit doesn’t look any different than the offset bracket I have. I’m happy to buy a bracket that works better but I’m pretty sure I want the rotors on the outside to correct the wheel spacing if I’m correct in my last post about the rear being narrower.
 
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ba123

ba123

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Although I guess that’s also assuming whatever wheels I buy fit with that too. Going 17” likely methods.
 
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