1979 Ford F150 4X4 brake job

[hotrodpc]

Eeewwwweeee, Thats a pretty new wheel cylinder !!! Don't forget to get some brake clean and get that backing plate cleaned off. The stuff works great. You may also wish to use a small wire brush to help the cleaner a bit. Do not scrub on it, until you have sprayed it, and DO NOT blow it off with an air gun. That's the **** you don't want to breathe, so get it wet with brake clean before you scrub a bit with the brush and that will keep the stuff from going airborne and you breathing it. I also put a piece of carbboard or lowcut box under the backing plate to catch all the **** that drips off and keep it out of the grass in your case. While you are getting the brake clean, get you a wheel stud too. I think the loop you are reffering to is the retainer, sorta like a horsehoe shaped snap ring that holds your parking brake lever in the shoe. Otherwise I am not sure what you other questions are. Someone made the suggestion of taking a picture of the brakes before you take them apart. Did you do that yet? If not, you should do it on the other side before you take it apart. Take a straight on pic so you see where everything goes in the event you get stuck. You are doing fine though. Thats the way to dive in and get it done. You may need to get you a cheap tubing bender to make a few bends in the brake line from the rear brake line T on the rear end. I can only assume that is what you are reffering to as the silver box. Mabye you can get a pic of silver box too so we all know what you are reffering to. Since you are doing this on grass, I assume you are using blocks instead of jackstands???

[hotrodpc]

Also keep in mind, and very important, when you buy your brake line have a good idea of the size you need and DO NOT go any longer than necessary. By making it to long, you may end up with a part that will stick up, hang over, or hang down where it can get hung up on something on one your trails. If it gets hung on something it can easily get caught and ripped off. That may very well be why it is missing too.

[ErwinRommel]

Yeah, I have a poor mans garage.....outside. Poor mans jack stand.....wood and cinderblocks. What size brake line? I will get more pictures when I head back out there tomorrow. Thanks for the help.

What are the two little metal peices that go in both ends of the wheel cylinders? I have the originals and they are rusted but I may can still use them?

It's a loop thing that hooks on the the little pin peice above the wheel cylinder on the brake drum frame...and the line goes to the bottom of the brake shoes and hooks up to something else.

[hotrodpc]

At first I was thinking you are talking about your wheel cylinder pistons, but that is inside the wheel cylinder, so you are talking about the parts that go between your wheel cylinder and you brake shoes. Those are the parts that push your shoes into the drum and make you stop. Believe it or not, I don't know the correct name for those either. It is common for them to be ugly. They do not have to be very clean. I would just hit them with some brake clean, and a shot of WD-40, wipe em off and use them. Not very critial they are clean, just critical they are there and in properly.

[crabtruck]

Thought it might be useful to have the "official" type terms
so that it might go easier for you at the parts counter and
also anyone who might read this in the future has the info.

This is for your truck:


Bronco, F-150 Brake Shoes REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
1 Raise and support the vehicle and remove the wheel and brake drum from the wheel.
NOTE: If you have never replaced the brakes on a vehicle before and you are not too familiar
with the procedures involved, only dissemble and assemble one side at a time,
leaving the other side intact as a reference during reassembly.
2 Install a clamp over the ends of the wheel cylinder to prevent the pistons of the wheel cylinder from coming out,
causing loss of fluid and much grief.
3 Contract the brake shoes by pulling the self-adjusting lever away from the starwheel adjustment screw
and turn the starwheel up and back until the pivot nut is drawn onto the starwheel as far as it will come.
SEE PICTURES
4. Pull the adjusting lever, cable and automatic adjuster spring down and toward the rear
to unhook the pivot hook from the large hole in the secondary shoe web.
Do not attempt to pry the pivot hook from the hole.
5 Remove the automatic adjuster spring and the adjusting lever.
6 Remove the secondary shoe-to-anchor spring with a brake tool.
(Brake tools are very common implements and are available to auto parts stores).
Remove the primary shoe-to-anchor spring and unhook the cable anchor. Remove the anchor pin plate.
7 Remove the cable guide from the secondary shoe.
8 Remove the shoe holddown springs, shoes, adjusting screw, pivot nut, and socket.
Note the color of each holddown spring for assembly.
To remove the holddown springs, reach behind the brake backing plate and
place one finger on the end of one of the brake holddown spring mounting pins.
Using a pair of pliers, grasp the washer type retainer on top of the holddown spring that corresponds
to the pin which you are holding.
Push down on the pliers and turn them 90 degrees to align the slot in the washer with the head on the spring mounting pin.
Remove the spring and washer retainer and repeat this operation on the hold down spring on the other shoe.
9 Remove the parking brake link and spring. Disconnect the parking brake cable from the parking brake lever.
10 After removing the rear brake secondary shoe, disassemble the parking brake lever from the shoe
by removing the retaining clip and spring washer.

11 Assemble the parking brake lever to the secondary shoe and secure it with the spring washer and retaining clip.
12 Apply a light coating of Lubriplate® at the points where the brake shoes contact the backing plate.
13 Position the brake shoes on the backing plate, and install the holddown spring pins, springs, and spring washer type retainers.
On the rear brake, install the parking brake link, spring and washer.
Connect the parking brake cable to the parking brake lever.
14 Install the anchor pin plate, and place the cable anchor over the anchor pin with the crimped side toward the backing plate.
15 Install the primary shoe-to-anchor spring with the brake tool.
16 Install the cable guide on the secondary shoe web with the flanged holes fitted into the hole in the secondary shoe web.
Thread the cable around the cable guide groove.
17 Install the secondary shoe-to-anchor (long) spring.
Be sure that the cable end is not cocked or binding on the anchor pin when installed.
All of the parts should be flat on the anchor pin. Remove the wheel cylinder piston clamp.
18 Apply Lubriplate® to the threads and the socket end of the adjusting starwheel screw.
Turn the adjusting screw into the adjusting pivot nut to the limit of the threads and then back off 1/2 turn.
NOTE: Interchanging the brake shoe adjusting screw assemblies from one side of the vehicle to the other would cause the brake shoes to retract rather than expand each time the automatic adjusting mechanism is operated.
To prevent this, the socket end of the adjusting screw is stamped with an "R" or an "L" for "RIGHT" or "LEFT".
The adjusting pivot nuts can be distinguished by the number of lines machined around the body of the nut;
one line indicates left hand nut and two lines indicate a right hand nut.
19 Place the adjusting socket on the screw and install this assembly between the shoe ends
with the adjusting screw nearest to the secondary shoe.
20 Place the cable hook into the hole in the adjusting lever from the backing plate side.
The adjusting levers are stamped R(right) or L(left) to indicate their installation on the right or left hand brake assembly.
21 Position the hooked end of the adjuster spring in the primary shoe web and
connect the loop end of the spring to the adjuster lever hole.
22 Pull the adjuster lever, cable and automatic adjuster spring down toward the rear
to engage the pivot hook in the large hole in the secondary shoe web.
23 After installation, check the action of the adjuster by pulling the section of the cable guide and the adjusting lever
toward the secondary shoe web far enough to lift the lever past a tooth on the adjusting screw starwheel.
The lever should snap into position behind the next tooth, and release of the cable should cause
the adjuster spring to return the lever to its original position.
This return action of the lever will turn the adjusting screw starwheel one tooth.
The lever should contact the adjusting screw starwheel one tooth above the centerline of the adjusting screw.

If the automatic adjusting mechanism does not perform properly, check the following:
24 Check the cable and fittings. The cable ends should fill or extend slightly beyond the crimped section of the fittings.
If this is not the case, replace the cable.
25 Check the cable guide for damage. The cable groove should be parallel to the shoe web,
and the body of the guide should lie flat against the web. Replace the cable guide if this is not so.
26 Check the pivot hook on the lever. The hook surfaces should be square with the body on the lever for proper pivoting.
Repair or replace the hook as necessary.
27 Make sure that the adjusting screw starwheel is properly seated in the notch in the shoe web.

[hotrodpc]

Nice info Crab. Funny to see one of those "Special" tools again. I've never in my life been able to use one. I did many many rear brakes with a decent size screwdriver and channelocks. When someone did have a tool laying around and I tried to use it, I felt so uncoordinated with it, I went back to my screwdriver.

[ErwinRommel]

This brought a tear to my eye. Sike! Thank yall guys for helping me. Yeah, I have that special tool that I got from the Unit. I don't know how to use it but I removed one spring from the drum with it. Hah. I need a new self adjustment cable because it was snapped in half. I need a new adjustment screw with all that stuff that is on it.
And also new rear brake lines.

I looked at the f150 book I have to remove the shoes, but Crab...this will help me alot with what you typed to me. Thank you.

[crabtruck]

Hotrod I have a number of those tools and am not a big fan of them.
Smooth jaw vise grips are my preferred method,
when I had to do Hondas I usually could do the springs with my hands only,
no tools. Hands are not quite as good now a days.

That of course was not my original info, I was just trying to pass it
along to where it might do some good for someone.

BTW wasn't Sikes the guy who was trying to lead Oliver in a life of crime?

[hotrodpc]

Hey, I am with your 100%. Get rid of the tool. And the pics were great. I brought the tool up more for the reason of our student, to let him know he does not NEED the tool, so don't waste your money or time and go out and buy one. A decent screwdriver is about all I ever used, and on the tough ones, and pair of chanellocks. And as you mention Vise grips will work too. Whatever is there and handy is what gets used when I am working on something.

[ErwinRommel]

Ok,

I have to get the parking adjustment cable, the adjustment screw assembly, rear brake lines (I have to get the size..blah), but what else? HMMMM..

I see more severe storms is coming this way, hope it don't screw up my project tomorrow.