DaveP
Active member
I'm working on a 93 Ty today, I know I have everything "right", it just doesn't stop very well now that I'm done. I drove DesertSy for 3-1/2 years with its Baer 4 wheel discs; it would suck your eyeballs out it. It's been several years since I drove a Ty with stock brakes. I'm pretty sure I've just forgotten how suckey they are at stopping the truck. I feel a big part of the dissatisfaction is the front brakes are too small for the weight, and that the quick take-up master cyl is prone to problems that result in mushy pedals.
My 91 DD ext-cab pick-up has 98-up dual piston front brakes that I retrofitted about a year ago. This truck weighs about 4,500 lbs at all times because of all the crap I keep in it for work. The rotor is 5/8" larger in diameter, the pads have appx 25% more surface area, and the pistons have less total area than the stock single piston calipers. I know the DD has more front brake now than it did stock because in a "surprise" quick, hard application it locks the front brakes, where for the previous 16 years it locked the rears under the same conditions, with no other changes. (The rear anti-lock has never worked correctly since I bought it in 1997). I like the brakes in the DD. It stops better than it did with the stock brakes, I found everything at pick-a-part, and the entire deal was less than $300 with new Chinee rotors and hoses. I had to change the steering knuckles, but MattW had the how-to in his 4-door build thread. It's as easy to do as he shows that it is. I still have the quick take-up master cyl, and the pedal is kind of spongy, like these all are, but I'm used to it. There is room for improvement, IMO.
My 93 Ty needs a master cyl. It also has functional ABS which almost caused a crash the last time (literally) I drove it in October 2013. I recently purchased a 1998 master cyl. It will require a bit of modification to fit to the Ty. The outlet fittings are on the inboard side, not the outboard, so new jumper lines to the combo valve are necessary. I'm also going to eliminate the BPMV and connect the brakes directly to the combo valve. I like the 91-92 4 sensor ABS system, but I don't have the parts on hand (particularly the tone-wheel rear axles) to convert it, nor do I drive in snow where ABS is of the most benefit. So it's out of there. I also need to come up with a simple sleeve to adapt the newer MC to the old booster. I'm hoping Jason will cut one for me at his work on the lathe. If this works out, we'll figure out how to source the adapter sleeve.
I'm going to fit wht/gry with the 98-up non take-up MC with an ABS delete for starters. At some point I'll probably fit the larger 98-up front brakes too. I doubt I'll ever upgrade the rears on this truck. I don't drive the Ty nearly as hard as I did DesertSy, the fronts should be enough, just like they are on the DD which weighs more than the Ty.
I know bunches of peeps have done various brake upgrades. Particularly "LS" brakes. In SoCal, the F cars that had them are getting scarce, and the brakes are the first thing to get taken off them in the yards. I'm only aware of Matt and myself having upgraded to the 98-up S-Series dual-piston caliper front brakes as a stand-alone conversion. It's simple, inexpensive, done with readily available parts, that fit inside STOCK 16" wheels, including the spare. Neither Matt's nor my 98-up conversions included the correct master cylinder that goes with the dual piston calipers. I feel that including this part of the package will make the conversion even better, because it eliminates the troublesome quick take-up master cyl that is used with the single piston calipers. I can't wait to try it.
Stay tuned. Comments welcome.
My 91 DD ext-cab pick-up has 98-up dual piston front brakes that I retrofitted about a year ago. This truck weighs about 4,500 lbs at all times because of all the crap I keep in it for work. The rotor is 5/8" larger in diameter, the pads have appx 25% more surface area, and the pistons have less total area than the stock single piston calipers. I know the DD has more front brake now than it did stock because in a "surprise" quick, hard application it locks the front brakes, where for the previous 16 years it locked the rears under the same conditions, with no other changes. (The rear anti-lock has never worked correctly since I bought it in 1997). I like the brakes in the DD. It stops better than it did with the stock brakes, I found everything at pick-a-part, and the entire deal was less than $300 with new Chinee rotors and hoses. I had to change the steering knuckles, but MattW had the how-to in his 4-door build thread. It's as easy to do as he shows that it is. I still have the quick take-up master cyl, and the pedal is kind of spongy, like these all are, but I'm used to it. There is room for improvement, IMO.
My 93 Ty needs a master cyl. It also has functional ABS which almost caused a crash the last time (literally) I drove it in October 2013. I recently purchased a 1998 master cyl. It will require a bit of modification to fit to the Ty. The outlet fittings are on the inboard side, not the outboard, so new jumper lines to the combo valve are necessary. I'm also going to eliminate the BPMV and connect the brakes directly to the combo valve. I like the 91-92 4 sensor ABS system, but I don't have the parts on hand (particularly the tone-wheel rear axles) to convert it, nor do I drive in snow where ABS is of the most benefit. So it's out of there. I also need to come up with a simple sleeve to adapt the newer MC to the old booster. I'm hoping Jason will cut one for me at his work on the lathe. If this works out, we'll figure out how to source the adapter sleeve.
I'm going to fit wht/gry with the 98-up non take-up MC with an ABS delete for starters. At some point I'll probably fit the larger 98-up front brakes too. I doubt I'll ever upgrade the rears on this truck. I don't drive the Ty nearly as hard as I did DesertSy, the fronts should be enough, just like they are on the DD which weighs more than the Ty.
I know bunches of peeps have done various brake upgrades. Particularly "LS" brakes. In SoCal, the F cars that had them are getting scarce, and the brakes are the first thing to get taken off them in the yards. I'm only aware of Matt and myself having upgraded to the 98-up S-Series dual-piston caliper front brakes as a stand-alone conversion. It's simple, inexpensive, done with readily available parts, that fit inside STOCK 16" wheels, including the spare. Neither Matt's nor my 98-up conversions included the correct master cylinder that goes with the dual piston calipers. I feel that including this part of the package will make the conversion even better, because it eliminates the troublesome quick take-up master cyl that is used with the single piston calipers. I can't wait to try it.
Stay tuned. Comments welcome.
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