WHYDTYTT: What Have You Done To Your Truck Today?

[Gary Lewis]

Is a Bronco a truck? If it is...

I've been working to un-convert my rear brakes from disk back to drum (no parking brake with the disks has become too much of a problem). Over the last couple of months I've been collecting parts and slowly putting things back together. Yesterday I buttoned up the passenger side and turned it around in my garage so I could work on the driver's. Today I got the driver's side backing plate on and the axle shaft reinstalled. I still need to hook up the hydraulic line and slip the drum on, but basically I'm done with the brakes now!

Next part of the project is to convert from the aftermarket vacuum assist to hydroboost. My vacuum booster quit working last summer (manual brakes will lock all four tires though), and I can't get parts for it (no idea what the booster is from). So I'm going to put together a hydroboost system with a boost unit from a Ford SuperDuty and a master cylinder from a Dodge D-150. It'll take some fabricating to get everything to go together, but once it's together any service parts will be available at any Napa or whatever (as long as I remember what vehicle to say it's for!)

Yes, Jim, I turned a problem into a huge win. I'm stoked.

Angelo - Your father's truck does look pretty good. But your picture-posting abilities are questionable.

Bob - Ford considered the Bronco a truck as they included it in all the "light truck" literature, and that's good enough for me.

And the brakes are looking good. But why go to a Dodge master cylinder? Why not a Ford? (I'm seeking to learn, not criticize.) Does the Dodge have the right bolt spacing? Is it the piston size? And, what size fittings does it take? I ask because that can be a pain.

[Angelo Voltura]

Yes, Jim, I turned a problem into a huge win. I'm stoked.

Angelo - Your father's truck does look pretty good. But your picture-posting abilities are questionable.

Bob - Ford considered the Bronco a truck as they included it in all the "light truck" literature, and that's good enough for me.

And the brakes are looking good. But why go to a Dodge master cylinder? Why not a Ford? (I'm seeking to learn, not criticize.) Does the Dodge have the right bolt spacing? Is it the piston size? And, what size fittings does it take? I ask because that can be a pain.

Strange, they are straight on my phone...

[Gary Lewis]

Strange, they are straight on my phone...

On your phone when you took them, or on your phone when you look at the post?

[Nothing Special]

.... But why go to a Dodge master cylinder? Why not a Ford? (I'm seeking to learn, not criticize.) Does the Dodge have the right bolt spacing? Is it the piston size? And, what size fittings does it take? I ask because that can be a pain.

I'm on a Bronco-specific bulletin board that has quite a bit of traffic. Looking through their recommendations two hydroboost applications come up most often: Astro mini vans and SuperDuty diesels. I decided on the SuperDuty not because it's a Ford, but because they are newer and there are tons of them around. So finding parts for them in 20 years should be easier than finding parts for an early '90s Astro.

I'm not sure entirely why the D-150 master is recommended with the SuperDuty booster. One thing is that it's aluminum so it doesn't rust and it has a plastic reservoir so you can see the fluid level without opening it. Another I imagine is that it's sized appropriately for Broncos with front disks / rear drums (which is where they seem to be used). I'm thinking that if I were to use a SuperDuty master the fact that it's sized for SuperDuty brakes wouldn't be a good thing on my little Bronco brakes.

Bolt spacing I think will not be correct. I think I'm going to have to fabricate a plate to go between the booster and master, but that shouldn't be too hard (I have access to a mill at work). And then I'll need to get/make the right length push-rod to go between them, again pretty simple fab work.

I'll have to figure out fittings as well. And yes, it can be a pain. But D-150s were pretty common too, so it shouldn't be too hard (I know, famous last words!).

[Gary Lewis]

.... But why go to a Dodge master cylinder? Why not a Ford? (I'm seeking to learn, not criticize.) Does the Dodge have the right bolt spacing? Is it the piston size? And, what size fittings does it take? I ask because that can be a pain.

I'm on a Bronco-specific bulletin board that has quite a bit of traffic. Looking through their recommendations two hydroboost applications come up most often: Astro mini vans and SuperDuty diesels. I decided on the SuperDuty not because it's a Ford, but because they are newer and there are tons of them around. So finding parts for them in 20 years should be easier than finding parts for an early '90s Astro.

I'm not sure entirely why the D-150 master is recommended with the SuperDuty booster. One thing is that it's aluminum so it doesn't rust and it has a plastic reservoir so you can see the fluid level without opening it. Another I imagine is that it's sized appropriately for Broncos with front disks / rear drums (which is where they seem to be used). I'm thinking that if I were to use a SuperDuty master the fact that it's sized for SuperDuty brakes wouldn't be a good thing on my little Bronco brakes.

Bolt spacing I think will not be correct. I think I'm going to have to fabricate a plate to go between the booster and master, but that shouldn't be too hard (I have access to a mill at work). And then I'll need to get/make the right length push-rod to go between them, again pretty simple fab work.

I'll have to figure out fittings as well. And yes, it can be a pain. But D-150s were pretty common too, so it shouldn't be too hard (I know, famous last words!).

Any Ford truck master later than maybe '87 will be aluminum with a plastic reservoir. And the '95 F450 master I'm using bolts right up to the '95 hydroboost unit.

I'm curious what the Dodge master's piston sizes are. I'm wondering how all of this works.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Any Ford truck master later than maybe '87 will be aluminum with a plastic reservoir. And the '95 F450 master I'm using bolts right up to the '95 hydroboost unit.

I'm curious what the Dodge master's piston sizes are. I'm wondering how all of this works.

As for me, I went over to Theo's to retrieve a pair of tires, a pair of jack stands, my floor jack, some body panels and a wheel chock.

Theo is the wrecker driver who bought the 450 cab.

He has quite the managerie of '90's F-150's

I'll be doing a motor and 4x4 Zf swap in his Flareside.

The Mazda and it's TC can be had (locally) at that time.

[Angelo Voltura]

On your phone when you took them, or on your phone when you look at the post?

Gary, I took them vertically on my phone. Weird...

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, I took them vertically on my phone. Weird...

Forums, and this one especially, don't read the metadata stored in the picture so don't know up from down. Your phone does. So what you see on the phone before posting has no relation to what will be posted.

The best way to fix it is to open the pic in an editing app, which usually reorients the pic properly. Then save it and post the saved pic. That USUALLY works, but not always.

[Nothing Special]

Any Ford truck master later than maybe '87 will be aluminum with a plastic reservoir. And the '95 F450 master I'm using bolts right up to the '95 hydroboost unit.

I'm curious what the Dodge master's piston sizes are. I'm wondering how all of this works.

As to whether a SuperDuty (which means '99 and later F-250 / F-350) master would work in this application, or if not, exactly why not, I don't know. I don't want to take the time to reseach all of the options, so I'm asking people who have done it what they recommend. And that's the Astro booster with a Camaro master or a SuperDuty booster with a D-150 master. I don't know that what I end up with will be the best. But I'm pretty confident that it will be good.

To the extent that I have thought about it, it makes sense that a master cylinder intended for an older half ton truck which has pretty much the same brakes as my Bronco ('70s vintage front disks and rear drums that fit inside of 15" rims) would be a better choice than a master that's intended for a 1 ton truck with four wheel disks that require 17" rims (or maybe even 18"?) to clear. Not saying that I know the SuperDuty master wouldn't work, But I wouldn't expect it to be as good a fit as one from an older half ton.

For Big Blue I think it makes sense for a truck that has F-350 brakes to use an F-Superduty master (no such thing as an F-450 until '99 when Superduty became SuperDuty and applied down to the F-250HD). Not a big difference (if any) in the brakes so I would expect that the same master would be fine.

And for what it's worth, the front brakes on my Bronco are off a Chevy truck. So going with the Dodge master cylinder just pulls the rest of the Big Three in!

 

[Gary Lewis]

Any Ford truck master later than maybe '87 will be aluminum with a plastic reservoir. And the '95 F450 master I'm using bolts right up to the '95 hydroboost unit.

I'm curious what the Dodge master's piston sizes are. I'm wondering how all of this works.

As to whether a SuperDuty (which means '99 and later F-250 / F-350) master would work in this application, or if not, exactly why not, I don't know. I don't want to take the time to reseach all of the options, so I'm asking people who have done it what they recommend. And that's the Astro booster with a Camaro master or a SuperDuty booster with a D-150 master. I don't know that what I end up with will be the best. But I'm pretty confident that it will be good.

To the extent that I have thought about it, it makes sense that a master cylinder intended for an older half ton truck which has pretty much the same brakes as my Bronco ('70s vintage front disks and rear drums that fit inside of 15" rims) would be a better choice than a master that's intended for a 1 ton truck with four wheel disks that require 17" rims (or maybe even 18"?) to clear. Not saying that I know the SuperDuty master wouldn't work, But I wouldn't expect it to be as good a fit as one from an older half ton.

For Big Blue I think it makes sense for a truck that has F-350 brakes to use an F-Superduty master (no such thing as an F-450 until '99 when Superduty became SuperDuty and applied down to the F-250HD). Not a big difference (if any) in the brakes so I would expect that the same master would be fine.

And for what it's worth, the front brakes on my Bronco are off a Chevy truck. So going with the Dodge master cylinder just pulls the rest of the Big Three in!

 

I wasn't trying to suggest you are doing the wrong thing. I'm just trying to learn how it all works.

As for the F450, I thought Jim told me the parts came off of a '95 F450.

I do need to find out exactly what I have so it can be replaced at some point in time. But it sure looks BIG! Hope the brakes are dramatically better than what they were, but I really ought to be able to lock them up. Not sure that means stopping, but ......