Gotta show off my new brakes

[72bronco]

After much hard work I've finally completed my brake upgrade. This is something I've been planning on doing now for a few years so I'm really excited that I finally did it and that it turned out so well. First I must say that without this site, or more specifically, without the help of my fellow bronco bretheren I would have never attempted something like this nor would I have been able to pull it off on my own. I owe lots of thanks to many people who took time to answer my many stupid questions and those that took the time to document their own experiences, plus also to several bronco vendors. When I bought my eb four years ago I could barely change my own oil, now I've done a disc brake conversion, power brakes, power steering conversion, new gas tank, new heads, etc. The tech articles on this site have been so helpful and I'm grateful to all the guys who have taken the time to document this stuff.

That being said, after much research I decided to do the F150 disc brake conversion. At the same time I added a power brake booster. Hopefully in the future I can return the favor and offer my experience and advise to those that follow. Special thanks to Tom's Bronco Parts (calipers, hubs and rotors), James Duff (power brake booster kit), BC Broncos (for those really cool brake lines and good advice), my neighbor (who is the best neighbor in the world cause he knows about cars and owns his own machine shop, amen), and this site (where I picked up tons of tech articles, got lots of advise, and found a guy who sold me the knuckles and caliper holders).

Anyway, I know you guys all love to see pics so here is the finished product. Oh and by the way, it works! And man what a difference.

 

[mtn_bronco]

those are some shiny parts.

GREAT JOB!

 

[polecat]

Nice job, doing mine this week. Hope they turn out looking as good as yours.

polecat

 

[72bronco]

I've had a few questions about how much it costs to do this type of conversion. Some of the tech articles outline costs but here is what I paid for various parts/services. Of course your cost may vary:

Steering Knuckles, Spindles & Caliper Holder - Over a year ago I picked up a complete knuckles out setup from a '78 F150 from a private party. It had everything including hubs, rotors, calipers, spindles, knuckles, etc. Shipping was expensive and later when I learned how cheap it was to buy brand new calipers and rotors I regretted paying so much for the whole setup. I ended up buying new rotors and calipers anyway instead of reworking and rebuilding the old stuff. All you really need are the knuckles, spindles, and caliper holders. I've heard of some guys getting smoking deals but I paid a couple of hundred bucks for mine cause I bought everything.

Hub & Rotor Assembly, Calipers, Disc Brake Pads, & Hub Seals - I picked up all of these from Tom's Bronco parts for $189. The parts were new so there was no need for me to rebuild or rework anything. This is how I should have gone in the first place instead of buying used stuff.

Brake Lines - I had to replace the brake lines from the hard line to the caliper. Picked up a set of steel braided lines from BC Broncos for $60

Upper & Lower Ball joints - $84

Press in ball joints - had to take the knuckles and ball joints to a shop to have them pressed in. He charged me $40, which I thought was a little steep for a 10 min job.

It's really a good idea to replace all your seals and bearings:
Inner & Outer wheel bearings - $56
Spindle needle bearings - $18
Spindle oil seals - $24

Note: I also decided to change my oil seals in the axle housing since I already had the axle shafts out. This is optional but recommended.
Axle Oil Seals - $22
Front Diff Gasket - $6

Specialized tools needed for the job:
Hub socket - $18
Ball joint socket - $18

Since I'm using F150 knuckles I needed adapter bushings in order to reuse my stock tie rod.
Tie Rod adapter bushings - $32

Other odds and ends:
A few bucks here and there were spent on axle grease, cotter pins, gear oil, paint, brake cleaner, etc.

Also while I was at it I replaced my old Ford hubs with a nice set of mile marker hubs, though this clearly is a luxury option.

All the above costs don't include taxes and shipping, which can and does add up.

Some guys install a proportioning valve. These can be over $100. I haven't installed one and am not sure if I really need it. You'll have to decide for yourself but it should factor into your cost estimate.

All told I figure this job set me back at least $800 - $900. As you can see it's all those little things that add up. There's probably some other stuff that I forgot but it's best that you don't remind me. Besides, if cost was an issue I wouldn't own a bronco. ;D

 

[raleigh_bronco]

Man that setup looks great and you did a nice, clean installation. If only I had the time and energy :-[

I saw your PerTronix distributor in your rig. Which one are you using? I'm thinking about buying one and I've got some wiring questions to ask you.

 

[BwoncoHowie]

Very nice. Looks and sounds like you did a first class job on everything and not compromising on quality. Can't wait to do mine...

~BH

 

[JCBronco74]

Very nice. That's the only bad thing about my bronco. It will not stop. How do you like your Mile Marker hubs?

 

[supermottl]

If your wheels are still off, paint the hub and calipers or they will turn ugly rusty in a few days. Help keep everything new looking. I used POR 15 on mine and it worked great.. looks faboo too

 

[77TexasBronc]

Excellent job. SWEET SWEET ;D

 

[Madgyver]

Feel the PRIDE!!!

 

[dxeflyr]

Dude, that looks great! Shows the time and care you put into it... waiting to get the cash together to get my '77 front axle under my '74 for the discs. Can hardly stop! Good job, man! ;D

 

[justinsane]

I wound up spending about $1600 on my brakes. Chevy fronts, BC rear discs, BC booster and MC. Obviously I didn't scrimp, everything new including spindles. Highly recommend converting to discs, went from scary to awesome, well worth it.

Brian

 

[74ranger]

looks great, will do that someday also, for now my drums work fine.

 

[72bronco]

[quote author=raleigh_bronco link=board=5;threadid=21366;start=0#msg164508 date=1061826486]
I saw your PerTronix distributor in your rig. Which one are you using? I'm thinking about buying one and I've got some wiring questions to ask you.
[/quote]

Actually I'm running a Mallory Unilite. I'm happy with it, it's reliable and the wiring is simple though it's important to use a ballast resistor. I've heard some very good things about the PerTronix too.

 

[supermottl]

check out my stuff all painted with POR
http://supermottl.classicbroncos.com/photo.html
Chevy fronts, Caddy/BC rears

 

[Henrietta]

;D I am sooo jealous. That looks really good man.