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What front disk brakes do I have

cbautoworks1

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
137
Loc.
nashville
How can I tell what front disk brakes I have? It is a 71 with front disk on a Dana 44. I realize that this is not factory. Can anyone tell me what to look for? I looked at the caliper and it is stamped 3116 on the driver side. I am looking to do an upgrade to get better stopping power. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
Chevy uses pins for the caliper to slide on. Caliper mounts to a backing plate.
Ford slides on machined surfaces. Caliper mounts to the steering knuckle.

Search here on CB for hydro boost brakes.
Lots of data.
 
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cbautoworks1

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
137
Loc.
nashville
Great! Off of what? I would like to replace them with an upgraded version. Maybe bigger rotors and better calipers. I just have no idea on where to start for the parts. I hate to sound like a dummy but I am no mechanic. I can parts change with the best of them but I know enough to know that I know nothing...lol
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,733
What's that mish-mash up near the top and hose? Is there a bleeder screw under there that has something stuffed into it?

Also, just what is it that you're trying to improve? Your brakes look old and unattended (as well as does the rest of the Bronco around them) so the calipers may not have been serviced and the sliding surfaces lubed in an unknown amount of time.
As well, the pad's friction material may be sub-par, or already worn thin. Both of which can reduce a brake system's overall effectiveness.

Maybe better pad material and new calipers were why you were looking for information in the first place, so that should at least get you started. They appear to be the calipers from a '76-'79 Bronco/F150 setup, but others may have used similar ones too. Likely they all take the same pads though, so you could simply ask for brake parts for a '76 Bronco and get what you need.

The T-bird (roughly '76 big car calipers) setup uses a larger piston which "can" impart more power to the rotors, but the pedal might also get a little more travel time to do the same work. Not as firm at the pedal, but potentially an upgrade anyway.
They bolt right on, but need special hoses to get the job done.

And don't overlook the rear brakes while you're at it. Even just making sure they're adjusted properly can go a long way in how the brakes feel.

If you're thinking about adding power assist (what size tires do you have by the way?) the vacuum boosters add a little, and the hydro-boost adds a lot.

While you're at it, let us see what master cylinder setup you have too.
And again, let us know what size tires you're running.

Thanks. Good luck.

Paul
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,733
If you're considering bigger rotors and calipers, such as aftermarket through Wilwood and the like, you need to know exactly which knuckles you have. So pics of those would be good too.
We know they're from a Ford, or they would not work with the Ford calipers. But we need to see if we can tell whether they're from a full-size truck, or the '76/'77 Bronco specifically. It makes a huge difference when ordering a full kit from the aftermarket.

And the mount is actually a separate piece from the knuckle. But it's a pretty healthy piece that slips between the knuckle and spindle. But it's Ford-specific and may (or may not) be the same one across all 4wd trucks.
Which caliper bracket you have likely does not effect your choice of aftermarket parts, but the knuckle definitely can.

Good luck.

Paul
 
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cbautoworks1

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
137
Loc.
nashville
That is tape on the bleeder valve. No idea why it is there. The Bronco was my daily driver for 2 years but it has set for about a year. I'm trying to get it back on the road as a nice weather driver. It has 37x14.50x20 on 20x12 wheels. I will get some more picks up PDQ. Thanks for the help!!
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,733
Good. With that size tire, good powerful brakes are a necessity. And with those wheels you can fit some big ass brakes in there!
So other than the initial upgrades many do, you have further options for sure.

Larger calipers, better pad material, and extra boost are all good and what most have done to their 37" tire equipped rigs for a long time. But if you're all-in on this, a big brake upgrade will likely net you more power with a better pedal feel to put some whoa in the go with those tires.
Not to say you can't just leave the lower end as is and add hydroboost (if you don't already) for some pretty good results. Just that there's a lot of space left in those wheels for some added "leverage" in the form of larger rotors.

Easy for me to say though, as I sell Wilwood stuff anyway. And with more and more Broncos getting the 17-20 inch wheel treatment, more and more are going that brake route as well.
I know that $1600-$1800 ain't exactly chicken feed, but that's probably what it takes to increase rotor size instead of just trying to add assist or more clamping force to the stock size rotors.
I do believe that rotors that fit 18" is as big as Wilwood has for the Broncos right now, so that's a big upgrade from stock 15's and there's still plenty of room in your 20's for those and then some. That's going up from roughly 11.75" or so, to 14" or thereabouts, in rotor diameter.
That's a bunch of extra leverage.

Good luck. Plenty of steps that can be taken to improve the performance of brakes these days. Let us know how you proceed and what the results are.
Lots of enquiring minds need to know!

Paul
 
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cbautoworks1

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
137
Loc.
nashville
First of all, I talked to Paul aka Dirtdonk at Wild Horses. If you are not dealing with him then you need your head checked. Thank you sir for your help!!!! Second, Thank you to everyone that jumped in on the thread to help.
 

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
Donk is the f'n man.

Sorry about the f'n obscenity, but Paul is so f'n cool I deemed it f'n necessary.
 
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