Del's Disc Brake Conversion

[del]

Day 3

Day 3 good progress today... and zero trips to Home Depot, Auto Zone or Harbor Freight!
Adjusted the jamb nut, mounted the PV and had my first flaring and bending experiences. Took a few tries...note the example on the right...nearly perfect! Ooops where's that other fitting??
All jacked up and ready to start the wheel work tomorrow!

[simplyconnected]

Good job! I see no kinks and everything fits.

...I like doing brake work because nothing is heavy and the learning curve is very short. By the time you flare your second or third end, 'learning' is in the past...

If you want to practice bending, use the old line since it will be discarded...

...Took a few tries...note the example on the right...nearly perfect! ...

[del]

Day 4

Day 4 -
Left side disassembled, cleaned-up
New bearings packed, rear seal installed
Rotor mounted, caliper mounted
Had to grind the caliper, retouched the paint
Right side tomorrow

[simplyconnected]

Here's an 'inside' tip:
See those two sheet metal 'shoulder tabs' that grab the outer caliper?



An old mechanic taught me to close them up a bit before assembly to eliminate any pad rattle.
The inner pad has a spring that centers on the piston but the outer pad has nothing but those tabs. - Dave

[RustyNCa]

I'm curious, does it matter which brake circuit the brake light switch is in?

When I did my disc brake conversion, I used the rear circuit for the switch.

Nice job on the lines, I'm not sure mine came out that tidy.

Cheers
Bryan

[simplyconnected]

The master cylinder delivers the same pressure on both circuits.

I must ask, are you putting the brake switch between the master cylinder and the combination valve? <--this is important.

If so, the answer your question is, no. The brake switch works the same no matter which circuit you use provided it is mounted before the combination valve. - Dave

[RustyNCa]

The master cylinder delivers the same pressure on both circuits.

I must ask, are you putting the brake switch between the master cylinder and the combination valve? <--this is important.

If so, the answer your question is, no. The brake switch works the same no matter which circuit you use provided it is mounted before the combination valve. - Dave

No I didn't, mine is after the combination valve in the rear brake circuit.

This is an old photo, I've switched to a different master now, but the layout hasn't changed. My switch in in the line right underneath the booster going to the rear brake lines.

[simplyconnected]

I always encourage folks to mount the combination valve on the fender apron for a few reasons. The brake light switch is one of them. It simply makes sense to mount the switch in close proximity to where the old switch was because of the wires. The other reason is, to offer more room under the M/C for spark plug and wire maintenance. You need room for your hands and tools.

The rear circuit has reduced pressure after the combination valve. You may want to relocate your switch to one of two places; either just before the combination valve (in either circuit) or use the front circuit because it has full M/C pressure.

BTW, how come you aren't using your electrical connection? - Dave

[del]

Day 5

Day 5 ...
A little more grinding on the left caliper, then paint touch up again. Will address further tomorrow if need be.
Removed right side drum and etc. Need to remove upper control arm on this side to replace bad bushing.
Jack under lower ball joint with ever so slight upward pressure, loosen the 7/8" upper ball joint nut a couple turns and a couple of wacks using Dave's double hammer technique up on the spindle and viola the ball joint separated easily! This process was delayed buy a trip to Home Depot when I discovered that my 7/8" socket was nowhere to be found ...
A arm removal was straight forward although next time I would loosen the end bolts first while the unit was still in the car. Local machine shop is doing bushing r/r will be ready Monday. Bumper is shot so will need to get replacement. So looks like this project will last longer than planned. New plan is to be done by Thunderbird Appreciation Day on Sunday 5/21.
Plumbing "roughed in" to right side. Left and rear tomorrow

Dave - Thx for the shoulder tab tip. About the electrical connection for the PV...I don't think we talked about that or best way to handle the vacuum connection?

[simplyconnected]

...Plumbing "roughed in" to right side. Left and rear tomorrow

Dave - Thx for the shoulder tab tip. About the electrical connection for the PV...I don't think we talked about that or best way to handle the vacuum connection?

Plumbing for the calipers simply goes from the two 'front' ports on the combination valve to the hose clips. Done!

Plumbing for the rear is a bit easier because there is only one line. It starts at the valve and ends at the hose clip above the rear diff.

I thought we discussed whether you got the electrical pigtail (included in the shipment from PJack). The electrical is simple. The valve grounds the wire when there is a fault. So, I use a 'flashing' LED. The wires start with power (from anywhere because it's rarely ever on), it continues through the LED legs and the wire ends at the prop valve pigtail. If the valve spool ever shifts to either side, the LED shines. That's all there is.

The vacuum hose simply starts at the check valve on your booster, it crosses over to your engine and connects to the vacuum line that's already there. If your original vacuum hose is old, replace it.

I consider the work at the wheels and running tubing, easier than doing the firewall bracket and booster adjustment.

When you install your upper bumper, wait until the 'A' arm is installed and the car is on its wheels. If you try putting the bumper in first, the bumper will interfere with the upper ball joint because the suspension is hanging. Do not tighten the 'A' arm bushing bolts until the car is on its wheels.

Questions? - Dave

[RustyNCa]

I always encourage folks to mount the combination valve on the fender apron for a few reasons. The brake light switch is one of them. It simply makes sense to mount the switch in close proximity to where the old switch was because of the wires. The other reason is, to offer more room under the M/C for spark plug and wire maintenance. You need room for your hands and tools.

The rear circuit has reduced pressure after the combination valve. You may want to relocate your switch to one of two places; either just before the combination valve (in either circuit) or use the front circuit because it has full M/C pressure.

BTW, how come you aren't using your electrical connection? - Dave

It's been a long time since I did the conversion, I think I picked the spot where the switch is now, because that was where the joint was and the wires reached. Never thought about the fact the valve reduces pressure to the rear and might be an issue till I looked at the photos in the thread. The arm the valve is mounted on came with the booster and valve, so I went with it, I do remember seeing where others had mounted the valve on the fender.

The electrical connection is for a warning light switch correct? I never got around to doing anything with it, I see you mention a pigtail for it, I'm pretty sure I didn't get one, which could be another reason I didn't bother doing anything with it.

I wasn't focused on the brakes in this photo, but you can see some of what I ended up with. I clear the tall valve covers by a very narrow margin, but thankfully the direction the engine rotates under load only makes the spacing larger.

Cheers
Bryan

[Randy]

This is a much needed refresher class, Thanks to all you Squares.!

[del]

Day 6

Day 6
Got a call from machine shop this morning - 'A' arm bushings installed and unit ready for pickup! Sweet!! New bumpers located and on the way - Thanks Carl ~ partsetal. I'm going to assume that the left hand bumper is also shot, so I'll add that to the To Do list.
All plumbing completed.
Last pic is the PV wire. Yes Dave I remember now that we talked about the wire but couldn't recall the hook-up.

[del]

Day Next

Family commitments, car club business, return to work...so I got slowed down a tad. Taking the day off tomorrow to round the clubhouse turn!

The right side "A" arm is painted and installed with new ball joint. Caliper has been ground but my wheels are out getting refurbished so can't tell for sure if I'm done with that or not. I did not have a 3/8" allen wrench for my socket set before I started this job but I do now. I would recommend adding to your shopping list if you don't have one and are considering this job. It's used to install the caliper bolts. You can do it with a manual allen key but it is way easier with the socket.

Plan for tomorrow is to bench bleed the M/C, reinstall it, bleed the lines. My wheels are promised Sat morning so I can set her down, install the bumpers and tighten up the A Arm. I can't quite visualize what that bumper install is going to entail jack-wise but hopefully once she's off the jacks it will be obvious?

[simplyconnected]

...I did not have a 3/8" allen wrench for my socket set before I started this job but I do now. I would recommend adding to your shopping list if you don't have one and are considering this job...I can't quite visualize what that bumper install is going to entail jack-wise but hopefully once she's off the jacks it will be obvious?

The job is coming along nicely, Don. Your work looks great.

I don't have an Allen socket set. I keep my tools to a minimum. A regular Allen wrench works just fine for me. If I bought all the 'specialty' tools I'd be broke. Most of them have a unique purpose and great for doing one thing. I do an entire shoe replacement with a pair of 420 Channellocks and a screwdriver. I do have a set of hydraulic line wrenches but I rarely ever use but one wrench, the 7/16"-3/8" size.

Now that you're done with plumbing, how hard was it?

I use blue Loctite on all my brake and caliper bolts.

Yes, when the front suspension is hanging, the upper bumpers should be squeezed, which makes it nearly impossible to assemble ball joint studs. But with the tires on the ground, the upper 'A' arms will reveal room to install the bumpers. When done, you're going to enjoy the suspension and brake performance. Someday, I hope you buy the 1-1/8" front sway bar and one for the rear as well. That skinny 3/4" OEM sway bar is a joke. - Dave