I tore my rear axle down to try to get her sealed up today. I have had a clanking in my rear brakes for a long time, but figured it was just a simple pads jumping in the calipers. WRONG! The pad separated from the steel backing plate! DOH!

So I am at a cross-roads. I have Lincoln Calipers and FSB rotors. They work fine. However, everytime I need new pads I have to sand down both sides about 1/8" to get them to fit over the rotors. The other alternative is to buy some CJ front rotors as they are narrower. Trouble is the rotors I have are fine. Another problem is, the set of new pads I have had for a long time appear to be the same that failed on my the first time since the backing plate is the same color.

So do I get the sander out and run what I already have or should I get new pads and CJ rotors? I do have a belt sander now that should make quick work of the pads...

J.D.

So I am going to assume the same problem is reoccurring? Is it premature pad wear?
I worked in a Brake shop for a while until something better came along and I ran into an issue like this once. I think if you have brake pads not designed for the system you can end up with various issues. One could be caliper lockup or too much pressure when force is applied. Most brake pads today are held together with a supper strong glue and some with soft rivets. If the pads are getting cooked from overheating because of too much pressure on the pad it can cause the glue to force the pad to detach from the backing. < just my 2cents on this.

If there is not a tight budget I would get a set of rotors/pads/calipers that are designed to work together. Afterall we all want to be safe when it comes to our Broncos.

Well, this is only the second time I have replaced the brakes on this bronco, so I can't say it's reoccurring or just poorly made pads. They are riveted in and made by Albany, which makes Duralast. Being that the calipers and Pads for for the Lincoln axle, I wouldn't think it would matter what rotor you ran. They are all flat right?

What leads me to believe poor pads is that the other side has older brakes on them and they are doing fine still with the same setup.

Always a budget where broncos are concerned...

Maybe I should just get a new set of pads in hopes that these were defective.

J.D.

what's the chance something is happening when you sand them down ?

Seems possible that you aren't able to sand them down evenly so that they remain flat (parallel) to the surface of the rotor.

It's entirely possible, but the rotor does flatten them out.

I'd swap out the rotors. They're not _that_ expensive and it'll be worth it in the long run.

I understand what you're talking about. And it makes sense. This swap is pretty tried and true, so I have to believe that something is wrong with the parts and not the system. Although, it wouldn't hurt to look at the caliper more. I have manual disk brakes on all four corners, and they work quite well for what they are, but there is certainly room for improvement. It'd be interesting to compare weights of the '77 lincoln Mark IV (or is it V?), the '78 FSB, and the EB to see how closely they are.

With as many miles as I have on these pads (probably 3000 at the most), they shouldn't be as thin as they are. Maybe a sticking caliper is my problem.

J.D.

Yup I say sticking caliper piston. they are more than likely getting really hot too if that is the case. Not extremely hot, but hot enough to wear them out and boil the paint.

I pulled the suspect caliper apart and cleaned it up in hope I could just get a rebuild kit for it. But the piston has some pitting, so I ordered a new caliper and it should be here today. Then back together and bleed in hopes that it'll be cured for a while.

Sorry I didnt see your reply until now. Was the pitting on the surface of the piston where the seal fits against? Did you get it handled?

Bleeding is easy on your own with a little practice. Just open the bleeder and let it flow (gravity bleed) until you have just a few bubbles, close the valve, check level then pressure the system with the pedal, repeat

I have also used a long bar with vise grips propped against the front of the seat cushion, then open and close the valve.