Finally starting on the front disk brakes

Just got the axle assembly back from the sandblaster and am in the process of coating it with POR-15. I have just taken the brakes off and coated everything I could on the topside. I will flip it all over after it dries and then paint some more. Once the knuckles are dry, I will start bolting on the new brakes.
Please forgive the disaster in the shop. I have been gone a very long time and the poor shop has been invaded by teenagers!

Have you checked for play in the kingpin? I only ask because i'm in the same stage of brakes as you. I just got my spindles back today after having the machine shop install my bushings. You're at a prime spot to change the kingpins.

Way to protect the investment! Looks great!!

looks awesome!

equium wrote:Have you checked for play in the kingpin? I only ask because i'm in the same stage of brakes as you. I just got my spindles back today after having the machine shop install my bushings. You're at a prime spot to change the kingpins.

This entire frontend came out of a 68 Ambulance that only had 27k on it. There is no play at all in the king pins or the tie rod ends. I am going to give everything a good shot of grease to push out any sand that could have been caught up while it was getting cleaned.

The frontend is ready to put under the truck......finally. I do have a few issues with the Scarebird brackets. I definitely prefer the caliper to be behind the rotor rather than in front of it. Scarebird says to mount them to the front. I initially bolted them on so the caliper would be where I wanted it to be (towards the back), and the only thing that interfered was the lower caliper mounting bolt hit the tie rod nut. Scarebird could easily rectify this by rotating the bracket forward about 10 degrees and they would work perfect. I briefly considered redrilling them myself to rotate them, but Momma put a stop to that. She knows how much those brackets cost! She figured I would screw them up.....

Now that they are bolted on correctly (per the instructions), the calipers interfere with the sway bar links. My truck did not have a sway bar, so I think I can weld the mounts on the frame about 1/4 to 1/2" back of where they are supposed to go, this in turn should lean the links back just a little and then they should be fine. [url=https://servimg.com /image_preview.php?i=17&u=18330016][/url]

Finally........ this old truck is sitting on its own suspension. The front discs are on, the rotisserie is unbolted and it is time to roll it over to the rack, pick it up and see if I can manage to get a booster and master bolted up.          

Nice progress Hoffy! Looking closer to getting back on the road.

The bolt pattern is 4,5"?

What's the name of this kit and where can you purchase it?

I would also be interested in user experiences once the van is on the road again. Without the brake booster the pedal requires quite a lot of effort even with original drum brakes, I'm just wondering how much more effort (or less?) these require?

And if the bolt pattern is the same then will the wheel sit in the same position or will locate more outwards or inwards?

JariV wrote:The bolt pattern is 4,5"?

What's the name of this kit and where can you purchase it?

I would also be interested in user experiences once the van is on the road again. Without the brake booster the pedal requires quite a lot of effort even with original drum brakes, I'm just wondering how much more effort (or less?) these require?

And if the bolt pattern is the same then will the wheel sit in the same position or will locate more outwards or inwards?

The caliper brackets came from Scarebird, and they included a parts list for the rotors, calipers, and hoses. I am using my original hubs so the bolt pattern is still 5 on 4 1/2. The rotors are just a bit thicker than the drums were, so my wheels stick out about 1/4" farther than factory. Not even noticable. I do not have a kit for the power conversion. I have two junk boosters laying around that were on older Darts. One is a single and the other is a dual diaphragm and they are both 7" around. I am going to try to build brackets to hold one of these as well as the dart dual master.

The truck is finally up in the air and I will get started on brackets for the booster tomorrow.     

Interesting, thank you.

If you plan to add brake booster the conventional passenger car booster will not fit because there is no room for that. The master cylinder is tucked away in a very tight place. I've been thinking of a hydrobooster but even that would be somewhat problematic as the required length just is not there without making a lot of cutting.