So I researched the forum, and I found that for the most part, it is agreed that a '70 Mustang spindle is identical to a Maverick spindle, and that Mustangs before '70 are not identical, and tho they might fit, they cause improper suspension changes (such as toe in during acceleration). I've heard that '71-'73 might fit, and nobody's mentioned if spindles off a Mustang II would fit. Anybody know for sure? (I'd just go get a Granada spindle but none of the granada's in my area have any left )
Hey Matt, give me a call I pickup a hollander parts book from the swap meet in November. I can look it up let you know what goes to where.
MaverickMat- If you want I'll look in the boneyard here in Spokane. The Pull N' Save here has Granadas most of the time, the spindles sell for about 12 dollars each. Dont know what shipping costs- where is Silverdale? Let me know and I'll grab you a set.
If you get the spindles, also get the caliper bracket and all the mounting hardware. Everything else you can buy.
68-73 Stangs use the same basic parts. They would be exact, but there was a bearing change in 70. So... The 68-69 Stang spindles and rotors use different bearings, while the rest of the parts are identical. 68-69 Torino, Fairlane, Montego, Cyclone also use the same stuff. If you use 68 Torino or 68-69 Stang, you have smaller bearings. Considering the size/weight of our cars, it makes no difference IMO... They work fine on Torinos. No geometry changes. Earlier Stang and Fairlane stuff would work as well, but the parts are more complex and more expensive. Side note: In 69, CJs might have gotten the 70-73 bearing size for strength, from what I have heard. Torino style cars got them a year earlier in 69. The B429s DID have different spindles for geometry, so I doubt they would swap. I have a built set of 68 Fairlanes ready for mine. They are more complex than the Granada design, but I got a good deal on all new parts. So my Granada brakes wait for another project. My uncle turned me on to the trick years ago when he built and used a set of 68 Montego brakes on his 70. Dave
agree and i ditto that.. but i just had a set for my car same thing to the T just the spindel is smaller so it does use a differant bearing cuz like he said they are smaller! okibono has them now and he can tell you they worked fine.
Hi, I'm new to this forum, but not to Ford cars. I came to this forum because there have been links to my website www.discbrakeswap.com from this site. I have some very specific and accuate info to share with you concerning front disc brake systems on Ford cars in the 60's and 70's. If you like you can direct your questions to me at info@discbrakeswap.com . Let's get the terms straight. -The steering knuckle (knuckle) is the massive piece that mounts onto the ball joints. -The spindle is the pointy piece on the knuckle that the bearings slip onto. -The steering arm is the part of the knuckle that the outer tie rod mounts to via a tapered hole. -The caliper bracket (bracket) mounts onto the knuckle with two bolts and holds the caliper. -A floating caliper is a type of caliper that is mounted to the bracket without a direct mechanical attachment. It's keyed on and slides on the bracket as neccessary. -A sliding caliper is a type of caliper that is bolted to the bracket. It slides on the mounting bolt as necessary. The knuckle from Maverick/Granada (M/G) is different in two ways to the knuckle from 70-73 Mustang (Torino, Cougar, ...). On the 70-73 one of the mounting holes for the caliper bracket is larger, and the tapered tie rod hole is smaller than those on the Maverick/Granada type. They are otherwise IDENTICAL. By identical, I mean identical. They have identical geometry and yield the same ride height, toe, camber, and caster. The brackets for 70-73 and G/M differ greatly. They mount different models and types of calipers and have different rotor interfaces (the place outboard from the center of the car where the caliper slips over the rotor. The knuckle for 68-69 Mustang (Falcon, Torino, Cougar, ...) are the same as 70-73 except that the spindle is smaller in diameter, and it has a still smaller tapered outer tie rod mounting hole. This knuckle uses the same bracket and caliper as does 70-73. For swap onto your Maverick, the originals M/G type are the best, not just because they are original, but because all of the associated parts neccessary to perform the swap are much less expensive for the M/G type. The 68-69 type is even less desireable since it has a smaller, thus weaker, spindle. Mustang II/Pinto are incompatible since they are front steer, the steering arms point forward instead of rearward. If you want to find a donor for the knuckle/bracket set look for 74-77 Maverick/Comet or 75-80 Granada/Monarch. These are becoming increasingly hard to find. The Iron scrap valve of the donor is about $300. Most urban salvage yard operators are not going to hold on to these cars. I have been involved in this as a business for awhile, refurbing M/G knuckles and brackets for sale. I found that finding acceptable cores was getting expensive and difficult. So, I decided to reproduce them using modern materials and methods. After a year of work, and a lot of cash, I have succeeded in producing a batch. I sell these along with full swap kits and associated parts from my website. I offer forum members a discount, just ask! Don't hesitate to email me if you have further questions on the subject.
You should point out that 69-72 Mavs also use the Mustang type tie rod ends. Maverick = Granada is not quite as cut and dry as you propose. The swap to earlier tie rod ends is very cheap and easy. Hmmm... We are taking the "weak" spindles off a tank of a Montego and transplanting them to a puny Maverick... They are too weak?
I don't believe that I mentioned 69-72 Maverick. I defined the G/M knuckle, in regard to Maverick, as 74-77. And your quote "weak" is incorrect. I clearly stated "weaker". There is a big difference between the term "weak" and "weaker" in the context of my statement. If you mean to imply that the greater strength of the larger, post 70 spindle isn't significant, I disagree. Perhaps they don't make much difference in a straight line 4.11 rear gear monster, but I'm fairly certain that Ford had front end reliability in mind when it enlarged the spindle in all 1970 models.
So you're saying that the only difference in the 70-73 mustang spindle is different size of the ball joint "hole" in the knuckle and tie rod arms? Sweet, that's what I needed to know. Thanks!
No, I said that the difference between 70-73 and Granada type is that the 70-73 has a larger caliper bracket mount hole, and the tapered outer tie rod hole is smaller. If you want to use 70-73 type on your Mav, then you must use 70-73 type caliper brackets, calipers, pads, outer tie tie rods, hardware, rotors, and hoses. The ball joint hole size are the same. Pre 74 Mavs that had OE disc brakes were originally fitted with the 70-73 type. The price of those parts that I listed above are much more expensive for 68-73 type than for Mav/Granada types. And contrary to common lore, I have never seen authoritive reference to 6 cylinder disc brake knuckles or rotors. Ford used 3 rotors types from 1968 onward on Falcon chassis based cars (Mustang, Falcon, Torino, Fairlane, Maverick, Granada, and the Mercury cousins). Thet are all 11"+. Good luck!
So, Degins: If I want to convert to front disc brakes on my 1972 maverick, do you have the complete kit for it too?
