Received a disc brake swap quote

[ChrisB]

Had a guy in SoCal quote me $1500 to put in the correct master cylinder/ proportioning valve and associated parts at the wheel. He was somewhat vague, said they were aftermarket, couldn't tell me the disc diameter or width, but seemed to imply the spindles would be reused. I assume we're talking about a caliper bracket for this spindle, hubs/bearings/rotors/pads and we're out....also mentioned replacing some brake lines, hard and soft as part of the deal..

Sounded high and the info was vague. Needless to say I delayed if not discounted that offer. Anyone know how this would be done, without swapping spindles? How much for new or reman spindles that would work if they are even available? The spindles and however the calipers mount seems to be the main issue. Truck's sittin there on the lift waiting for drum hardware to be put back on or to get what it deserves......DISCS....truck is a 72 F250 with 12.125 x 2.0 drums up front.

[convincor]

I'd say call around some yards and you should be able to get the I-Beams, spindle, calipers.(everthing you need) for a couple/few hundred bucks.
But if your paying someone to do the install your probably going to end up paying the $1500 by the time your done anyway.
Here's a link to look for parts- http://car-part.com/index.htm

[fordman]

i have yet to hear of being able to mount disc brake caliper brackets on the original spindles. maybe its something new or i just havent heard of it yet. i would want more info before i did anything. because you are going to want brake pads some day and there is no way to get them unless you know where to get them from. i have also not heard of discs to fit our spindles either unless they are some sort of after market deal made especially fo rour spindles. i might have heard of those but ignored them because they cost too much.

[FORDification]

For F100s, the spindle is different on disc-brake applications, but for F250s the spindle is the same. You just unbolt the drum brake hardware and bolt on the disc brake hardware. All you really need is the caliper mounting bracket, lines, proportioning valve and correct master cylinder.

IMO the price quote you got was pretty high. As stated, you can easily get the necessary parts from the junkyard for much less. Of course, you'll need to replace the calipers, pads, lines, etc. Depending on the production date of your '72, it might already have the correct soft line brackets that mount to the frame.

I guess if you have the money to spend and don't want to get your hands dirty, then it's an option, but it's actually easier to swap discs onto an F250 since fewer parts are needed and much less disassembly is required...meaning that if you're at all mechanically inclined, you can do this yourself in your driveway, and save yourself a bunch of $$$.

[fordman]

i read right past where he said he had an F250 too. i am stuck on the F100 for some reason. most of the time.

[ChrisB]

Good info guys. I'll see about rounding up the caliper bracket on out from a yard and keeping the offer low due to the liklihood of not being able to test the things and wanting to replace the calipers at minimum for rebuilds...pads....

I'd rather get my hands dirty than get taken to the cleaners...ha...