1956 Ford Monoleaf and Disc Brake Upgrade - Lower That Effie

After drilling and taping the spindle in all four zerk fittings we used the grease gun to push out the metal shavings. Place the grease gun on the old zerk fitting and push grease out of the new hole. Once the shavings are clear from the holes, plug the old hole and transfer the zerk fitting to the new hole. Performance Online states that the king pin will not be damaged by performing this step, but you should be carful not to drill or tap into the king pin

On the drivers side we placed the caliper bracket facing toward the rear of the truck. Notice the three washers in between the caliper bracket and spindle that help index the caliper to the rotor.

We packed the bearings with disc brake bearing grease and installed the rear seal on the rotor.

The rotor was then placed on the spindle and the castle nut with new cotter pin was installed.

A carbide deburring tool was then used to notch the caliper. Make sure only to remove a small amount of material on the caliper.

We then bolted the caliper on the bracket checking for clearance issues between the bracket and caliper. The calipers are left and right and can be distinguished by the brake fluid bleeder position. The brake fluid bleeder should always point upward.

The wheel was then test-fitted to make sure the inside had enough clearance for the caliper. Note some wheels will not clear but we got lucky with the wheels that were on the ’56 Ford.

The rubber brake lines were then attached to the caliper using the copper washers.

The stock location for the brake line is used but I did have to use a stepped bit to enlarge the hole slightly. Use the U shaped spring clip to hold the brake line on.

The clutch pedal and brake pedal were removed, then we removed the stock master cylinder and bracket.

The brake master cylinder bracket was then drilled to fit the new brake booster and brackets.

The master cylinder can now be bled by using the provided brake line kit. I used a Phillips screwdriver to plunge the master cylinder piston in and out until the hoses no longer had bubbles.

The new brake booster and bracket are attached to the stock pedal/master bracket using the provided bolts.

Then the assembly is bolted back on the frame using the stock holes.

In order to make the brake booster work you will need to provide a vacuum line large enough to fit around this fitting.

The master cylinder was then installed and the front brake line needs to go into the proportioning valves right side open hole. The rear brake line is located on the left. The brake light switch can then be wired to the brown wire on the side of the proportioning valve.

The brake booster rod was then attached to the pedal assembly and adjusted so that the brake pedal rod was not applying pressure to the master cylinder.

The monoleafs lowered the front end by a total of 4 1/2 inches. Now all the owner needs is a simple rear axle flip kit and rear shocks for the rear end.