[Canadian country boy]

My parts store has them on the shelf but they are more than I'm willing to pay. The calipers are $169.00 + $90.00 core x 2. Plus they come with no hardware. Forget it. I'm going to buy the one's from Ruff Stuff when I get some more cash as they are less expensive than my parts store, plus they come with the hardware. 👍

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Yea, a lot has changed the last 5 - 10 years. I miss all the pick a parts along the east coast.

Definitely, and I keep forgetting it was 18+ years ago when I had ready access to several yards, one I ran and it's sister yard and several more that aren't in business any longer.

At least I took all the old Mopar engines with me when I left, they were all going to be crushed otherwise, 273s, 383s and several 440s all found good homes instead of being wasted like that.

Now I'm regretting not getting more moterhome parts, those HD 727s with the parking brake are all but impossible to come by anymore, sold the last one I had long ago for a early divorced transfer case truck.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

My parts store has them on the shelf but they are more than I'm willing to pay. The calipers are $169.00 + $90.00 core x 2. Plus they come with no hardware. Forget it. I'm going to buy the one's from Ruff Stuff when I get some more cash as they are less expensive than my parts store, plus they come with the hardware. 👍

Have you looked at the ones from Lugnut4x4? They were even cheaper than ruffstuff and come with the HD brackets.

Emergency / Parking Brake Kit For Disc Brake Conversions | Lugnut4x4

Add An Emergency Or Parking Brake To Your Disc Brakes With A Kit From Lugnut4x4. Kit Includes New Calipers With Integrated Parking Brake Mechanism.

lugnut4x4.com

 

[Canadian country boy]

Those are the same price as Ruff Stuff.....

Cadillac El Dorado Caliper Set with Parking Brake Lever

Check out the deal on Cadillac El Dorado Caliper Set with Parking Brake Lever at RuffStuff Specialties

www.ruffstuffspecialties.com

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Those are the same price as Ruff Stuff.....

Cadillac El Dorado Caliper Set with Parking Brake Lever

Check out the deal on Cadillac El Dorado Caliper Set with Parking Brake Lever at RuffStuff Specialties

www.ruffstuffspecialties.com

That's for the complete kit, the calipers are only $100 each without the pads and extra hardware, but still have the lever and brackets.

Emergency Brake Calipers | Lugnut4x4

Includes 1 emergency brake caliper, no pads 1976-1978 Cadillac Eldorado caliper style Note: color may vary from photos

lugnut4x4.com

 

[Canadian country boy]

That's for the complete kit, the calipers are only $100 each without the pads and extra hardware, but still have the lever and brackets.

Emergency Brake Calipers | Lugnut4x4

Includes 1 emergency brake caliper, no pads 1976-1978 Cadillac Eldorado caliper style Note: color may vary from photos

lugnut4x4.com

Your link prior to this one is for a kit also.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Your link prior to this one is for a kit also.

Didn't know if you needed just the calipers or everything including pads, I'd already gotten the brake pads with the rotors so I didn't need another set, hopefully.

 

[SuperBurban]

Do you have the pads with the nubs for the parking brake?

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Do you have the pads with the nubs for the parking brake?

Yep, D122 pads for a '76 Eldorado, local parts store had a special where the pads were free with the purchase of a pair of rotors, and they didn't care that the K20 should have D52 pads.

Glad you mentioned that as it's been a issue for decades with this style GM parking brake caliper, and people not lining up the locking tab in the piston causing havoc with the parking brake, if the piston rotates the parking brakes don't hold and the calipers retract from the rotors.

 

[Canadian country boy]

Didn't know if you needed just the calipers or everything including pads, I'd already gotten the brake pads with the rotors so I didn't need another set, hopefully.

I ordered the caliper brackets only, thinking that I was going save a ton of money buying the calipers and rotors locally and that I can throw them on my account and just pay them off monthly but it turns they are more expensive than what Ruff Stuff sells them for and more than I'm willing to pay. Plus I would still need to buy pads and the hardware kit. Instead I'm just going to buy them from Ruff Stuff as they come with pads and the hardware kit and I've already bought some stuff from them. I also need the rotors still because my parts store has no stock on them and so I haven't decided where I'm going to buy them from just yet.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

I ordered the caliper brackets only, thinking that I was going save a ton of money buying the calipers and rotors locally and that I can throw them on my account and just pay them off monthly but it turns they are more expensive than what Ruff Stuff sells them for and more than I'm willing to pay. Plus I would still need to buy pads and the hardware kit. Instead I'm just going to buy them from Ruff Stuff as they come with pads and the hardware kit and I've already bought some stuff from them. I also need the rotors still because my parts store has no stock on them and so I haven't decided where I'm going to buy them from just yet.

Did the exact same thing myself, only to find the calipers NA or like you more expensive than new ones, only reason I went with the calipers from Lugnut4x4 is for the heavier lever and cable brackets, my truck is too heavy to worry about the stock style lever bending and letting my truck roll away while it's warming up in the morning.

Stock type parking brakes

Heavy duty parking brake hardware.

 

[Canadian country boy]

Did the exact same thing myself, only to find the calipers NA or like you more expensive than new ones, only reason I went with the calipers from Lugnut4x4 is for the heavier lever and cable brackets, my truck is too heavy to worry about the stock style lever bending and letting my truck roll away while it's warming up in the morning.

View attachment 633647

Stock type parking brakes

View attachment 633648

Heavy duty parking brake hardware.

The one from Ruff Stuff has the heavy duty lever also. I'm sure they buy from the same supplier.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

The one from Ruff Stuff has the heavy duty lever also. I'm sure they buy from the same supplier.

That's the stock type lever and a cable bracket for the later calipers, and why they don't sell them separately like Lugnut4x4 as they do make theirs in house.

Not knocking anyone but I have folded the stock lever before and they're why I was hesitant to use Eldorado calipers again with a manual transmission.

The only other heavy duty hardware I've found is from this company.

1976-78 Caddillac Eldorado Rear Emergency Brake Caliper Actuation Kit | eBay

 

[Canadian country boy]

Wow, for $100 I'll make my own! Lol

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

No kidding, or modify the later ones as they do fit and work as long as you don't go overboard with the parking brakes, that's how I bent the set I had, manual transmission towing a trailer and trying to set the brakes too hard, I've found it's best to just shut the engine down instead.

 

[mopar65pa]

Man you guy are way over my pay grade.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Man you guy are way over my pay grade.

Just learned a few things the hard way with the first rear disc conversion I made myself in '96 or so using all junkyard parts and probably the ugliest set of cobbled up brackets to ever exist 😆

K20 front rotors and the caliper brackets cut, welded and redrilled to fit a dual wheel D70 in my '75 W300 with the Eldorado calipers, bits of the Eldorado backing plate for the parking brake cable and lots of swearing both during the conversion and afterwards when the levers kept bending.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Another thing I did with the W300 was a hydroboost conversion, been a very long time but I believe it was a '77-79 Lincoln Mark V booster I used as they have an actual mounting plate as part of the unit not a separate part, can't remember what if any mods had to be done to bolt it to the firewall or the brake pedal, I do remember the hoses were for a '70s C30 and I want to say a Corvette master cylinder. Seeing as I have a wrecked Mark V on hand I'll pull it's hydroboost unit and see if I'm remembering correctly or not, if I am then my truck will probably get swapped over while I'm doing the rear disc conversion.

OK it definitely wasn't a Lincoln unit, bolt pattern is too wide and the pushrod is a inch short, still good for a core at least.

 

[RevboxRyan]

Another option for hydroboost is gm express vans. The one out of my 1990 w350 is from an 05 express 2500 the bracket bolted on fits in the factory holes and I'm using 3/4ton/1 ton. 2nd gen ram master. All from good old scrap yard adventures. I have sniper on my stock 73 440 and I like but it doesn't like the cold. I know it wouldn't start at -30 F. Above 0 seems to start just kinda lopes for a bit haven't mess with it though just a trail rig doesn't get used anymore really. Did seem to be good on fuel 15 gallon fuel cell and would run a weekend of mild wheeling.

 

[440 4spd Power Ram]

Another option for hydroboost is gm express vans. The one out of my 1990 w350 is from an 05 express 2500 the bracket bolted on fits in the factory holes and I'm using 3/4ton/1 ton. 2nd gen ram master. All from good old scrap yard adventures. I have sniper on my stock 73 440 and I like but it doesn't like the cold. I know it wouldn't start at -30 F. Above 0 seems to start just kinda lopes for a bit haven't mess with it though just a trail rig doesn't get used anymore really. Did seem to be good on fuel 15 gallon fuel cell and would run a weekend of mild wheeling.

I remember there was a couple others that bolt to the firewall without any modifications, the Chevy Astro van is another but the pushrod is too long if I remember correctly. All the Bendix Hydroboost units are pretty much universal, just change the mounting plate and pushrod to fit whatever you want.

Rebuilt '78-84 hydroboost units are readily available as are universal mounting plates, add the correct lines and master cylinder and done.

I've dealt with the cold enrichment flooding with the Holley Sniper, they add way too much fuel with the base fuel maps when it's cold, generally have to reduce the cold enrichment by around 50% to get a decent cold idle that doesn't lope or blow black smoke.