Installation
Finding the obscure '72 Thunderbird rotors gave us enough optimism to go forward with the upgrade on our '73 Ranchero. We ordered the rotors, inner wheel bearings, outer wheel bearings, grease seals, calipers, and pads. Confident in our research, we started the brake upgrade on the passenger-side front assembly.

After the wheel had been removed we proceeded as you would to change any other rotor. We removed the caliper and brake pads, then the dust cover, cotter pin, retaining nut and washer. The rotor was then removed from the spindle.		A critical element of this upgrade was the caliper mounting bracket. We removed the two bolts holding the old caliper mounting bracket to the spindle.
The caliper-mounting brackets for the 12" rotors that were obtained from a full size car were fitted. Yes, they bolted right up! The bolts were torqued to the proper specs and installed with loctite.		Using a hammer and bearing race installation tool, we installed the races in our new 12" rotors.
Once the races were installed we packed and set our wheel bearings in the rotor and added the grease seal. We slipped the rotor over the spindle and adjusted the wheel bearing as needed and installed a new split pin and the dust cap.		We purchased rebuilt loaded calipers. Any 70's Ford intermedaite front caliper will work for this upgrade. Yes, even though the rotor is and inch larger and requires the full size Ford mounting bracket, the calipers are the same. We installed the new calipers and brake pads. A lite coat of synthetic brake grease was applied to the sliding surfaces of the caliper and bracket.
All that's left is to bleed the front brakes and install the front wheels. Make sure you bed in the pads before making any panic stops.

Our Ranchero was already fitted with a set of 15" Magnum 500 wheels. The brake hoses had been replaced in the not to distant past and were reused. The brake fluid of choice as always is DOT 5 Silicone fluid, which was already in the braking system of the car.

The upgrade went smooth, quick, and was relatively painless with no surprises. The benefit of having the larger rotors was much greater then we would have thought on a 4000-pound plus vehicle. Although all parts used in this upgrade were new, with the exception of the caliper-mounting brackets, you may be possible to find all that you need at the salvage yard. If salvaged parts are used throughout, make sure that they are thoroughly cleaned and inspected before being put back into service. Rotors should be checked for warpage, cracking, and thickness. Old bearings need to be checked for pitting and wear then re-packed
with fresh wheel bearing grease suited for disc brakes. Brake hoses that are very old or cracked should be replaced.