Rear disc brakes.... done
 

Tonite I finished the rear disc brakes on my 2000 Ranger. The brackets are propotypes and I used 98 Taurus calipers and pads with Explorer rotors and soft brake lines from the Explorer. The only thing left to do is replace one of the hard brake lines that I broke trying to remove it from the cylinder.

The bad news is that I don't believe I will be making more brackets than these. There was entirely too much fitting that needed to be done on the truck for me to be able to ship something and guarantee it fits. When I get to it, I will provide drawings for the brackets with the necessary measurements for those who want to try to fabricate themselves. Given the absurd number of variables involved, I wouldnt be able to guarantee that brackets made from the drawings would work but anyone with some metalworking skills could easily make them work.

I'm sorry that I won't be making more brackets, but unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to make something that will be successful for everyone and I'm not willing to take that chance. It's more work supporting parts that may not work than it is to make one set and make them work and provide the plans to everyone else.

i know this sounds stupid, but any pictures?

Good job in making it work for your truck :006:

yeah, good job...but i need pics to go with it

Yeah, I need pics. Did you change the master cylinder as well so the residual check valves don't drag on the back pads?

Well itz about time Tom.....lol No really great job. I'm interested in how much of a impact it had on your stopping abilities. Good job!!!

I'll take pics when I replace the steel line tomorrow evening. It's really not that hard to do if you can cut 1/4" steel plate.

I haven't changed the master cylinder because I read somewhere that the stock mc can be adjusted to balance the pressure to the rear brakes. If this doesn't work, then I'll probably go with the Explorer mc and see how that works out.

Hopefully, I'll be able to work on it tomorrow nite. I should be sleeping now but can't because I put a screwdriver thru my hand and it really hurts. If the hand feels like this tomorrow, it's unlikely I'll get much done.

good job, and yes, the mc can be adjusted.

I'm hoping that the relatively small calipers from the Taurus won't cause me to need a greater adjustment range that what is available on the stock mc. Originally, I had calipers from a Lincoln Towncar which were larger but I couldn't find any in the boneyard today so I would know what year towncar to get parts for. The Taurus calipers look exactly the same, only smaller. The pads are the same size on both.

Cool! Hope your hand gets better. How'd you manage to put a screwdriver through it?

I was installing the pads in the brackets using a screwdriver to get the springs where they need to go (wierd little brake pads) and the screwdriver slipped. Pretty stupid mistake.

Well, at least you're in orientation today and not starting to work here. Give you a few days to heal. Make sure you keep it covered and with antibiotic on it for the first couple of days at least. I put a drill bit deep into my left palm recently (don't ask) and it's no fun.

Do you know how to do it?? I'm trying to find the article which explained how it's done and I can't find it.

My problem now is that I don't get good braking ability until I get down near the bottom of the pedal stroke. I'm thinking the Exploder MC will resolve this problem but I want to try adjusting the MC first.

Thanks.

How'd it go today, Tom? How's your hand?

Things went well at work. The hand is sore, but I'm still using it. Working the clutch on the bike was a pain (literally) but it's do-able. Tomorrow should be fun.

I replaced the hard line on the truck and the brakes are done except for the proportioning valve. I definitely want to try adjusting it before replacing the master cylinder because it's a huge pain in the butt... I've spent hours looking for the damned site that explains how to do it tho...

If I were you...I'd sell this new modification to aftermarket companies. I'd sure as hell buy it!

John,

Once again, you were absolutely correct in your assessment of the problem with my brakes. I inverted the calipers and bled the brakes and the pedal is high and firm and the brakes feel awesome.

Thank you!!

Nice. I know there are a lot of us who want to do this, thanks for taking the time to do it and sharing the information.

I'm reconsidering trying to get some brackets made for other people. I want to see how well the design holds up to my abuse before giving out the drawings or actual brackets. I want to be certain that they'll hold up before anyone else gives it a try.

http://www.stainlesssteelbrakes.com/...nger&year=2003

This is the way I am going.

Those are awesome. In fact, those look like the Towncar calipers that I was originally going to use but didn't because I couldn't figure out what year car they came from. They're a little larger than the ones I used from the Taurus and they allow the use of vented rotors, but otherwise the same. Of course, they're expensive too....

Here's about what I paid...
Calipers: $55 each $110 total
Rotors: $35 each $70 total
Misc Bolts: $5
Soft brake lines: $15 each $30 total (I think)

That's a total of $215 which doesn't include the brackets. I could sell my brackets for $500 a pair and still be cheaper than those by a whole bunch. Hell, you could get the parts from a boneyard for about $60 and save a bundle. Of course, if I decide to have more made and try to sell them, they'd be MUCH cheaper than $500.

I think I want to call them about their parking brake cable tho. If those calipers are the ones I'm thinking of, then the stock cable won't work and I still have to figure out the parking brake. It will be easy once I have the right cable.

Ha ha! You're welcome -- but of course, I "researched" the answer online, lol. Sometimes I know, and sometimes I have to "find out", lol.

What Tom is talking about is a problem you can run into bleeding the brakes if you mount the calipers "clocked" differently, or swap the left and right ones.

When you bleed a brake caliper or wheel cylinder, the bleeder must be at the TOP of the cavity inside. Now, I suppose some designs may have a "tunnel" machined or cast in that leads from the cavity top to a bleeder not at the top, but this is probably rare.

If the bleeder is not at the top, then air will remain trapped at the top of the cavity, even after you think you've bled them.

Tom reported a soft pedal after installation and was afraid this was the result of not yet having removed the proportioning valve. I found others who had made JY brake upgrades with homemade or adapted brackets who also ended up with their bleeders in the wrong spot when they were done.

The solution is remove the caliper, put a piece of wood in it to retain the piston, and then hold the caliper at an angle where the bleeder is on top, then do the bleeding. This will expel the remaining air and solve the soft pedal problem.

I just want pictures.

me too

I'm working on it. I'll try to get pics on Monday since I'm going to be busy just about all weekend.

Hey, cut the guy a break (or brake): he just punctured his hand, and started a new job this week -- he's all tied up!...well, his hand is anyway...:wink: