T-Bird Caliper Conversion

[76BroncoPete]

I have been having a few issues with the stock power disc brake setup on my 76, and I was thinking about going with the T-Bird caliper conversion as I am working out the kinks in the rest of the system. I was curious to hear about some of the pros and cons with this conversion from those who have completed this conversion (is it a noticeable improvement over stock calipers? Do you feel it was worth the extra $). I was checking out the complete T-Bird kit that BC sells and was also wondering if anyone has any experience with that particular kit and possible give a review or speak to the quality of the components. Any general info regarding this conversion would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

You don't need he kit BC sells since you already have factory disk. All you need to do is pull your old calipers, use gen as cores and go get a set of calipers for a 79 tbird. The piston is roughly 30% larger so it has more clamping force. Also replace you ur pads while in there, I prefer ceramics for less dust and even more grip. Everything is an exact replacement other than the tbird caliper has a slightly larger banjo bolt so you will need to pick those up.

 

[Swerve]

The T-bird caliper has an area that may need to be ground off in able to fit some applications. They would not fit my ‘76 with Reid Racing knuckles without grinding.

It is easy enough to grind them at your shop but what if you need a replacement caliper when you are on the road?

 

[toddz69]

go get a set of calipers for a 69 tbird.

'69 is too early. '79 will work.

Todd Z.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

'69 is too early. '79 will work.

Todd Z.

My typo, thanks. Fat fingers on a small iPhone.

 

[76BroncoPete]

Thanks for the info englewood, the kit from BC is just a caliper kit that comes with the calipers, banjos, pads, and stainless brake lines, but I could compare the price to custom components at the local/online suppliers to get exactly what I want. On a side note, I saw "The Duck" at the SC, slick rig, I really liked the ghost stripe.

The T-bird caliper has an area that may need to be ground off in able to fit some applications. They would not fit my ‘76 with Reid Racing knuckles without grinding.

It is easy enough to grind them at your shop but what if you need a replacement caliper when you are on the road?

Really good info here too swerve. Field serviceability is always a plus, and is definitely something I will need to look into before making the change.

I appreciate it guys

 

[sykanr0ng]

If you could not find a grinder you could take that bump off with a file, yes it would be a bit of work but when in need.....

 

[76BroncoPete]

If you could not find a grinder you could take that bump off with a file, yes it would be a bit of work but when in need.....

True, just add elbow grease.

Did any of you guys experience noticeable braking improvement after the conversion?

 

[toddsrods]

I did not notice a huge braking increase with the t-bird calipers. Maybe a little, but not a bunch.
The huge braking increase came from hydro-boost. that will be my first mod if I ever do another Bronc

 

[76BroncoPete]

I did not notice a huge braking increase with the t-bird calipers. Maybe a little, but not a bunch.
The huge braking increase came from hydro-boost. that will be my first mod if I ever do another Bronc

Exactly the type of response I was looking for, thanks. Other's thoughts welcomed.

 

[Apogee]

Unless your goal is to shift braking bias forward, then all it's really doing is reducing pedal effort for any given brake torque. If you are experiencing premature lockup of the rear brakes, then I would definitely consider swapping to the larger bore calipers, as that will reduce the overall operating pressures of the system and lessen the rear brakes at the same time, so it's a bit of a double-whammy with respect to bias.

Now if you were to increase the rear wheel cylinder diameter at the same time, or upgrade to larger drum brakes, then you could potentially keep the bias similar to stock while reducing pedal effort (*but increasing pedal travel if we assume the same MC bore size). Now if you increase your caliper piston area by 30% and then increase the MC bore size by 30%, you're effectively not really changing anything, and probably should have just saved yourself the effort and cost.

 

[76BroncoPete]

Unless your goal is to shift braking bias forward, then all it's really doing is reducing pedal effort for any given brake torque. If you are experiencing premature lockup of the rear brakes, then I would definitely consider swapping to the larger bore calipers, as that will reduce the overall operating pressures of the system and lessen the rear brakes at the same time, so it's a bit of a double-whammy with respect to bias.

Now if you were to increase the rear wheel cylinder diameter at the same time, or upgrade to larger drum brakes, then you could potentially keep the bias similar to stock while reducing pedal effort (*but increasing pedal travel if we assume the same MC bore size). Now if you increase your caliper piston area by 30% and then increase the MC bore size by 30%, you're effectively not really changing anything, and probably should have just saved yourself the effort and cost.

Great breakdown, and very understandable at the same time. I am not really having trouble with rear lockup. My issue is the passenger side brake staying compressed every so often, which may be something as simple as a brake line replacement. I was more so curious if the T-Bird conversion might be worth doing while I was tinkering with my current brake problem. I am leaning towards keeping the stock setup. I might do a little research into the hydroboost option

 

[Apogee]

Great breakdown, and very understandable at the same time. I am not really having trouble with rear lockup. My issue is the passenger side brake staying compressed every so often, which may be something as simple as a brake line replacement. I was more so curious if the T-Bird conversion might be worth doing while I was tinkering with my current brake problem. I am leaning towards keeping the stock setup. I might do a little research into the hydroboost option

If you like how the rig currently stops with respect to pedal effort, and you're just having a caliper issue, I would stick with the 2.875" bore EB/F150 calipers personally. That said, I just had the calipers in my F-150 start to seize up on me after sitting for a while (6 months or so), so I swapped them out and used it as an excuse to go through the knuckles and axles at the same time with new bearings and u-joints. You usually have a steel or phenolic piston option...it was the steel ones I put on 15+ years ago having issues, so I'm trying the phenolic ones this go around...see if they last another 15-20 years.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Before you leave the parts store check the calipers, the stores mix steel and phenolic and they do not care.
The steel and phenolic do not work exactly the same (heat and expansion) so having one of each will cause you problems.

 

[76BroncoPete]

Thanks for the help Apogee and Syk, I am satisfied with the current pedal effort to stop performance so I will probably stick with the stock calipers. Do you guys happen to have any pictures that would show the difference between the steel piston calipers and the phenolic piston calipers?

 

[Apogee]

Thanks for the help Apogee and Syk, I am satisfied with the current pedal effort to stop performance so I will probably stick with the stock calipers. Do you guys happen to have any pictures that would show the difference between the steel piston calipers and the phenolic piston calipers?

I don't...didn't take any pics this weekend putting stuff back together, but the difference is pretty obvious. The steel pistons are shiny metal and thinner walled, whereas the phenolic look like black plastic and have a much thicker wall on the piston, which is cup shaped.

If you check out the pictures on Rockauto.com, you can see the difference, just search by part number (or application '77 Bronco).

A-1 Cardone #184033/18P4033 and #184034/18P4034 have phenolic pistons.
A-1 Cardone #181033S and #184034S have steel pistons.

 

[76BroncoPete]

Thanks again for the help Apogee

 

[hogfan]

I didnt notice much with the t-bird calipers either. Then i put hydroboost on,huge difference. I highly recommend putting on hydroboost.

 

[76BroncoPete]

Thanks for the input hogfan, I think I am going to pass on the t-bird calipers, but I am going to continue to research the hydroboost option