wildmandave
1/2 ton status
what year of calipper do i use for disk brakes? i know their off of a Cadilac- Eldarodo. im wanting e-brake. thanks
CK5
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disk brakes on 14 bff
- Thread starter wildmandave
- Start date
'76-78 El Dorado. Good luck in finding them; in the parts world, rebuilt ones are somewhat scarce. If you have a junkyard local that does Caddies you might be in luck to get a set that way.
-- A
wildmandave
1/2 ton status
i checked out the Eldarodo one's and the are smaller than the 3/4 tons chevys. so i thougt maybe i was looking at the wrong ones. thanks
Make sure they're rear calipers for a 76-78 Eldo -- they should be dang close in size to the 3/4's, and IIRC the pads are the same.
Newer years of Caddies and other models have the smaller calipers.
-- A
I have ones from 1976 on my truck...
you can go to napa and get them but gonna pay.. and wont come with springs and levers...
I got mine from the junkyard for $50... used them as cores and kept the springs and levers... and got new from napa for $60 each....
$120 for new ones
$120 core if you dont have them
_______________
$240 and need to find levers and springs
someone used wrenches for the levers.. and some kind of garage door spring and it worked......
all in all... I did have d44 calipers on and they worked GREAT!!!! however wife wanted the ebrake on the truck....
the inspection guy doesnt look... he just hits the pedal down and releases it so I could have made a spring loaded setup that went no where...
you can go to napa and get them but gonna pay.. and wont come with springs and levers...
I got mine from the junkyard for $50... used them as cores and kept the springs and levers... and got new from napa for $60 each....
$120 for new ones
$120 core if you dont have them
_______________
$240 and need to find levers and springs
someone used wrenches for the levers.. and some kind of garage door spring and it worked......
all in all... I did have d44 calipers on and they worked GREAT!!!! however wife wanted the ebrake on the truck....
the inspection guy doesnt look... he just hits the pedal down and releases it so I could have made a spring loaded setup that went no where...
blazin_blazer
1/2 ton status
i was told they were clutch return springs 
i was told they were clutch return springs
Ain't no matter -- it's whatever Dorman part # I posted up.
-- A
m-4x4-chevy
Registered Member
The caddy calipers are considerably smaller than the front 3/4 ton calipers.
m-4x4-chevy
Registered Member
Let me clarify that. The 76-78 caddy eldo caliper piston is smaller. The caliper body and bolt spacing is the same as a 3/4 ton 4x4 front caliper. Did I remember that correctly?
Eh? Again, the 76-78 Eldo calipers, as used for *14 bolt* disc conversions, use the same mounting as the 3/4 ton fronts. (Which, IIRC, use the same mounting as a 1/2 ton front, but I digress.)
There are OTHER Caddy calipers which are smaller -- as used on disc conversions on 10- and 12-bolt rears.
But for 14BFF, I'm not sure where you guys say a Caddy caliper is smaller than a 3/4 ton front. To wit... orange one on the dually rear is a 76-78 Eldo Caddy caliper, and the unpainted one a 3/4 ton front.
-- A
Ah, thanks. THAT I'd go for ... I'd hafta go pull three wheels/tires to see, so I'm too lazy to verify.
OTOH, a smaller piston actually should place more force onto the pad for the same volume of fluid displaced... right? My hydraulics are a bit rusty, as it were =))
Though we already complain that the rear brakes lock up earlier than the front, but I've not done the adjustable prop valve thing on my K5 (which has the Caddy calipers.)
-- A
GsxrMike
1/2 ton status
I didn't know that the caddy calipers had an ebrake capability? Can someone elaborate on how it works?
Sure, that's the whole point of using them instead of front calipers.
As for the working, it's easy, you just pull the lever...
Seriously, though, IIRC, the parking brake lever drives a ratcheting mechanism to push the caliper... past that, other folks will hafta pipe up...
-- A
blazin_blazer
1/2 ton status
i use a hydro line loc! caddy caliper more $ and more complicated, but some places need seperate e-brake for inspection!
GsxrMike
1/2 ton status
A line lock would serve as a parking brake but no e'brake correct?
I'm nervous about the concept of "emergency brake."
The cable-operated system that engages the rear brakes of most vehicles ... well, it's not like it provides any additional braking power. It's the same shoes/pads that would engage the drum/rotor if actuated hydraulically.
You could see it as a mechanical backup to the hydraulic system, so in that regard I s'pose the cable-operated ones could be called an "emergency brake." I gather some states' inspections specifically disallow line locks for this very reason -- they're part of the same hydraulic system, so if you e.g. blow a wheel cylinder, the entire rear brake system goes out.
(I think RuffStuff or one of the vendors here was gonna do a two-caliper rear disc conversion to provide a primary hydraulic system and a separate, secondary hydraulic system for this sort of backup function.)
I prefer the term "parking brake" for these reasons. In any event, the ultimate parking brake is a 12" chunk of pressure-treated 4x6.
-- A
The cable-operated system that engages the rear brakes of most vehicles ... well, it's not like it provides any additional braking power. It's the same shoes/pads that would engage the drum/rotor if actuated hydraulically.
You could see it as a mechanical backup to the hydraulic system, so in that regard I s'pose the cable-operated ones could be called an "emergency brake." I gather some states' inspections specifically disallow line locks for this very reason -- they're part of the same hydraulic system, so if you e.g. blow a wheel cylinder, the entire rear brake system goes out.
(I think RuffStuff or one of the vendors here was gonna do a two-caliper rear disc conversion to provide a primary hydraulic system and a separate, secondary hydraulic system for this sort of backup function.)
I prefer the term "parking brake" for these reasons. In any event, the ultimate parking brake is a 12" chunk of pressure-treated 4x6.
-- A
GsxrMike
1/2 ton status
LOL! I am just worried about blowing a line and having absolutly no brakes. I would rather have some kind of way to slow down than not. I would get the caddy brakes for that reason only. Parking brake would be more important to me if I had a manual tranny but I think my parking pin in my th400 should keep me put. Its pretty flat in kansas!
I categorically deny ever driving my M1009 CUCV with the calipers unbolted, so the only way I had to slow down was with the cable to the rear drums
Also note that your parking pawl is not as strong as you think, AND when you disconnect the driveshaft, you REALLY NEED something at the wheels -- be it a cable-operated parking brake or a piece of lumber or a real wheel chock or something ... or else...
I forgot to set my parking brake, and when I dropped the shaft, the truck started rolling. This was VERY exciting for me, as I was underneath the truck at the time, on a scooter. Thankfully I got enough traction to scoot my scurred butt off out of the way, but I didn't get a chance to stop the truck.
-- A
