Atlas75 Posted October 7, 2021 Author Share Posted October 7, 2021 The bolt is the "key retaining screw"? Here's the procedure from the factory shop manual: So it should just tap out. I tried it again tonight and it still would not budge. I guess I’ll keep spraying it and hammering on it until it lets loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 So it should just tap out. I tried it again tonight and it still would not budge. I guess I’ll keep spraying it and hammering on it until it lets loose. FINALLY! After a week of spraying and hammering, the key came out of the passenger side caliper. Yesterday the caliper started to slide just a little but so this morning I focused on that and got a fair amount of movement by compressing the pistons and hammering the caliper back and forth. The key still needed a lot of work and took about two hours to get it out. It was just filled with rust and dirt. I think I’m going to get new hardware and pads and reuse the caliper. The pistons did compress so I am hopeful it will work ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 FINALLY! After a week of spraying and hammering, the key came out of the passenger side caliper. Yesterday the caliper started to slide just a little but so this morning I focused on that and got a fair amount of movement by compressing the pistons and hammering the caliper back and forth. The key still needed a lot of work and took about two hours to get it out. It was just filled with rust and dirt. I think I’m going to get new hardware and pads and reuse the caliper. The pistons did compress so I am hopeful it will work ok. Congrat's!!! Glad you got it out. But you can rebuild the caliper. They sell pistons and seals, which is all that needs to be replaced. I did it for Big Blue and they work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 Congrat's!!! Glad you got it out. But you can rebuild the caliper. They sell pistons and seals, which is all that needs to be replaced. I did it for Big Blue and they work great. I’ll have to look for a video on how to do that. I searched Rock Auto and found the caliper rebuild kits but they are out of stock on the kits with the piston seals. Anywhere else sell a good kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 I’ll have to look for a video on how to do that. I searched Rock Auto and found the caliper rebuild kits but they are out of stock on the kits with the piston seals. Anywhere else sell a good kit? I didn't create a video of refurbishing the calipers because it was pretty straight forward. But this thread shows the results and discusses a couple of things about doing it. And this post details what I ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 I didn't create a video of refurbishing the calipers because it was pretty straight forward. But this thread shows the results and discusses a couple of things about doing it. And this post details what I ordered. I was able to remove the caliper from the drivers side today. After the fight I had with the passenger side I fully expected more of the same but it was not nearly as bad. I did find something strange though. While the key was still a pain to remove, the caliper itself was not tight in the knuckle like the passenger side was. In fact it seemed more loose than it should be. I could move the caliper up and down about 3/16 of an inch in the knuckle. Does this seem normal? I took a few photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I was able to remove the caliper from the drivers side today. After the fight I had with the passenger side I fully expected more of the same but it was not nearly as bad. I did find something strange though. While the key was still a pain to remove, the caliper itself was not tight in the knuckle like the passenger side was. In fact it seemed more loose than it should be. I could move the caliper up and down about 3/16 of an inch in the knuckle. Does this seem normal? I took a few photos. That’s not normal. It should be a pretty close fit or it will rattle. While you can’t swap the calipers and use them that way you should be able to swap to see if it is the caliper or the knuckle that is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic55kel Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 That’s not normal. It should be a pretty close fit or it will rattle. While you can’t swap the calipers and use them that way you should be able to swap to see if it is the caliper or the knuckle that is wrong. I thought the spring was supposed to take up the free play. How do the springs compare? If the spring is okay then that amount of wear on either the caliper or the mount should be easily visible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic55kel Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 That’s not normal. It should be a pretty close fit or it will rattle. While you can’t swap the calipers and use them that way you should be able to swap to see if it is the caliper or the knuckle that is wrong. Here is a thread that may give you some useful information: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1498309-brake-caliper-falls-off-1981-f-250-dual-piston-caliper.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I thought the spring was supposed to take up the free play. How do the springs compare? If the spring is okay then that amount of wear on either the caliper or the mount should be easily visible. Yes, the spring is supposed to take up the slack. But I don't think there is supposed to be 3/16's of an inch slack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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