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Reliable Binders For Twin I-Beam Fords - Fast BrakeFrom the July, 2012 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By Ryan Manson
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Here’s the kit as it comes... Here’s the kit as it comes straight from LMC Truck. Based on reproduction 1973-79 Ford pickup parts, it’s completely assembled and ready to mate to each axle. There’s really no excuse to be driving around on today’s highways with 40-plus-year-old drum brakes. I’m sure the design worked fine driving around on the farm or around town at 35 mph, but the majority of our driving duties have changed over the years, as have those around us. In the mid ’60s, most of the cars on the road had drum brakes still and drivers drove their cars accordingly. Today, with most cars featuring advanced braking and suspension designs of some sort, to be the only vehicle on the road with antiquated braking has you at a significant disadvantage. So then why do it? There are a number of excuses one can come up with when it comes to why they haven’t made the upgrade and you’re likely to hear a comment or two of how “it worked fine back then,” but things change. We don’t shoot rolls of film and type out these stories on typewriters even though that probably worked fine back then, too. Hop on any highway across the country and if you’re not maintaining the minimum speed limit, you’re likely to get run over by an 18-wheeler. Our trucks need to keep up with the changing environment just like everything else. And one of those changes comes by way of upgrades to the suspension and braking system. Safety should be at the forefront of the upgrades that we make. Brakes that fade during heavy use, are susceptible to failure in wet conditions, and have a tendency to pull, lock up, or otherwise react unreliably should be replaced before any aesthetic modifications are made. And so, that was the logic when I contacted the gang over at LMC Truck to talk about brake upgrades for ’69 Ford trucks. Our buddy Danny Valenzuela’s been driving his ’69 Ford F-100 across the Los Angeles basin for the past year or so commuting to work, running errands, and picking up his daughter from school. We got to talking about some of the upgrades he wanted to make to his pickup and we both decided that the brakes should be the first on that list. With LMC Truck’s kit in hand, we got Danny to swing the ’69 by the shop so we could bring it up to speed. To do so requires removing... To do so requires removing the kingpin assembly for both axles and replacing them with new ones. Thankfully, LMC offers a kingpin kit that consists of new kingpins, bushings, bearings, dust caps, and locking bolts to handle this job. The install went together pretty smoothly, but there are a few things that should be pointed out that I didn’t take into consideration beforehand. One, assume that the axles are going to need to be removed from the truck to press out the kingpins. Doing so requires, for all intents and purposes, the removal of the entire front suspension. Take the time and replace all the bushings while you’ve got these things disassembled. I didn’t and wish I had, although the truck will be getting lowered at some point in time, so we’ll be revisiting the components sooner than later. Two, check out the steering components as well so that you can replace those while you’re at it. Worn tie rods, whether on the center link, drag link, or the inner tie rod, should be replaced; now is the time. Lastly, if you’re truck is as greasy and grimy as Danny’s, do yourself a favor and hit it with some degreaser and a pressure washer, you’ll be thanking yourself later. While the Ford twin I-beam design with its kingpins does involve a bit of extra labor when compared to a similar brake swap on a Chevy truck, we had the truck up and running, bled and all, in two days’ time. That makes for a perfect weekend upgrade to that daily driver you’ve been putting off.  A new dual master cylinder...  A new dual master cylinder is necessary when swapping from a fourwheel
drum brake system to facilitate the higher pressures required
from a disc brake application. For our setup, we’ll be using a manual,
non-boosted master cylinder.  A proportioning valve is also...  A proportioning valve is also necessary to maintain proper front to
rear brake bias when using disc brakes up front and drum brakes
out back. This controls the line pressure between the front and rear
brakes to prevent premature rear wheel lockup.  The stock drum brake,
though...  The stock drum brake,
though fairly beefy with its
self-energizing 11x2-inch
brake shoes, has a number
of drawbacks. Bad
wet-weather performance,
susceptibility for brake
fade under heavy braking,
and unreliable stopping
power all make a drumbrake
system a good
candidate for an upgrade
to discs.  Of course, the first step...  Of course, the first step in upgrading from drums to discs is to remove
the drum brake components themselves. Starting with the spindle
nut, first the drum is removed, followed by the four fasteners that
attach the backing plate to the spindle. The steering arm attaches to
the spindle using the lower two backing-plate fasteners so this can be
disconnected at this time as well.  Next, we’ll work on removing...  Next, we’ll work on removing the kingpins which hold the spindle to
each axle. First the dust caps are removed…  …followed by the locking bolt....  …followed by the locking bolt. The locking bolt serves two purposes.
One is to keep the kingpin from falling out the bottom of the axle boss. Since Danny had been driving the truck around for as long as he had, I assumed that the drum brakes must be working better than I would expect. I was nervously amused, however, when I stepped on the brake approaching the street from the parking lot and didn’t feel that sudden deceleration that one expects when said pedal is applied. Instead, I kept on rolling toward the street, directly in the path of an oncoming vehicle. A quick, anxious jab of the brake pedal got the truck stopped, however, and I laughed out loud, quickly reminding myself that I was driving a 4,000-pound truck with drum brakes that I wasn’t used to. Since completing the upgrade, I asked Danny how the truck handles, then and now. “Before when I would hit the brakes on the freeway, I would never know which direction it would decide to head as one brake overpowered the other. It was a constant struggle to keep the truck heading in straight line. Now, you simply mash the brake pedal and it comes to a swift, straight stop. A light amount of pressure on the pedal is all it takes to keep it from creeping at a stop sign as well, so that’s a great improvement to my daily commute.” Nothing beats a little personal testimonial, eh?! CCT  The second is to ensure that...  The second is to ensure that the spindles rotate around the kingpin
while it remains affixed to the axle.  Some kingpins can be removed...  Some kingpins can be removed using a hammer and a drift while still bolted up to the chassis. However, most will need to be removed from the truck and pressed out using a hydraulic press. This is one of those Ford vs. Chevy battles that Chevy definitely wins as the process of removing each axle to press out the kingpins adds a bit of unnecessary labor to the overall task.  Some kingpins can be removed...  Some kingpins can be removed using a hammer and a drift while still bolted up to the chassis. However, most will need to be removed from the truck and pressed out using a hydraulic press. This is one of those Ford vs. Chevy battles that Chevy definitely wins as the process of removing each axle to press out the kingpins adds a bit of unnecessary labor to the overall task.  Some kingpins can be removed...  Some kingpins can be removed using a hammer and a drift while still bolted up to the chassis. However, most will need to be removed from the truck and pressed out using a hydraulic press. This is one of those Ford vs. Chevy battles that Chevy definitely wins as the process of removing each axle to press out the kingpins adds a bit of unnecessary labor to the overall task.  Installing the new kingpins...  Installing the new kingpins is much easier
than removing the old ones. Using light pressure,
a drift is used to drive it through the
axle and lower spindle boss. Be sure to align
the keyway with the hole in the axle for the
locking bolt. At this point, excess kingpin
wear on the axle should be checked by rocking
the spindle back and forth. If the kingpin
is loose in the axle, the axle may need to be
machined or replaced.  Next the locking bolt is installed...  Next the locking bolt is installed and tightened.
Note that the “knurled” side faces the
kingpin. The locking bolt is tapered so as to
lock itself against the kingpin and the axle.  The upper and lower dust caps...  The upper and lower dust caps and zerk fittings
are then installed on the spindle, followed
by the brake hose. At this point, the
axle and spindle assembly has been installed
back on the truck.  Greasing the zerk fittings...  Greasing the zerk fittings is one of the last
things that needs to be done to the suspension
components.  At this point, the suspension...  At this point, the suspension components are wrapped up and we’re ready to install the master
cylinder and bleed the brakes.  Before we do so
however, the...  Before we do so
however, the master
cylinder must be
bench bled. This is
as easily done bolted
to the firewall or
clamped in a vise
on a workbench.
Fluid is cycled
through the master
cylinder until all the
air in the master
cylinder is removed
from the system.
Then it’s time to
hook up the brake
lines and bleed the
rest of the brake
components.  One thing worth mentioning...  One thing worth mentioning is the fact that
the stock brake lines are flipped on the original
master as opposed to the new LMC master.
In stock guise, the front brake line mated
to the back port on the master and the rear,
the front. The larger chamber was to provide
more braking power to the front drum brakes,
responsible for approximately 70 percent of
the braking duty.  Once the brake lines were...  Once the brake lines were rerouted, it was a
simple task to run each line to the appropriate
location on the proportioning valve. We
also took the opportunity to install a low
pressure brake light switch on the prop valve.
We’re now ready to bleed the brakes and hit
the road!
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The Thinker??? - Haul Monitor
Ryan talks about the friendly badgering that goes on around the shop and overcoming obstacles that seemly pop up out of nowhere during a project....
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