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1951 Ford Gets ECI Disc Brakes- Addressing The '49-51 FordPart II: Replacing Stock Drums With ECI Disc Brakes From the March, 2009 issue of Street Rodder By Eric Geisert
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If you happened to pick up the last issue of Street Rodder, then you already know about the '51 Ford going together at Fatman Fabrications in Charlotte, North Carolina. A long-time supplier to the hot rod industry for nearly anything you could want for under your car (from independent suspensions to a complete chassis), Fatman, owned and operated by Brent VanDerVort, also offers a large assortment of suspension parts and pieces for the post-'48 crowd. In this second installment of the series, Fatman addresses what it takes to make this 3,000-pound vehicle stop more efficiently. Remember, even though the Flattie that powered this coupe would allow it to cruise at today's freeway speeds (65-75 mph), stopping from that speed with a stock braking system was, at best, something of a chore. Slowing and stopping a ton-and-a-half road warrior dictates the use of some applied science. As Brent tells us, "Modern highways have changed everything. Higher speeds, better tires, and our familiarity with new cars with better handling created a need to improve both stability and braking. If that econobox ahead of you on the freeway can stop 80 feet less than you can, a refresher course in tin straightening may be in your future." Disassembly begins by removing... Disassembly begins by removing the hub dust cover, cotter pin, and then the castle nut. Next are the tang washer and the outer bearing. The brake drum and hub assembly pulls straight off, generally taking the inner bearing and seal with it. In this article, we'll watch as Fatman swaps the stock Ford drum brakes for one of his disc brake conversion kits, with some of its parts supplied by Engineered Components, Inc., or, as they're also known, ECI. All of the frames Fatman sells come standard with ECI kits that use early GM "big" piston calipers, which Brent claims provide 65 percent more braking capacity than the stock Mustang II, and twice as much as other kits that use the small-piston GM calipers. They come with 11-inch discs and use OEM parts that are easily serviceable, as you can find parts at your local auto parts store, should you need to make emergency repairs. In commenting on the requirements of the master cylinder, Brent goes on to say, "Those options are limited due to the lack of space under the floor. In fact, convertibles have an X-member that makes putting a dual master cylinder, or any kind of a booster, darn near impossible. They do best with an aftermarket pedal assembly and a firewall-mounted booster (the shallow nine-inch-diameter units work well). But one unique way we found that works (and still keeps everything under the floor) is to use a Hydroboost power system run through the power steering pump. Next, remove the backing plate... Next, remove the backing plate bolts, which will also allow the removal of the steering arm. With the bolts undone, the backing plate pulls straight off. "The other body styles without the X-member have a transmission mount that interferes with a dual master cylinder bolted to the stock pedal assembly, but you can use a nice kit from ECI which allows either a single pedal for automatics or dual for standard shift. The kit also includes a new pedal pivot bracket and a longer pushrod to actuate a remote-mounted master cylinder." In an upcoming issue, Street Rodder will examine what it takes to go to the next level from Fatman Fabrications: installing a newly-manufactured front stub that is set up for independent suspension. Constraints of a printed magazine only allow us to present an overview of how this kit was installed. But if you'd like to see a full, nut-by-nut, how-to of this drum swap and brake installation, then check out www.streetroddermag.com for the full story, complete with 52 photos. Like we've mentioned before, there is enough work here to keep you busy for just a day or for several days, depending on your plan of attack. But either way you go, you'll end up with a hot rod with improved handling and performance-and who doesn't want a little bit more of that?  There is a tapered pin holding...  There is a tapered pin holding the kingpin in place in the spindle. From the front, use a blunt point drift to drive it out. The large end of the pin will protrude slightly on the backside of the spindle.  The kingpin is also retained...  The kingpin is also retained by a grease seal disc on both the upper and lower ends. Remove the upper seal by puncturing it with a tapered center punch, and then prying out the seal. Finish the kingpin removal by using the 1/2" drift to push the kingpin out the bottom of the spindle.  The spindle will now pull...  The spindle will now pull out of the upright assembly.  Check to see if the kingpin...  Check to see if the kingpin still fits snugly into the spindle bore (they are occasionally too loose to work properly). No one repops this item, so if it's loose, you can either find another spindle, or have a machine shop slightly oversize the bore and then grind a new pin to size, later reaming the kingpin bushings to match.  There is a top side to the...  There is a top side to the spindle, identified by the scalloped upper edge. They will assemble inverted, but the wheel camber will be off about 15 degrees! This is handy knowledge if this common error occurs on your project.  We begin disassembly of the...  We begin disassembly of the suspension by removing the bolt at the upper end of the upright, which pinches the upper pivot pin (trunnion pin) to hold alignment settings.  The lower trunnion pin removes...  The lower trunnion pin removes in a similar manner to the upper.  The upper trunnion pin is...  The upper trunnion pin is then removed by taking off the jam nut on one side, then turning the pin until it comes clear of the upper control arm.  Here's a trick for dealing...  Here's a trick for dealing with the trunnion pin seals. The seals can be pulled over the ends of the control arm during the disassembly of the upright. When reassembly occurs, the seals are simply pulled back over. the ends of the control arm to cover the trunnion pin's exposed threads. This is much easier than trying to stuff all the parts in place at once!  The upper trunnion pin threads...  The upper trunnion pin threads into a replaceable bushing in the upright. Remove that bushing for reuse later if the pin still fits. These would also be replaced as a set if you are completely rebuilding the suspension.  The lower trunnion bushing...  The lower trunnion bushing also has a pinch bolt that must be removed.  Save the lower bushing, too,...  Save the lower bushing, too, or replace it as discussed regarding the upper bushing.  The old way of lowering these...  The old way of lowering these cars was simply to invert the upright (shown inverted here). Since the upper and lower trunnion bushings have the same outside diameter, this can be done, but several serious problems then exist. First, the camber will be off to a considerable degree, which must be corrected by heating and bending the slender portion of the uprights. Then the outer tie rod end will have been moved to a position 2.5 inches higher than as it was originally, which creates enormous bumpsteer. That can be corrected by more heating and bending of the steering arm, returning the outer tie rod end to its original height, relative to the suspension pivot points. Fatman developed their new parts with both the drop and correct geometry included.  Inspect and clean the trunnion...  Inspect and clean the trunnion bushings if they are to be reused. Note that their outer diameter measurements match, so don't get them confused. The upper bushing (right) is identified by the hexagonal shaper, where a wrench will turn its eccentric diameter while setting the camber during alignment.  To start the reassembly, tap...  To start the reassembly, tap the upper bushing in on the new upright. Since the upright is designed to lower the car by raising the kingpin bosses, note that the upper kingpin boss will now be very near the upper trunnion pin boss. The bushings can be installed from either side of the boss. Insert the lower trunnion bushing in the same manner.  Add the pinch bolts as shown,...  Add the pinch bolts as shown, with the bolt pointing toward the inboard side of the upright, adding the Nyloc nut to finish.  Insert the new upright into...  Insert the new upright into the control arm.  Insert the trunnion pins,...  Insert the trunnion pins, threading them through bushings in the upright.  Pull the trunnion pin seals...  Pull the trunnion pin seals over the exposed threads. If yours are original, damaged, or missing, they can be replaced with a one-inch inner diameter heater hose. This size is commonly used on large trucks, and can be had at NAPA and truck supply stores.  With the seals in place, this...  With the seals in place, this is what you should be looking at.  The thrust bearing should...  The thrust bearing should first be packed with grease, and then added to the upper side of the spindle. This allows it to carry the weight of the car against the lower side of the upper kingpin boss. Shims are then added to the bottom side of the spindle, against the upper side of the lower kingpin boss. The shims take up any vertical play between the spindle and the upright due to wear or manufacturing tolerances, but not to bear any weight. Early Ford axles have the exact opposite arrangement, with the thrust bearing on the bottom side (hence some confusion).  The new, fitted kingpin is...  The new, fitted kingpin is inserted from the bottom of the spindle. Push it up just enough to allow the spindle bore to mate up to the kingpin.  Then add the upper and lower...  Then add the upper and lower grease cap seals with the convex (bowed) side facing out. Set them in place permanently with a tap in their center, expanding the diameter and locking them in place. Add the new steering arms with the outer tie-rod end boss toward the rear of the car. If it doesn't fit, check to see you don't have the kingpin thrust bearing in the wrong position.  Installing the ECI disc brake...  Installing the ECI disc brake kit begins by test-fitting the triangular adaptor plate to the top side of the spindle on the inboard side of the backing plate.  Variations in the spindle...  Variations in the spindle forgings caused us to relieve the inner radius of the ears of the brake adapter plate just enough to clear the spindle.  Then tap the kingpin the rest...  Then tap the kingpin the rest of the way up, engaging the thrust bearing, making sure to line up the holes for the lock pin, which can be tapped (not beaten) into place.  The main caliper mount plate...  The main caliper mount plate is added to the inboard side of the adaptor plate, as well as some spacers between the plates. Note that the lower end of the caliper mount plate has a small plate welded over a relief, which aids bolting the plate in place over the forward end of the steering arm.  A drill is used to dial in...  A drill is used to dial in the alignment of the holes in the spindle, steering arm, and caliper plate.  With the holes reamed, the...  With the holes reamed, the bolts are inserted and tightened.  Though you wouldn't need to...  Though you wouldn't need to do this step with the Chevy bolt pattern version of this kit, we're using a Ford bolt pattern (to match the Maverick eight-inch rear), so an inner bearing spacer needs to be installed.  A section of tubing (marked...  A section of tubing (marked "'50 Ford disk adapter driver") is used to gently tap the bearing spacer squarely in place.  Here's the spindle with the...  Here's the spindle with the adaptor and caliper brackets in place and prior to mounting the rotor.  The rotor assembly begins...  The rotor assembly begins with packing the bearings thoroughly with the proper high temp disc brake grease, then dropping them into the rotor (we're showing a dry assembly for this shoot). Ford bolt pattern kits like this one use the races as supplied in the rotors. The Chevy bolt pattern version of this kit requires the outer bearing race to be changed to the one supplied with the A-2 bearing that is used in that kit.  The seal must be installed...  The seal must be installed using a flat plate (or block of wood) to avoid ruining it with a hammer. Don't be concerned if the seal sticks out of the hub a little.  The packed and sealed rotor...  The packed and sealed rotor is set in place on the spindle and the grease-packed outer bearing in installed (again, our assembly is dry).  The tang washer goes on with...  The tang washer goes on with the tang lined up with the slot on the spindle. The castle nut goes on next, and is tightened until the rotor drags strongly, then backed off a couple notches. The cotter pin is then added and bent over to secure the castle nut, and the dust cover is popped back into place.  With the brake pads already...  With the brake pads already inside the caliper, the assembly is set in place next. Be certain that the unit's bleeder screw is on top! (It is designed to release air in the line, not fluid). The small "L" casting on the caliper should be pointing up.  Add the slide pins and tighten...  Add the slide pins and tighten them with a 3/8-inch Allen wrench, and you're done.
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