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14 bolt disc brake e-brake caliper question

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I have done a bit too much reaserch on this topic trying to figure out what will work best for my needs. Being a SM465 truck and driven on the streets it needs a working ebrake. So here is what I am thinking about...

First is used caddy calipers. Hard to find and everything up here is rotted and only good as a core if you can even get the levers apart...

Napa has them on its site for $78.00 a peice rebuilt but with out springs and levers which i have heard you can get from blackbirds.

Second option I am looking at is these:
http://www.circletracksupply.com/gm...ar-disc-kits-on-3-4-1-ton-pick-up-trucks.html

The big advantage of these over TSM is that they have the cable mounting built in and are the same price. Also the bleaders are at the top of the caliper when mounted up allowing for easier bleeding. $320 is alot for me to drop when i would rather have a yukon grizzly for the rear.

Has anyone ran the circletracksupply calipers? Good/bad? Any other thought or opinons?

thanks
 
I just got caddy calipers from advance auto, think i paid 80 bucks for them, but i got them when there was a sale so i got 15% off. they did not come with brackets but i figured i could make some, havent got there yet though..
 
I got loaded caddy calipers and had to have custom arms and brackets made. Cost me about 500 bucks total and the ebrake is still not as good as it should be. I kinda wish I had gone with the high angle driveline brake to make it a lot easier.
 
I considered that before buying my kit. After a couple weeks of pondering my options, I figured I could piece together the parts from the GLO kit, but I'd spend a bunch of time and it would be a hassle. And at best, I figured I'd save maybe $50. That's why I went with the complete kit. It came with everything needed for the swap. The only thing I had to do, besides bolt it on, was fab up some hard brake line. But you can buy SS flex lines from ORD or TSM if you don't feel lke messing with that part.
 
First off, if you drive it on the street and want a good ebrake and strong brake pedal I'd say keep the drum set up.

I did the brake swap to the TSM non bracket models and pretty much hate it. The pedal is ok but the ebrake will not hold my suburban on any type of hill. If I crank down the adjuster on the ebrake cable to the point of holding the truck then it does not release far enough for the wheel to spin freely. In hind-sight I would have kept the drums on the 14 bff.

If you are intent on the doing the swap, TSM does sell the large calipers with the ebrake bracket built on.

http://www.tsmmfg.com/3120.html $320 a pair
 
only reason i ever did disk swap was mud fills up the drums and makes them inop .

if no real mud and just trail and dd use keep the drum .

or best if you have a tcase you can get a h.a.d kit for then that will work .

in my rust belt area the caddy caliper design sucks as car's to this day still use it from time to time and thay rust solid and then require reman of the calipers to get them to work .
 
My drums were seized solid. had to cut and sledge hammer them off. So i cannot reuse them.
I have read that deville pads are the same but thinner making them easier to adjust.

Thanks for the input.
 
This is interesting. I was planning to convert my 14bff to disc before I dropped it into my K5, but I do drive on the street and want a working E-brake. I don't mind the drums, but I figured you could shed 100 pounds with the conversion.

The E-brake thing sounds like a PITA though. Not to hijack, but do you also have to mess with the prop valve? If so, that might really tip things in favor of keeping the drums.
 
I am going 4 wheel lock off a tow truck on my K30. I would also look at line locks.
 
Instead of the prop valve I just put 1/2 ton calipers on the back and kept the k30 calipers on the front.
 
Mastiff said:
Not to hijack, but do you also have to mess with the prop valve? If so, that might really tip things in favor of keeping the drums.
Click to expand...

Some people yes, some people no. I have done extensive work and while the discs are lighter and cool looking, I wouldn't do it again.

On a side note, I don't know how you guys got the GLO kit to work. I bought the same exact kit (without parking brake) and couldn't get the calipers to line up right. Dumped the brackets in favor for DIY4x's and it all went together. The spacing of the bracket to disc was wrong, couldn't get brake pads in. :dunno:
 
On the proportioning valve i hear it varries from truck to truck. Some do need it to prevent rear lock up and some don't. Others gut the proportioning valve and that works for them.


On the line lock that would be a good choice except that I don't think it is legal here as a parking brake. In this state we still have saftey inspections yearly. I still might ad some line locks for winching use. I need to look into it more tho as a line lock if acceptable could save me a ton of cash!!
 
Some folks say the Caddy calipers can hold when properly adjusted. I have not found this to be the case with three sets of calipers on two trucks. I find them to be a whole lot of hassle for not a lot of benefit.

On one of the trucks, I'm gonna stay with discs, but use a transfer case parking brake. (At least that's the plan, pending a t-case rebuild.)

On the other truck I'm just going back to drums. They have their disadvantages, but they're simple and they work. Also, I very strongly recommend you not dink with your prop valve and plumbing -- many folks have reported good results with discs without changing the stock plumbing.

-- A
 
Anyone happen to know the real weight savings for the disc swap? I don't know if all drum setups are equal, but on the CUCV 14-bolts the drums are serious hunks of metal. I'm guessing 40-50 lbs.
 
When I did discs on my '88 V1o Suburban, I didn't mess with the proportioning valve. I just used the factory 1/2 ton calipers from the front on the rear axle, and then ordered the biggest 3/4 calipers to put on the front. It worked fine setup that way, and also after I moved to a Dana 60 front axle.

Martin
 
I've done two conversions,,both TSM..1 on my buggy and the other on my street driven 79 F-250...

The buggy does fine even stopping on 44's....
It has no e-brakes....but I plan to put a mico lock on it soon....before it rolls off a cliff when I'm not looking...:eek1:

The F250 has a FF D60 that had huge drums on it. After I sledgehammered them off there wasn't much left of the backing plates or brakes themselves..
I went with the caddy brakes from TSM....they are plenty strong to lock up the wheels with just the e-brake pedal...but then again, we are talking stock size tires..passed state inspection no problem...great pedal...never touched the prop valve..
 
It loses around a 100 pounds give or take. Much easier brake jobs too. I had to gut my prop valve because the extra 15 pounds in the spring in the rear side of the valve was holding the brakes and wearing out the pads.
 
I had caddy calipers on my 14bff, on my 79 c20 pickup. I also had to adjust them all the time. I couldn't rely on the ebrake and the ebrake adjustment also determined how much hydraulic braking you got. I took them off and used 3/4 ton front calipers and the same hoses that the front of my truck uses. They work great. We have Smog tests here, but no inspections.

Anyone want to buy some Caddy calipers? Well that was easy, they are gone. Hopefully the next guy will have better luck getting them setup. They will at least work well enough to pass inspection and then a 4x4 set of calipers could be run the rest of the time.

I don't have inspections where I live, so if turning my wheels to a curb doesn't work, I use wheel chocks anyway..........especially when towing my trailer.
 
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