nic55kel Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 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. Gary, You are right, 3/16" sounds way too much even with a collapsed spring. With the spring in place there is not supposed to be any slack. I don't know if you looked at the link I posted or not but apparently the caliper brackets can 'spread'. Hopefully that hasn't happened but if it has various solutions are mentioned. Not sure how difficult it is to source a good caliper mounting bracket. Not sure if the bracket is part of the knuckle or separate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 Gary, You are right, 3/16" sounds way too much even with a collapsed spring. With the spring in place there is not supposed to be any slack. I don't know if you looked at the link I posted or not but apparently the caliper brackets can 'spread'. Hopefully that hasn't happened but if it has various solutions are mentioned. Not sure how difficult it is to source a good caliper mounting bracket. Not sure if the bracket is part of the knuckle or separate. Bob - I did read most of the thread in the link. And agree that with the spring in there shouldn't be much movement. I suspect that something is badly worn and hope it is the caliper and not the knuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 Bob - I did read most of the thread in the link. And agree that with the spring in there shouldn't be much movement. I suspect that something is badly worn and hope it is the caliper and not the knuckle. Thanks for all the good information. As it turns out the spring was the issue. I put everything back together today with a new key and spring and the caliper was snug. Here is a photo of the two. The old one is basically flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 Thanks for all the good information. As it turns out the spring was the issue. I put everything back together today with a new key and spring and the caliper was snug. Here is a photo of the two. The old one is basically flat. That will make a huge difference! Glad it worked out. So, how are the brakes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic55kel Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 Thanks for all the good information. As it turns out the spring was the issue. I put everything back together today with a new key and spring and the caliper was snug. Here is a photo of the two. The old one is basically flat. Great to hear it was only the spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 That will make a huge difference! Glad it worked out. So, how are the brakes? The brakes keep getting better with every little thing I do. I haven’t rebuilt or replaced the calipers yet. I’m saving that for when I replace the front brake hoses as those are questionable also. Seems like calipers and hoses naturally go together. I’ve got a few other things I really want to do before it gets too cold to work outside. I need to change the rear differential fluid as some came out when I was working on the rear brakes. What came out wasn’t pretty so I can only imagine what is remaining. I also want to replace the aftermarket temp gage as it is not currently working. I keep looking around for a set of used tires to replace the rock hard bias ply’s. I truly believe they are the cause of the remaining vibration issues. So much to do…..so little time! I think I need to build a second garage so I can work indoors! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 That will make a huge difference! Glad it worked out. So, how are the brakes? The brakes keep getting better with every little thing I do. I haven’t rebuilt or replaced the calipers yet. I’m saving that for when I replace the front brake hoses as those are questionable also. Seems like calipers and hoses naturally go together. I’ve got a few other things I really want to do before it gets too cold to work outside. I need to change the rear differential fluid as some came out when I was working on the rear brakes. What came out wasn’t pretty so I can only imagine what is remaining. I also want to replace the aftermarket temp gage as it is not currently working. I keep looking around for a set of used tires to replace the rock hard bias ply’s. I truly believe they are the cause of the remaining vibration issues. So much to do…..so little time! I think I need to build a second garage so I can work indoors! I vote for a shop. If the calipers aren't leaking and there's material on the pads you won't gain much braking by rebuilding or replacing them. (That's assuming that the calipers are able to move easily side to side.) So I'd move on to the rear axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 I vote for a shop. If the calipers aren't leaking and there's material on the pads you won't gain much braking by rebuilding or replacing them. (That's assuming that the calipers are able to move easily side to side.) So I'd move on to the rear axle. First time I have been to a pick-N-pull yard since I was in high school. I think I did alright. Oddly enough, I pulled a dash cluster in high school as well so I could add the tach to the cluster in my 84 F150. I hope to do it again in my current truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 First time I have been to a pick-N-pull yard since I was in high school. I think I did alright. Oddly enough, I pulled a dash cluster in high school as well so I could add the tach to the cluster in my 84 F150. I hope to do it again in my current truck. Carl - First, I hope your truck has gauges instead of idiot lights for the oil pressure and water temp. That's because the wire harness for idiot lights has a plug that won't work with your new instrument cluster. Second, if you passed that test then you may find that some of the warning lights in the "eyebrow" are wrong. The early 1980 trucks had some of the warning lights in different places than the later trucks. I don't remember which ones, but I think our member Rogue_Wulff posted about them. You can fix things by moving the wires in the connector - just release the terminal in the connector and move it to where it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas75 Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 Carl - First, I hope your truck has gauges instead of idiot lights for the oil pressure and water temp. That's because the wire harness for idiot lights has a plug that won't work with your new instrument cluster. Second, if you passed that test then you may find that some of the warning lights in the "eyebrow" are wrong. The early 1980 trucks had some of the warning lights in different places than the later trucks. I don't remember which ones, but I think our member Rogue_Wulff posted about them. You can fix things by moving the wires in the connector - just release the terminal in the connector and move it to where it should be. I definitely have full gauges and no idiot lights. As for the tach itself, my plan is to physically remove it from the cluster I bought and install it in place of the tach delete plate in my current truck. I am 99% sure that’s what I did on my 84 back in high school and it worked. That said, it has been many years since I was in high school so…we’ll see how good my memory is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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