I am getting ready to order a front disc brake conversion kit from Classic Performance Products.

My truck is a '52 as mentioned in the subject, but it's an F3. Well, that is, if I understand what an F3 is. It's a 3/4 ton truck with a long box.

The guys at Classic performance claim their kit will not work on my truck, as the spindles/axles are different. I found this hard to believe. The truck had the 8 lug wheels originally.

They claimed that I would need to buy an entire new F1 axle to be able to use common disc brake kits. The axle is already rebuild and is hanging on the truck now. If, in fact, the spindles are different, then why couldn't I simply get new spindles to use on the axle I have? The king pins are the same for the F1's, F2's and F3's so it would seem like it's all interchangeable.

I have a feeling that, in the interest of trying to keep parts common back then, the spindles and axles were the same and just the springs and stuff were different. I hope that's right and that my spindles are fine for this kit.

Someone on here must know. TIA.

Also, this kit is one of the first ones I've found. It's $800 and that comes with the rotors, calipers, brackets, bolts, hoses, power booster and master cylinder and brackets. If there is a better and/or cheaper way to get front disc brakes on this thing, I'm open for options! I'm using a GM 9 bolt rear axle from a Camaro with disc brakes on a 4.75" bolt diameter so the fronts have to match those bolts.

 

The spindles are the same. As a matter of fact I have F-1 hubs on my M-3. The leafs were just stiffer on the front. You won't be able to use your 8 bolt wheels though since those kits are for 5 bolts.

 

Yeah, I had no plans to use the 8 bolts. I'll be running with some Edelbrock wheels I think.

So you are using F1 rotors on your F3 then?

 

For what it's worth, the parts book shows the spindles were the same (as Nathan said) for the 1948-1952 F-1, F-2, and F-3. From 1953 through 1956, the F-100 and F250 were the same but the F-350 was different.

 

Todd:

Your truck could be an F2. Though less likely, it could be an F4. The F1 has 114 wheel base; F2, F3, F4 have 122 wheel base. The GVW for an F2 is 5700, F3 is 6800, F4 is 7500. The standard axle ratios for the F2 and F3 are both 4.86. Is there a tag on the inside of your glove box? It will state the model.

Please post some photos in your gallery; I would like to see your truck. I have a 52 F3, so check out my pics.

 

There is a really good chance that mine is an F2 then. I thought that the F1 was a 1/2 ton, short box. Then the F2 was a 3/4 ton, short box and the F3 was a 3/4 ton long box. I'm obviously not up on my early Ford truck history!

That's GREAT to hear that the spindles are the same. Wish me luck with the disc brake installation. Shouldn't be an issue.

I will try to play around with this page and set up a gallery for me. I have not yet. I also don't have many recent pictures scanned in.

I've had the truck for about a year now. It had been stored in a barn for years at my great uncle's farm in Indiana. I'm up here in Fenton, Michigan. The motor was locked up. It was the flat 8, which is why I'm doing the truck mainly. I'm historically a Chevy guy (AGH!) but I have a passion for engines and an interest in the flatheads, so I had to do one. It may be the last but it's fun for now! Those are pretty expensive in machine work costs. Nevertheless.....

I'm 26 and work for Delphi in Brighton. We do brake controls like ABS and stability control. Spend most of the time in vehicles. This is the first frame=off I've done. It's coming along well. In the past year, the engine has been built with 99% of the parts from Red's headers. Quick run-down would be:
Completely rebuilt bottom end, stock crank and rods
New aluminum pistons, 0.125 overbore
Schnaider cam. Forget the specs.
Offy alum. heads.
Offy alum 2X2 intake
Need to decide on carbs. Don't care about originality, but I'd like to find some "newer" small 2 bbl carbs I could use which would have possibly better reliability than the older ones. I have one Holley 94 (I think) that I could use if I wanted.

Using the original 4 speed on the floor for now. Trying to get this back on the road without breaking the bank. Dropped the original (yes, it was a 4.86) and replaced it with an IROC axle with 3.20 gears and disc brakes.

As I said, the frame is all re-done, the front axle is in, the engine and trans are in, the rear springs are in and ready for me to weld perches to this axle and drop that in. Then wheels and tires and stuff. Maybe have it driving a year from now.

Thanks for the help guys!

Steve, your truck looks great man. Really does.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions in the coming months! One of my first is that with my new intake, the fuel pump does not even fit anymore. I think the machined flange is too low, and even when you center the FP pushrod in the pump and depress the pump arm, there is still like 1/4" gap. I'm going to just block that off and run an electric pump and a regulator. What kind of pump to use? What kind of fuel pressure for two carbs? Depends on the carbs I would guess. Around 5 psi?

Going to ditch the mechanical fan and run an electric one. Anybody know of a kit that fits these trucks? I can fab one. Also need to make an alternator bracket. Need to find an alternator also then. It's already been converted to 12V, but the bracket was just rigged up and the alternator is pretty nasty.

I've read that the '52 distributors aren't that great but for $$$ reasons, I'll run mine for a while. Any REAL problems with them?

Thanks guys. Any other helpful hints would be great. I still have a long way to go. I'm thinking of painting individual parts and then bolting it all together. I need to figure out a way to get 3 point seat belts in there. I'm going to paint the interior grey and the exterior all dark red, like a few of the other trucks I've seen that look pretty cool.

 

ANOTHER FLATHEAD

Todd
Welcome

Gotta love those Flatmotors

 

I haven't quite got as far as the Disc brakes on the front so I have just the axle hub of my '51 F-1 parts truck drum brakes.

 

You know to each his own, but the original set up is just fine to me! A good master cylinder, and adjusted brakes and it holds real fine. My F-3, which I though was a f-2 at first, has the same spindles, 8 bolt. The only other diff than the ones already mentioned is that some of these f3 had single piston wheel cylinders on the front, and the backing plate is only cut for the single type. You couldn't put a dual one in mine without making a new hole for the dual piston wheel cylinder, the bolt pattern being hori-the single is diagonal. By the way what kind of old rims did you have? My f3 had 17'' rims, tube type. I bought 2 new ones and could use 3 better ones for the remaining in the future.

 

I have the original brake set-up on my F3. The only change I am considering is converting to power brakes by adding a vacuum booster/dual resevoir master cylinder.

I have the 17" two piece wheels (tube type). I needed a spare, and I found a guy in Arkansas that was parting out an F3. If you like, I could dig up his contact information.

 

I could use it. I'm not too far. Thanks!

 

I lost several weeks of emails this summer, so I don't have his email, but I still have the wheel in the box with a return address.

Kellly Ledbetter
2282 Highway 267
Searcy, AR 72143

I paid $40 plus shipping. The wheel was in nice shape; rust was light.