Front Wheel Cylinder Replacment?

[Trent72]

Hey everyone,

Just checking to see if there are any wierd things I might run into replacing the wheel cylenders on my 72 250 highboy. It has manual drum breaks with the ball joint type front end. The post about the rear drums on the 72 has me worried.

Thanks, Trent72

By the way someone told me that the ball joint front end on these Fords are a joke. Are they just jelouse?

[Doug Comer]

There are alot of benefits to switching to a later model front axle. This is my opinion of the original front axles:
they don't have as tight of a turning radius
they don't have disc brakes
they are alot more maintenance to take care of
more maintenance=more money
Agian these are my opinion. Some may be fact based, some are just opinion.
Doug

[Trent72]

Thanks Doug,

Can you recomend an alternitive front end? Right now the 72 is a wood hauler and may need to take some abuse. Eventualy it will be my total rebuild baby. Then come the disks and power steering. I can see alot more light at the end of the tunnel on the 72 than my 53 jubilee f150.

Thanks, Trent

[Doug Comer]

This is my on your situation. Run it till it breaks then you can do whatever upgrade you like. I started with a 77-79 dana 44 (they have factory disc brakes) and power steering. I've upgraded to a dana 60 since. Not that I ever broke anything on the dana 44, I got a good deal on the 60, it bolted in, and it sounds cooler to say you have a dana 60 . If your front end is in good shape, run it. Mine was toast from the get go. Don't use my opinion as your only reference, I'm a little baised toward the 77-79 stuff.
Doug

[fordman]

as far as replacing the wheel cylinder. memory of how everything came out of the hub and so forth is probably going to be the fun part. i need to do this to my front d44. and i havent had time to do it yet. but fear not because the site has good diagrams on how things go back together once they have been taken apart. i was told that what usually happens when you start to take the hub off is that the lock cover bolts break off. and i was told to have fun doing the job. i think that may be why i put the job off so far.