tbird caliper upgrade
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 315
Likes: 8
From: Austin, TX
tbird caliper upgrade
I am working on gathering parts for a tbird caliper upgrade on my 78 bronco. I just did it on a 68 f100 with 78 axle so I know most of what I need like calipers & lines. The difference is my f100 I went 4 wheel discs where on my bronco I would like to keep the rear drums.
From my understanding to do the tbird calipers I would need a 78 f350 master cylinder and then run 78 f350 rear wheel cylinders? Is that correct? If so will the rear brake lines using the same fitting on the wheel cylinder?
From my understanding to do the tbird calipers I would need a 78 f350 master cylinder and then run 78 f350 rear wheel cylinders? Is that correct? If so will the rear brake lines using the same fitting on the wheel cylinder?
Grumpy goat
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 3,058
Likes: 594
I did that swap a couple of years ago. I'm in process of finishing up hydroboost now. I don't think you have to change the booster or master cylinder for the Tbird calipers, though I did anyway. I used a F350 booster, and a '97 Explorer master cylinder. I did not change the rear brake cylinders. Never heard of that requirement. You will need different brake lines for the Tbird calipers. The banjo bolt is larger than the stock caliper banjo bolt. My brake lines were fairly new, so I used my milling machine to enlarge the holes in the square ends to fit the Tbird banjo bolts.
The booster "upgrade" was an improvement. However, when I tested my new hydroboost system this weekend, I was amazed at how much better my brakes are over the F350 vacuum booster. But regardless, the Tbird caliper swap is worth the trouble.
The booster "upgrade" was an improvement. However, when I tested my new hydroboost system this weekend, I was amazed at how much better my brakes are over the F350 vacuum booster. But regardless, the Tbird caliper swap is worth the trouble.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,809
Likes: 2,606
From: The Shenandoah Valley
The reason they get used so weoll with the F350 mc is because the area of the T-bird's caliper piston is 3-3/32" diameter where the F150 calipers had just 2-7/8" diameter.
⦁ Compute the Bronco's (& F150) caliper piston area is 6.4918 square inches of clamping force.
⦁ Compute the dual piston caliper of an F350, the only difference is finding the piston area and multiply it by 2, because this dual piston caliper uses two smaller 2 3/16" pistons instead of one large one is 7.5167square inches of clamping force for stock 78 F350 calipers. As you can see, the F350 dual piston caliper has over one square inch of piston area more than the Bronco / F-150 caliper .
⦁ Now let's compute the 79 Thunderbird caliper is 7.5173 square inches of clamping force!
The reason for the F-350 mc is it has a greater capacity to pump brake fluid with it's 1-1/16 bore, it takes more to fill larger caliper pistons. The F-350 dual diaphragm booster is slightly smaller 9-1/4", but there are two helping to mash the fluid in the mc to fill & apply those bigger pistons.
I used "pi x R squared" for surface area of pistons.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-upgrade.html
⦁ Compute the Bronco's (& F150) caliper piston area is 6.4918 square inches of clamping force.
⦁ Compute the dual piston caliper of an F350, the only difference is finding the piston area and multiply it by 2, because this dual piston caliper uses two smaller 2 3/16" pistons instead of one large one is 7.5167square inches of clamping force for stock 78 F350 calipers. As you can see, the F350 dual piston caliper has over one square inch of piston area more than the Bronco / F-150 caliper .
⦁ Now let's compute the 79 Thunderbird caliper is 7.5173 square inches of clamping force!
The reason for the F-350 mc is it has a greater capacity to pump brake fluid with it's 1-1/16 bore, it takes more to fill larger caliper pistons. The F-350 dual diaphragm booster is slightly smaller 9-1/4", but there are two helping to mash the fluid in the mc to fill & apply those bigger pistons.
I used "pi x R squared" for surface area of pistons.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-upgrade.html
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 315
Likes: 8
From: Austin, TX
Yup thats what i was thinking. Thought you need the bigger bore for the tbird calipers. Thanks for confirming it was the f350 master thats what I needed to confirm.
I skipped banjo and went to an3 fittings to use ss lines.
I skipped banjo and went to an3 fittings to use ss lines.
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