i have installed a versailles disc brake rear in my 36 ford p/u ,i just bought front grenanda calipers to put on it that do not have the e brake on them cleaner look, i have a 69 vette manual master cylinder ,and two residual valves one for front one for rear ,any body see why this would not brake properlly?
I have a similar set up in a 60 ford wagon had to go to a power brake booster but with a lite truck you should be ok.
thanks for the post ,if i have to make changes it would be easy now rather than when build id 100 percent complete.
When I saw the post I was going to mention how painful it was to get the stock rear calipers to work properly - the parking brake is integral to the operation of the calipers & also is the adjustment. I would guess it should work OK with non-parking brake calipers...
one thing about those rearends is you need to have the e-brake hooked up so the calipers stay properly adjusted. had a similar problem with the one in my 66' nova ss.
You must remove the MC residual valves for a disc setup.... The residual pressure valves will keep the pads dragging on the rotors. Ditch them and add an adjustable proportioning valve to the rear to adjust brake bias.
hmmm. interesting anyone else have expierience with this set up ?i have the 2psi wilwood reidual valves which are made for disc brakes with a manual vette mc ,and i have read up on the rear calipers need to use the ebrake mech. to work properly but i kinda thought i had that one beat using the non ebrake calipers,just would love to know if this set up is gonna work i guess there is ne way to find out ,i just wont try it on a hill!!!
also in regards to the residual valves ,it would help to know my master cylinder is under the floor not on the fire wall
Hey Decayed40. Any updates on this? I just got a versaille rear end for my project car. I'll need to cut it way down to fit, no problem. I am missing everything from the unit. Bad news i'm finding out. What year Grenada calipers did you buy? thanks Ben
From my experience in using one in my last Willys, I would call ECI and get the right master cyl. I used a 67 Corvette manual brake one. I didn't have to mess with the cyl at all. You will need to use inline residual valves if it is installed below the floor. For anyone using the stock rear parking brake they are a little on the tricky side to adjust.
I didn't use the e brake on my linc rear and I haven't had any problems with it. 20k miles so far. I did somthing to it so that it wouldn't move. May have somthing to do with the self adjusters
Get a new rear if you have to go to the trouble of cutting that one down, or weld big bearing ends on the housing so it'll take regular brakes.
install versailles on a 9" rear used big chev frt calipers and 1" master cylinder works fine just like having power brakes
had this setup on a 40 coupe--disc front, corvette dual master cyl under floor, lincoln rear with discs--residual valves in both front and rear (2 lb) worked very well-we drove it alot with no issues-have built several 40's since with power brakes and they stop a little easier but not that much---
Your rear brakes are probably way out of adjustment now... The parking brake was what adjusted the pads since it's a fixed-caliper/fixed-rotor design...
Has anyone used the Grenada brakes like decayed40 mentioned. I'd like to do this on my Galaxie. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Do the Grenada front calipers have the same size piston as the rears? I always thought the rears had smaller pistons, but I'm not sure on that. Anybody Know for sure?
I to am curious about the Granada interchange. I have a project car with one of these rear ends. It has new calipers but I want to change them to another type that is more common and available should I need to service them. It is my understanding that the Versailles calipers and pads are no longer available. John
I have 4 wheels disc, vette rear, vette manual master under floor ,rear porportioning rear only, no problems in my 28 rpu
***uming the front calipers and pads can be installed properly on the rear anchor brackets and with no interference problems, there are two issues: 1-The loss of a parking/emergency brake, something you really should have. 2-The front calipers are larger than the rears (2 19/32" v.s. 2 1/8") and may result in too much braking on the rear. An adjustable proportioning valve is a must! I owned a loaded '78 Granada 6 cyl. many years ago with the 9"/4-wheel disc/Hydroboost setup, and remember rear brake parts were very expensive, because of the complicated calipers with integral parking and L & R handed rotors with angled cooling fins. The parking cable levers can also contact the frame on some cars, like on a friend's '36 Ford with a stock Versailles 9". I think a better way to go is converting the Versailles to later Ford disc brakes found on Explorers, Crown Vics, etc, that have a more compact packaging, along with an internal drum parking/e-brake within the rotor, imo.
I agree but... I'm not hugely worried about a parking brake on this car in fact the parking cables etc are interfering with other things like suspension etc.. mostly wondering if the Granada units will bolt up i have a prop valve and understand i won't have a parking brake but the Versailles park brake ain't really too great any how
I looked at the Granada calipers, sure doesn't look like they fit... anyone have some input as to what other caliper fits on the Versailles caliper bracket ??? F150, Granada ?? I really want to do away with the Versailles calipers and I don't need the e-brake...
I'd ditch the whole rearend if it was me. The Versailles rears are very heavy and darned near impossible to get parts for these days. Lots of bracket options to turn a regular 9 inch into a disc brake rear for not much money and lots less weight.
Yup, that's the conclusion I came to as well - ditched the whole brake setup. Probably dropped 20 lbs. or more in the process - every little bit helps !