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So, I finally got around to moving forward with the brake project. What is going on is I am taking a 98 E150 and installing big brakes on it. This applies to all 1992-2003 E150s.
*THIS IS ONLY FOR 5-LUG WHEELS*
UPDATE
*NOT A DIRECT BOLT-ON*
*REQUIRES 16” WHEELS*
Original brakes are one piston calipers in front, and drums in the rear. These brakes are standard from 1992-2003.
New brakes are Ford brakes for 2004-06 E150s. Front brakes are two piston calipers, and rear are one piston calipers.
The whole rear axle is being replaced so rear brakes are being upgraded. This van has an ABS issue without DTCs so it is better to upgrade.
Benefits:
- More braking power
- Less pedal fade
- Parts have more availability (not as old)
- Ease of service over drums
- Simplicity of disc brakes
The spindles were sandblasted, had new ball joints installed, and then painted semi gloss black.
The painted spindle and rotor shield are back together. The other side is the mirror image.
Calipers are used originals that came loaded with good pads. Pads will be sanded and chamfered, rotors will be cut after measuring for sufficient material.
I am still hunting for rear backing plates, these will be going on my freshly built 8.8 with Traction-Lok.
OK I see now. Yes 4 wheel disks are a hugh improvement in braking, the biggest thing you will notice is how sure footed the truck is stopping in the wet and on snow covered roads.. it'll just slow down without any drama.. no skidding front tires or sliding rear end.. assuming it has good tires of course.
If I rebuild the caliper, any problems will be on me. There is no warranty.
If I just trade in the calipers for a core I get a 2 year warranty and the liability for failure is on Ford.
If the caliper doesn't free up by tomorrow morning after a soaking with transmission fluid then I will call the part junk. I have tried to pop out the piston with 120psi of air and it was not moving.
Below I will post pictures of loading the caliper brackets. The brakes I bought had good pads and rotors. So rather than throw them out I decided to refurbish the pads by sanding and painting them. All hardware was cleaned and reused.
If you are starting from scratch you can skip the steps for refurbishing the pads.
If you got a set of pads with decent material on them, but they are used. It is ok to reuse them if they are not cracked, damaged or contaminated in any way. However, there is one important step that must be taken before reusing pads. Paint is optional.
Inspect the pad for damage or contamination. If the pad is good clean the rust and sand the metal with 60 grit sandpaper. Use a small file to clean the pad backing plates where the pad rides the anti-rattle clips.
Clean the outside of the pad as well. Avoid coating the shim with paint.
Pad is all painted. Set the pad down on the wear material to let it dry.
Once dry, sand the friction material with 60 grit sand paper. Be sure to round off the sharp edges of the pads. Before sanding.
After sanding. Any paint that gets on the wear material will come off at this point.
Here are the cleaned anti-rattle clips and spring clips installed on the painted caliper bracket.
To install the outside pad, insert it with the bottom pointing in, making sure to keep the chanels aligned with the anti-rattle clips.
Slowly rotate the top of the pad and it will slide onto the anti-rattle clips.
Outside, done.
The inside is the same process. Be patient as they can be a little bit frustating. Same deal. Point the pad inwards and slide the top towards the anti-rattle clip.
The pad should fall in on both sides once the slide chanel lines up with the anti-rattle clip.
Both side done. Do not put the spring clips into the dimples on the pads until just before the calipers go over the pads. IF THE CALIPER IS NOT IN PLACE WHEN THE SPRING CLIPS ARE INSTALLED TO THE PADS, THE PADS WILL BE PUSHED OUT OF THE BRACKETS
If I rebuild the caliper, any problems will be on me. There is no warranty.
If I just trade in the calipers for a core I get a 2 year warranty and the liability for failure is on Ford.
If the caliper doesn't free up by tomorrow morning after a soaking with transmission fluid then I will call the part junk. I have tried to pop out the piston with 120psi of air and it was not moving.
Personally, I'd rather have it done correctly than have a warranty
sounds like yours is junk though.
Personally, I'd rather have it done correctly than have a warranty
sounds like yours is junk though.
oh man, Vettex I have to oppose you here- i would rather have "the professionals" rebuild a caliper than do it myself. Especially since they're so cheap.
I understand how simple they are, and I think I could successfully do it myself but there are probably little nuances that caliper-factory-employees know that I don't know.
However, if given time/location/tools, I would definitely do it myself. And enjoy it. And I wouldn't even mind if I failed, and had to do it again. As long as the vehicle downtime wouldn't add to the loss.
Calipers are very simple: Body, piston, square cut seal, dust boot and bleeder. It's not hard to rebuild them, it's just that if the piston is damaged, at what point do you go get a new caliper. So few parts...it leaves little room for failure.
