front disc brakes for the F100 4x4

[F100camperspecial]

Just completed converting my '72 F100 4x4 to front disc brakes. I went the Chevy route--alot of the Early Bronco guys do this mod. I don't have pictures but if you check out Motoman's Madness Bronco tech at http://www.emotoman.com/disc/discbrake1.htm , "New Shoes For Alice" in the tech library at http://www.broncofix.com , and http://www.bronco.com/cms/node/73 you will find pictures and part numbers. Do a google search for EB disc brake conversions and these and other sites come up. I also updated my front axles and u-joints. Gone are the stock 5-260 Spicer u-joints and in their place are the 5-760/ 5-297 Spicer u-joints.

If you take the short axle assembly from '76 and earlier Chevy 1/2 ton w/Dana 44 it plugs right into your short side on the F100 Dana 44. This gives you a stronger axle and the 760/297 u-joint. Take the long shaft from the same Chevy, ship it to Moser and they will cut and respline it. Just be sure you call out 33 15/16 " as your spec. Arizona Classic Bronco's Tech Time Article#9 http://www.azbronco.org/tech09.htm gave me the idea for this mod. Again you want 33 15/16" not the 27.94" that Tech Time #9 states. '71-'77 EBs run 27.94" axles while F100s run the 33 15/16" axle. If you like new then run Moser's new A4440 axle shaft.The stub shaft you want to run is Spicer part # 41677. It is 9.94" long and 19 spline. The advantage of running these stub shafts is that you use your stock snap rings instead of the bolt and fender washer setup to retain the inner drive hub to the stub shaft. Now you have stronger axles and u-joints.

Use the small bearing six hole spindle (Spicer part # 706528X), caliper mounting plate, caliper, and brake pads from a '73-'76 1/2 K-5 or K-10 Chevy, '74-'76 Jeep Wag, or J10 (disc brake only on the Jeeps). The Ford hub/rotor you want is '76-'85 1/2 ton (check out Jeepgod's Wagoneer D44 6 lug to 5 lug) http://www.jeepgod.net/d44625.html . Don't forget to get the spindle seal and bearing kit from Spicer. Use the master cylinder from a '76 F250 camper special 390, flex lines from the K-5, and the old metal lines from the stock F100 front wheel cylinders to connect the K-5 flex lines to the stock F100 axle flex line. Wheel bearing sets from any of the above 1/2 ton rigs will work--they are all the same! You need to grind clearance for the caliper to slide by grinding the steering knuckle and the caliper--not a big deal--just mock up and grind. Add a set of lock outs--standard Warn stuff (Warn part #20990), bleed and adjust your brakes--you now have disc brakes!

[My427stang]

How do you like the pedal feel compared to the drums? Have you driven it yet?

I have been considering the same thing, and as you see below, now is the time LOL

[F100camperspecial]

Pedal feels fine. Remember the basic adjustments ;master cylinder pushrod, rear wheel adjusters, and your parking brake. Yes, I have driven it --just in time for the 70" of snow we have had here in the last two months! Yes I like it! The nice thing about this route is that you don't have seperate the steering knuckle, you get stronger caliper mounts, and it uses common parts. The Ford 5 bolt spindle used to be expensive and hard to find--not so much anymore. Still, I'm glad I did these mods. I love being told you can't do something and then doing it.

The local Spicer dealer told me I was nuts and would not sell me spindles. So I pulled some late model Dana 44/ GM 10 bolt spindles from Pull and Save here in Spokane and asked a co-worker to machine them to the small bearing spec--worked great! I have since found several E-bay sources for the small bearing Spicer spindle 706528x. I recommend checking out Motoman, "Shoes for Alice," and Jeepgod's 6 to 5 bolt Dana 44 conversion pages www.jeepgod.net/d44625.html --they really help!

[71PA_Highboy]

Not that it really matters here, but this is the same swap for a DANA 30 in the Early Bronco... Or the Kingpin 44

Motoman and Thom (Alice's owner and a friend) will both be pleased to know their write-ups are being used...

Dustin, the amount of work is actually less than it appears... mostly it is pulling the parts together. It goes together fairly easily, though the kingpin units need a little more grinding.

I wish there was a conversion this easy for the closed knuckle 44's.

Regards,


Eric

[averagef250]

Wouldn't the conversion be the same for a closed knuckle 44 or 60? The ones I've torn apart seam to have the same small 6 bolt spindle pattern as the drum 1/2 ton axles do. I know you wouldn't want 5 lug on your 3/4 ton, but if going GM stuff couldn't you use a 3/4 ton 44 or 10 bolt as a donor instead of a 6 bolt axle?

I know you're not doing anything for axleshafts this way, but knuckles-out from any 1980-97 F-150 or light F-250 4x4 bolt right up to balljoint housings. When an entire TTB axle is under $50 on craigslist this route seams to work well and be super economical.

When did the 1/2 tons stop using the open knuckle kingpin 44's and switch to balljoints?

[F100camperspecial]

Disc brakes for fifty bucks--ah shoot where was you when I needed you!?!? I would like to see a write up for this--sounds cool. The last post brings up an interesting point. I had visions of dropping in a 16 spline Dana 60 in back (it's laying around here next to the roses), using the GM large bearing spindle, eight lug rotor/hub, 3/4 caliper mounting plate, same GM caliper that I used here upfront to make the truck eight lug all around--I like full floating axles. Just glad to have the truck back with all the snow we have had here.

[averagef250]

The TTB stuff is everywhere. The only 1/2 ton axle I ever did was with a 75 or so HP44 drum brake axle. I got an 85 3/4 ton TTB front axle for free. I removed the drum knuckles and installed the TTB knuckles-out. Everything bolted right up and worked great. I used the axle under a 91 F-250 4x4 I had to eliminate the worn out D50 TTB front axle. The Ford TTB 1/2 ton and light 3/4 ton 4x4 front axles are the same except for one being leaf sprung and 5 lug with single piston calipers and the other being leaf sprung with 8 lug and dual piston calipers.

Buying brand new rotors, balljoints, seals and tie rods I had about $170 in everything. If the rotors and other parts were good I'd had just balljoint cost.

The TTB Dana 44 axles are a Ford HP dana 44 except not a solid axle. Everything interchanges with the older solid axles except the housing and inner axleshafts.

[jeepermc]

Not that it really matters here, but this is the same swap for a DANA 30 in the Early Bronco... Or the Kingpin 44

Motoman and Thom (Alice's owner and a friend) will both be pleased to know their write-ups are being used...

Dustin, the amount of work is actually less than it appears... mostly it is pulling the parts together. It goes together fairly easily, though the kingpin units need a little more grinding.

I wish there was a conversion this easy for the closed knuckle 44's.

Regards,


Eric

In theory you should be able to bolt on the 3/4 ton chevy stuff from either a 10 bolt or 44 front to a small ball closed knuckle ford 44 with little to no clearancing.. Might take a little grinding to clear the big knuckle front. I intend to give this a try one of these days as I have a junkish 3/4 ton 10 bolt to swap parts from. I'll have to get new rotors but......It should be an even easier swap than the 1/2 ton stuff. I have two problems getting started on this project.....1) my wheels are 15", and 2) I have a HP44 in a 78 that will go in the truck eventually anyway. I'll post it here when I get to it.

[cep62]

I have a 71 F100 4X4 and I put a 78/79 front axle assembly in it's been about ten years but if I remember right it was pretty simple.
I used the 78 diagonal locating bar and tie rods.
I think I had to take off the pitman arm and rotate it 180 degrees.
Then I put a polyurethane bushing kit in.
I got a 78/79 master cylinder for nonpower disc brakes.

A couple of years later I put in a 76/79 power steering gear box ,that required a little "modification" to the frame to make that work.

I have alot of miles on it now and have been very happy with the changes,best of all it takes stock replacment parts.

[cep62]

After some thought I did not change the pitman arm.