Front Disc Caliper Identification Help Needed

Discussion in 'General Automotive Tech' started by Wagonrodder, Jan 12, 2023.

  1. HotRodRacer

    HotRodRacer Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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  2. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    Thank you so much for this info!! the calipers in the conversion kit are spot on to mine...now i think i know what was used in my conversion! and they are using a manual setup as mine is...although there is a slight difference in the master cylinder regarding the bump on the end im thinking this is possibly the kit that was used...still have to figure out the reason for my feeling of brake fade but i have a much better idea of what im working with...perhaps i need an adjustable valve, next im going to do a complete flush and bleed of the fluid and see if that helps...the old fluid looks to have pond scum on the top and when i first got the car i noticed the chamber for the front discs was quite low on fluid so perhaps before my ownership someone let it get so low it sucked air in...anyway thank you for the link to Leeds!!
     
  3. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    So i have a pretty good idea what system i might have now and i have one last question, and its an important one, then i will quit bothering everyone hehe, someone added the cnc cover to the master cylinder and i like it and would like to reuse it but currently the way it is set up it does not appear to be vented what so ever...shouldnt it be?there is both a big vent with the allen plug, and a smaller one with the flat head screw...would either one be a vent that should be open?, and would the current lack of venting possibly be the cause of the front calipers not working as well as they should be?
    20230115_130244[3662].jpg 20230115_130310[3666].jpg
     

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  4. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    Only one way to find out, but I honestly don't think so. See, once the M/C piston seals close the chambers to build pressure, there's no way for any produced vacuum to affect the piston or the circuits. Of course, verify your rears are correctly adjusted and back off after the pedal is let up. The reduction in braking effort--is it all the time, or only after using the brakes for a while?
     
  5. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    That makes sense..its all the time and every time...feels exactly like the lining has gotten thin as paper like brake fade...except theres tons of lining left ,i was questioning if enough pressure was getting to the calipers but from what i learned today from the leed brake website my calipers should be able to function properly in a manual setting with my existing master cylinder..so next i will flush out the old fluid and bleed everything then see what i have, something is amiss but it remains to be seen what it is yet,,,tons of thanks for all the advice everyone!
     
  6. Doghead

    Doghead Well-Known Member

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    It should be vented at all times, without needing to manually do so, without popping the hood in order to open vents. When that lid is properly vented, that rubber gasket just below it should bellow out into the direction of the fluid pools, as the fluid level lowers. Since this is a custom lid, the customozer probably forgot to vent it. What you might want to do is to drill a pin hole through that cover and then tape it up, whenever you wash the engine compartment
     
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  7. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    Doghead, i think you are exactly correct...when i first got the car the reservoir for the front brakes only had about 3/8 of an inch of fluid in it yet the rubber gasket had not deployed what so ever down in the cavity..this had to be because of no venting.,.,im going to remove the allen head plug seen in the side and drill a #40 .098 hole in the center of it, then reinstall it and that should be sufficient to vent between the rubber gasket and the inside top of the lid...then on to a flush of the fluid and a bleed, then i will see if theres any improvement in the front braking...thanks again for the advice!
     
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  8. Doghead

    Doghead Well-Known Member

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    Beware! That allen screw might be hardened. If a file glides over it without removing material, then it's hardened. In which case, you could just screw in a substituting regular hexagon bolt, after having driled it, without damaging your drill bit on attempting to drill through hardened steel
     
  9. Doghead

    Doghead Well-Known Member

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    Not mine. I've got an older model, using wing nuts. These type flaring tools do a good job:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    I have that same exact one except mine still has the giant wing nuts...i like yours better with the real nuts, seems that would hold the tubing tighter than wing nuts...

    I should mention im convinced now that i have the Leed 4 piston front disc brake conversion on my montego,(thank you Hotrod racer) although my master cylinder does not appear to be ford, or Leed, anyway its showing its age so this spring it will be replaced with a leed and kept manual for the time being...i wear a size 13 boot hehe so i can live with manual as long as the front calipers are functioning properly, in the mean time a flush and bleed, and test drive...thanks again everyone!
     
  11. Doghead

    Doghead Well-Known Member

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    Here's it. Despite what the instructions say, I flared steel brakeline tube, without problems. If you don't have pencil fingers, you can clamp tubes in this tool, without them slipping. The best way to do so would be to tighten the nut closest to the tube and then use the clamp's leverage by tightening the nut furthest.
    This is what a domestic-made tool looks like:

    Flaretool.jpg
     
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  12. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    Yep, i like the "Made in USA" at the bottom of the instructions...something thats getting hard to come by these days...
     
  13. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    The last one I used that actually held steel line without slipping was a Cal-Van brand. However, I suspect that steel tubing may have, like lumber, a 'nominal' and a 'true' size.
     
  14. Doghead

    Doghead Well-Known Member

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    If ever this set gets lost, it can never get replaced with one of identical quality, if quality whatsoever. Anything Made in U.S.A. has gone extinct.
    What's especially infuriating isn't about who makes the junk that now floods our market. You can't blame a scorpion for stinging, simply because it doesen't know better. The same goes with the sea gull who steals the shrimp from your plate, when you're not paying attention. My wrath is directed to those who have decided for us to only give us one choice as to what we're allowed to buy, without asking us first
     
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  15. Wagonrodder

    Wagonrodder Well-Known Member

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    Right on brother! old made in usa tools are always what i look for at garage sales and swap meets first...the older the better!
    and old wrench just feels good in your hand..more fun is using old 50s and 60s automotive instruments on 50s and 60s cars!
     
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