1977 F-150 4x4 351M and C6, front disc, rear drums, 33" tires

While joyriding with my kids this afternoon my passenger side front caliper must have locked up (pulling to one side, the tell-tale odor of brake pads getting hot, smoke coming out, etc). I have not taken it down yet, but when I do, I'll go ahead and replace at least the calipers and pads.

I checked on prices for reman caliper assemblies at a local auto parts store and they were $10.99 each with a lifetime warranty. Has anyone had any particularly bad experiences with reman units from O'Reilly's or Autozone, etc?

Or should I take this opportunity to upgrade to a better-performing disc brake system? If so, recommendations?

It's also worth mentioning that the PO said the brake master cylinder/booster assembly had been recently replaced and from the looks of it I have no reason to doubt it. My brakes had good pedal feel and stopping power before the failure so I'm not inclined to start upgrading, but if there's an inexpensive option on the calipers that doesn't require many mods I'd consider it.

(Should I have asked this in the Brakes, etc forum? or is this model-specific enough to be here?)

Many thanks...

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...d_Broncos.html
this is the same for your truck.

good article, but remember that all components work as a team, not individually. I have a small vise grip that I use on rubber line by the wheel, and a c-clamp for compressing the caliper....makes the job a little easier.

 

It's not clear from the article whether you'd get a benefit from just upgrading the calipers to the 73-78 car style ("Thunderbird" calipers in the article. Since I believe the caliper may be the only failure in the system right now and I wasn't unhappy with the brake performance before the problem, I'd have a hard time justifying swapping the entire system out. Surely it wouldn't perform any worse with the "Thunderbird" calipers on with everything else kept the same???

 

The reason for the mention is for Hydraulic pressure vs ALL the parts in the system has to be compatible.

You can;t always mismatch parts and get away with it

The thought on brake parts is this:
It's important to find out the Manufacturer/Supplier of part to these retail outlets as opposed to the name of the Reatil store

ie: EIS, Raybestos,Wagner

I prefer "these 3 compaines" for dependable and cost effective brake parts

You can always search their web sites for info about them.

 

I have had a string of bad luck with brake master cylinders in the last year and a half. Different stores, both new and used. I finally had enough and went back to rebuilding them myself. Make sure you buy a brand name, and your odds are greater getting a quality part. As far as upgrades go, it's basically all or nothing. Your better off sticking with the whole stock system and running a high quality pad or shoe, or going all out and doing a system upgrade. If your happy with the way the brakes worked, just buy quality replacement parts and get back to enjoying the truck.

 

I don't have much brake experience but the reman calipers I got at O'Reilly's worked fine. I ran into the same problem on my 77 F-150 4x4. While you're at it you might consider changing out the brake fluid if it hasn't been done before. I understand it helps discourage water building up in the lines. and if you're going to bleed the brakes anyway...well just a thought

 

Thanks for the info, guys. Think I'll go with reman parts for now and upgrade later when other parts start to fail. I was pleased with the way my brakes worked until the caliper seized. But I was used to a 74 F100 4X4 with drums all around and pretty poor braking, and 73 Toyota Landcruiser that could coast to a stop almost as quick as I could stop it with the brakes.

 

check to see if the problem is the caliper or the rubber hose, I bet it is the hose that needs to be replaced
when thy come apart inside they will hold pressure on the caliper
usually enough to hold the pads on the rotor but not to lock the wheel

 

Good info brownfoot.

especially on hoses that people have used vise grips to squeeze the hose to prevent fluid from dripping

 

I wonder about that vise-grip method
what does it do other than mess-up the hose, the fluid volume needs to be reduced in the caliper to move the piston back,
once it is pushed back it stays there for me without assistance
I guess if the calipers had the GM phenolic pistons, they might need to be replaced

 

he talked about replacing the caliper which means unbolting the hose, thus allowing air in. A needle nose vise grip has less of a perforation on the jaws, meaning it won't dig into the rubber, yet pinching off the line, slowing any air getting into the brake system. the c-clamp squeezes the old caliper first(before applying vise grips)then eases removal. The new replacement caliper should be easier to squeeze in and might not need a c-clamp.

PS: my first post should have said needle-nose vise grips, sorry.

 

but it still collapses the hose and if it is not at least new, risks damaging it
you have to bleed, and should flush the brake lines to clean any air and dirt that may be there anyway
even a quart of brake fluid is cheaper than a hose

 

That's right.

I usually get someone to push the pedal to empty the brake reservoir as I am evacuating all the fluid anyway.
I find it better putting it into a container then diposing of it than drip all over the work space.

Then I wrap the hose end with a big wad of rag and slide an elastic band over that to hold it there.No muss ,No Fuss. Best thing is ....NO corrosive brake fluid on my hands

 

The rubber brake lines can look perfectly fine from the outside, but can become totally restricted on the inside. The rubber on the inside that is exposed to the brake fluid and can swell and eventually totally restrict fluid movement. I would not clamp the rubber brake lines either and risk damaging them IMHO.

 

Replaced the calipers at $11.99 per + the cost of new pads. The pads were not worn much, but since one side had gotten hot enough to smoke, I figured it best just to replace both sides. I will be looking at prices/suppliers of replacement brake lines, too, as the ones on there look pretty bad (they did not, however, appear to be clogged or restricted).

Brakes work great again. Thanks for the info.