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After looking and searching and scratching our heads, I got a call from Preston, the friend who helped me look at the brakes. The truck seemed to not have front brakes at all, and using the line lock proved that, but we didnt know why. He asked me a very simple question; are the bleeders on the front calipers on top, or on bottom? This seems pretty easy, and I admit I cant believe I missed it. Im chalking it up to being in a rush, and Ive never done anything this in-depth on a car. Simple rookie mistake, but Ill take it. I remade the rod that goes between the booster and the master cylinder, and tightened all the lines again. After swapping the calipers, my daughter helped me bleed the brakes and now they work.
Still have a ton of work to do, but she runs good enough I can start venturing out into traffic and getting used to it. Ill get a plate next week and might even drive it to work one day. Woohoo.
The rod it came with and the one I made. The size difference is crazy. That would have never worked. Bleeders are now on top. It sure makes bleeding the brakes easier.
I got a reputation as a genius mechanic by remembering that. It's really easy to swap the calipers from side to side. I've also seen sloppy parts people give two calipers for the same side instead of one each. That's why I compare new and old calipers when I replace them.
Sorry for the delay. Ive been busy, and slacked off of posting for awhile. And as usual life gets crazy and things get in the way.
I have been working on a few minor issues. The brakes are still weak to me, but they are better. I posted on another forum and they pointed out I had the brakes shoes on wrong in the back, so I fixed that. It still runs just fine, but some of the unsolved issues are; the truck wont start after a few days without starter fluid, weak brakes, the park brake just doesnt really work well at all, the steering is too hard, and I still have no blinkers or hazards. There are other issues, obviously, but these are the big ones.
The truck starts fine with help, and will immediately start right back up. It will also start the next day, or even 2 days later. But leave it for a week, and it needs help again. I think the bowl is emptying somehow, either evaporation or drain off. Ive read a bunch of articles and the edelbrock carb is known for this. Im not sure if Ill solve this, or if I want to. Its annoying, but if I drive it consistently its fine. I plan on fuel injection eventually anyway.
The weak brakes worry me. Im going to continue to work on this, but its looking like it might be something major, like the master cylinder bore diameter, or the vaccum booster diameter. Im going to adjust and bleed them continuously until I find the problem, or until it stops getting better. The park brake is probably related to this as well.
Steering and no blinkers and hazards are going to be fixed at the same time. Looking into everything I need power steering and a 30" long column. I had started re-wiring the truck before I realized how bad it was, and when I bought the Ron Francis kit, I opted for the factory column wiring. When I decided to go to the mustang 2, it needed another column, and the internet suggested a 28". Well, Im going to add power steering, and a 30" column, and get the appropriate column wiring harness. That should fix all of those issues and maybe a few others (like the fact I have no horn either).
There are still rattles, and poorly fitting fenders and some other issues. I have to add a fuel vent to the tank (this is a big issue keeping me from driving it right now), and I need to wire the back-up camera (there is a HUGE blind spot when trying to back this truck up with the small window, and I cant move my neck like I used to be able to do).
I have registered the truck, and we are going to get it insured so I can legally drive it to work when the weather is nice, even with these issues. My new goal is to do that now, and get a cover for the truck for winter, and move it outside. Then the F100 is going in the garage to get the 5 speed swap over the winter. When its up and running, Ill put Isaacs truck back in the garage on the blocks, and start digging into these issues to make permanent fixes.
Yep, life has a tendency to get interesting from time to time. I'll take 'dull and boring' any time....
Would a master cylinder from a 3/4 or 1 ton truck have a larger bore? I don't recall what size rotors you have up front..... Stock drums in the back yet? What size are those?
If the caliper pads are touching but not pressing against the rotors, you should have good brakes. I'm thinking you may have air in the system. It can be a bear at times to get out, especially on custom installations.
The booster/master cylinder kit I bought was from Pirate 4x4, I think. It was designed to take a stock 67 manual setup to boosted, but I got the option for disc front brakes. After reading a few posts on other sites with the same issue (hard pedal, weak brakes) it might be that the booster is too small, or the master cylinder bore is too large. The booster was made for a poly 318 with a single barrel carb, I assume, so its going to pull more vacuum than a more modern LA 318 with a 4 barrel. Ill have to check the vacuum, and might have to go to a 10" or 12" booster. The master cylinder might also have to be downsized. I have good pedal pressure, and I can press it hard enough to hear it squeak under the hood (I dont know what is squeaking though), but it just wont lock up a wheel. I hit the brakes really hard, but it just kinda comes to a stop, eventually. Im a bit scared to take it out and get it in traffic. If I have to hit the brakes, Im gonna rearend someone.
Ill start looking into it. It really needs power steering bad. Just to get it out of the driveway is a 3-4 point turn. Once its up to speed its manageable, but in the driveway its just a pain.
If you already have inadequate brakes, going to a smaller diameter master cylinder will only make it worse. The larger the master cylinder, the higher the fluid pressure you get, for the same pedal effort. (more surface area to attempt to compress the fluid.)
I do have a proportioning valve, and I have a check valve on the booster. The prop valve is a PV-2, so I can check it to see if it is tripped to one side or the other. Ill also have to check the amount of vacuum Im making with the engine. Its going to be a few weeks before I can get back to this.
