[muffinman944]

I just finished my Sterling disc brake swap, so I thought Id do a quick write up for anyone thats curious about these brackets.

Here are the Ruff Stuff caliper brackets. They are made with 3/8 '' steel and come pre-drilled and threaded for the caliper bolts.

This is everything needed for the swap...Ruff stuff brackets, front calipers from a '87 GM 3/4 ton 4x4, pads, caliper bolts, banjo bolts, rear rotors from '96 E-350, and new brake lines. Total cost from the local parts store was about $450 (getting the calipers from a JY would save about $120 or so).

First I pulled the axle shaft, hub, and backing plate.

Then I bolted the Ruff Stuff bracket to the back side of the backing plate mounting surface (oriented the way they are in the first pic) and reassembled the hub and axle shaft.

Then I slid the rotor on over the hub, and attached the caliper. I found the best way to do this was to place the brake pads in the caliper and slide it into place while holding the rotor flush against the hub with your knee. Then I anchored it into place with the caliper bolts.

You can see here that the bracket positions the caliper so that the leaf springs do not interfere with the caliper bolt removal.

All that's left now is to attach the brake lines. I had the flex lines made at a radiator shop. For hard lines, I just cut and re-flared my existing ones.

I'm waiting to weld the tabs for the hard line/flex line connection until after I cut and re weld my spring perches, but the conversion itself is done.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the setup. I was sure that I would have to make or modify something, but everything bolted in place perfectly. Once I got the driver side figured out, the passenger side only took me about 15 minutes. Hope this helps anyone with questions about how these brackets work.

 

[TravisITGuy]

hows the caliper to rim clearance and are you running a 16" wheel?

 

[muffinman944]

Thanks for the kind words :beer

hows the caliper to rim clearance and are you running a 16" wheel?

Heres what the clearance looks like. I ended up with about 1/8'' all around. Yes, Im running a 16'' rim.

how come the brake lines look like copper?

They're actually copper/nickle lines. I purchased them from the same place that made the rubber flex ones. They are MUCH easier to work with than steel lines...I was able to do all the the bending by hand instead of having to use a tubing bender. Its still plenty strong though, as I accidentally stepped on them a couple times in the garage without damaging them.

 

[plug ugly]

can you break down the prices. I know the brackets are 50 bucks, the rotors should be like 90 per IIRC, and I thought the loaded calipers were like 15 to 20 bucks per.

 

[muffinman944]

can you break down the prices. I know the brackets are 50 bucks, the rotors should be like 90 per IIRC, and I thought the loaded calipers were like 15 to 20 bucks per.

Here is what I paid for each individual part...
-'86 GM 3/4 ton 4x4 front caliper (loaded w/pads and bolts): $80 ($55 + $30 core)
-banjo bolt w/ washers: $3
-'96 E-350 rear rotor: $115 (cheaper Japanese made ones were $55)
-rubber and hard line: $25

Total (per side): $228

I was considering using the El Dorado calipers, but the price for both calipers w/pads and hardware ran about $370...basically and extra $200 for the E-brake option. Considering the finicky nature of the El Dorado Calipers and the fact that I'd still have to resource the E brake hardware and then adapt it to the Bronco E brake system, a drive line brake seems like a much better option.

 

[plug ugly]

damn, prices have gone up since I did mine.

 

[SomeDude451]

Kicking a dead horse with this a bit, but with that setup what did you do about the parking brake? I didn't see one on there.

 

[McCabe]

Kicking a dead horse with this a bit, but with that setup what did you do about the parking brake? I didn't see one on there.

Good question on the parking brake. Also, did you have to put in a proportioning valve? I always thought doing a rear rotor swap was supposed to be fairly involved, but this makes it look awfully simple.

 

[SoCalFSB]

Theres no rear e-brake on that setup. Would require different calipers. Some of the later years of sterlings that are already disk have a e-brake that utilizes the inner side of the rotor as a sort of "drum brake" e-brake. Most swaps seem harder and some require the welding of brackets in place and this is where people get scared. RuffStuff makes these brackets litterally bolt on and go. Proportioning valves seem to be a 50/50, some people use them, some people dont. Seems upgrading the master cylinder is the best place to start!!

 

[SomeDude451]

Is the e brake an inspection item in most states? If so, what's your work around for it? Or is your truck non street driven?

 

[muffinman944]

Is the e brake an inspection item in most states? If so, what's your work around for it? Or is your truck non street driven?

There is no E-brake. I opted for a driveline brake, since I am also swapping in an NP 205 Tcase. If you need an Ebrake (and Im sure most do) you can use the calipers off of a late 70s Cadillac. Keep in mind, it will be a couple hundred more (they are expensive) and the caddy calipers have a reputation of being finicky, and a basic pain in the ass. You could also run line locks, but I personally dont have any experience with those.