Help me ID my pile of Chevy/GM front disc parts and need some advice

[skrit]

Well folks, got to organizing my parts to sell in my garage sale classifed post and also to start working on my front end. I opened up 2 plastic bins and found my brake parts. Lord Jesus that's a bunch of parts. I sort of know what most is but I have no idea what those big backplates are from and why I have so many spindles, bearings, races, etc. Looks like the really rusty spindles and calipers were new when I put them in the bin 10 years ago. Not so much now!

What would ya'll do? Spend hours/days sanding/wire brushing and hundreds of dollars on chemicals, paint and making a huge mess cleaning this crap up? Or just spend the money on new parts and sell these in the garage sale?

 

[Tricky Dick]

Take what you need and clean it up, then sell the rest as is to make it go away.

It's all pretty cheap new now though.

 

[toddz69]

Clean up the two sets of spindles that aren't crusty - make sure the bearing surfaces are still good and keep those as spares or sell them off. Someone will want the backing plates - no one reproduces the full-circle ones as far as I can tell.

Todd Z.

 

[Yeller]

as stated on the cleanup. Clean what you are going to use and pedal the rest. Sand/media blast, wire wheel, "evaporust" or muriatic acid to clean the parts you are using. The calipers I would just use for cores, they are too inexpensive to spend more than a few minutes on them. IMO bearings have little to no value, they just aren't worth the risk, the cost of failure can be catastrophic. Used grease seals are just trash. The tin axle seal slingers are almost gold LOL.

The big backing plates are either old and just another version or they go with the large bearing spindles and are for 8 lug. Easy to tell, measure the distance from the caliper portion to the dust shield, if it is longer than the small ones they are for 8 lug. If the price is right, and they are for 8 lug, I would be interested, those and the large bearing spindles.

 

[skrit]

OK so I decided to keep the big backing plates. They seem to clean up pretty good with my wire wheel and drill and are beefy. Took about 30 min.


Now for the spindles. There are 3 sets. The one on the right looks like the rusty one in the middle size wise. It's probably the one I used when I had the truck together. The rusty one came with what appears as a race? They were new and got ruined in storage. The one on the left looks slightly bigger then the other 2. Which one is the correct one to use? New spindles are way expensive so I'll clean whichever one is correct up.

 

[73azbronco]

i would say, trip to metal recycle plant, get some money.

 

[Yeller]

The spindle on the right is the correct one. The one that is larger on the left is a big bearing for a late model GM 6 lug or all GM 8 lug.

 

[Tricky Dick]

OK so I decided to keep the big backing plates. They seem to clean up pretty good with my wire wheel and drill and are beefy. Took about 30 min.

View attachment 932495
Now for the spindles. There are 3 sets. The one on the right looks like the rusty one in the middle size wise. It's probably the one I used when I had the truck together. The rusty one came with what appears as a race? They were new and got ruined in storage. The one on the left looks slightly bigger then the other 2. Which one is the correct one to use? New spindles are way expensive so I'll clean whichever one is correct up.
View attachment 932496

You can get new small bearing spindles for about $60-70 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077XRNBQQ/?tag=classicbroncos-20

I'd wire wheel them, check the size with calipers, and if they're iffy at all just get new. They could still be fine.

 

[ntsqd]

If you weren't going to keep them I'd want to get second inline for the 8 lug backing plates & spindles.

 

[skrit]

So I took @Yeller 's instruction and cleaned up the spindle he said was correct. It's on the right in this Pic. Would you all agree that these three are the correct GM spindle for the GM front disk swap?

Also, no idea where the spindle bolts are. What should I get to use?

 

[Yeller]

Yes that is the correct spindle.

Here’s the bolts you need From Wild Horses

 

[skrit]

@Yeller
Thanks. One question though. I've seen folks on YouTube bolt from the backing plate through the spindle and into the front of the knuckle. The ones you linked are "studs" which go from the back of the knuckle through the spindle and backing plate then have nuts to retain them. What's the difference in these 2 methods?

 

[Yeller]

One works and the other the wheel falls off lol.

The Ford 5 bolt knuckles the caliper bracket goes between the spindle and knuckle. Is assembled knuckle-caliper bracket-spindle, studs pressed through the knuckle.

On the GM parts the caliper bracket goes on last, knuckle-spindle-caliper bracket, studs pressed in through the knuckle.

 

[skrit]

One works and the other the wheel falls off lol.

The Ford 5 bolt knuckles the caliper bracket goes between the spindle and knuckle. Is assembled knuckle-caliper bracket-spindle, studs pressed through the knuckle.

On the GM parts the caliper bracket goes on last, knuckle-spindle-caliper bracket, studs pressed in through the knuckle.

@Yeller Hmm. My knuckles have 3/8 fine threads all the way through. Why would I use the studs? I thought studs press in? In none of my old bolt boxes do I see bolts with press in splines. I'm thinking they were standard bolts from the outside in.

 

[skrit]

I found this which relates:

Steering Knuckle/Spindle Stud Install

I picked up a set of knuckle/spindle studs and I haven't been able to find any info about the install. Do you need to drill out the existing knuckle threads in order to press the studs in? If so, do you just go with a 3/8" bit? These are the studs:

classicbroncos.com

 

[skrit]

Found another article which says to use bolts not studs. Must be different with various years:

Custom Disk Brake Conversion(Front) - Early Bronco Registry

Originally from Robert Sanders, Boise, ID, who we haven’t heard from for years. Bob, you around? INTRODUCTION This disk brake conversion is NOT a swap to a late model 1976-77 Bronco Dana 44, but a custom modification using a combination of Ford and GM parts. Either a Dana 30 or a Dana 44 can...

www.earlybronco.com

 

[Yeller]

Interesting. Guess I need to look at more bronco parts. Never seen the knuckles threaded on a 44, they’ve always had studs. I’ve seen Dana 30’s threaded but not 44, not saying they can’t be.

 

[skrit]

@Yeller
This video I found confirms the bolts go from outside in. The original drums had the bolts that way - not studs @ the 9 Min and 12 min mark of the video.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Never seen the knuckles threaded on a 44, they’ve always had studs.

Early Bronco Dana 44 drum brake knuckles are threaded and the bolts go from the outside in. The WH link also made me scratch my head. It's incorrect.

 

[Yeller]

Learned another nuance if EB’s, thanks!