my red p.o.s. has a '79 f-350 d60 with ginormous brake calipers.
the calipers are held on with a goofyass cast steel "H" shaped thing that is sort of held in place with one bolt. i think this is all oem stuff.
anyway, every time i wheel the red p.o.s. i loose one of the "H" things.
so i got a bit smarter & welded 1/2 of a washer to it so the mounting bolt would hold it better. then it decided that the calipers like to pop out of the "H" thingie & rub on the wheels if i brake hard in reverse. so i got smarter yet (see a pattern developing here yet?) & welded another 1/4" to one leg of the "H". i just checked on them after the last wheeling trip & one of the m-f'ing "H" things is cracked in half & the other flew the coop completely!
so, WTF??? how do i keep the mf'ing calipers in place?!?

my red p.o.s. has a '79 f-350 d60 with ginormous brake calipers.
the calipers are held on with a goofyass cast steel "H" shaped thing that is sort of held in place with one bolt. i think this is all oem stuff.
anyway, every time i wheel the red p.o.s. i loose one of the "H" things.
so i got a bit smarter & welded 1/2 of a washer to it so the mounting bolt would hold it better. then it decided that the calipers like to pop out of the "H" thingie & rub on the wheels if i brake hard in reverse. so i got smarter yet (see a pattern developing here yet?) & welded another 1/4" to one leg of the "H". i just checked on them after the last wheeling trip & one of the m-f'ing "H" things is cracked in half & the other flew the coop completely!
so, WTF??? how do i keep the mf'ing calipers in place?!?

I have the same Ford OEM calipers. I've never had a problem with retainers coming loose. Are you sure you have them installed right. I have to tap them in to slide them between the caliper and the caliper bracket, it's a tight fit, and nothing moves.

deep fried bacon

I bet you doesn't have the tension spring in. I have never heard of these types of problems either you must be missing something.

I bet you doesn't have the tension spring in. I have never heard of these types of problems either you must be missing something.

yes, i have the small tension clips in place.
yes, i have to tap them into position.
yes, i have the oem tapered 5/16" bolt to retain the "H" thing.

I have the same axle and I have never had this problem. sorry i couldnt help

It happens. Once it starts happening, it'll keep happening. The passenger side on my front 60 does the same thing.

I drilled a hole through the H-block and caliper bracket, tapped the hole, and bolted the MF'er directly in place.

Does it happen because the caliper bracket has rounded off edges where it should be square to hold the "H" piece in?

I run these on all 4 corners and have never had an issue, though Its pretty common.

You can convert to a Chevy caliper bracket and calipers, then the pins will walk out on you unless you wire tie them.

... & welded another 1/4" to one leg of the "H". i just checked on them after the last wheeling trip & one of the m-f'ing "H" things is cracked in half & the other flew the coop completely!
Did you capture the whole head of the bolt when you modified the bracket? I am running H1s and have very little clearance so I'm using a flat socket cap screw. Here is how I modified mine:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost.php?p=245138737&postcount=1375

I drilled a hole through the H-block and caliper bracket, tapped the hole, and bolted the MF'er directly in place.
I'd have loved to do just that if I had the clearance.

I have been fighting the same problem on my front calipers for a long time. It seems like every time i go wheelin i had to put new springs in. One hard breaking in reverse flattens the spring out then the calipers rattle like hell the rest of the day and sometimes i loose the "H" thing. The only thing that has seemed to work for me is to cut a little piece of 1/4" flat bar to fit in to the side of the "H" thing that dosent have the bolt notch in it and weld that in place. Mine fit pretty tight in between the caliper and the mount so there is no movement and lock tight holds the little bolt. I havent lost one yet and the calipers finaly dont raddle like hell any more. Im going to change over to Chevy calipers and rotors, I think its a better design.

Did you capture the whole head of the bolt when you modified the bracket? I am running H1s and have very little clearance so I'm using a flat socket cap screw. Here is how I modified mine:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost.php?p=245138737&postcount=1375


I'd have loved to do just that if I had the clearance.

i did the same welded thingie that you did on yours.
i even had to add 1/4" to the leg of the H to help keep it in place & the mf'er still has the balls to pop out.
:mr-t:

What worked for me was to take the Caliper off. Take it appart and build up the end that sits in the H with weld. A few beads across and a grinder to clean it up and make it square again and no more popping out.

I had to do it to both sides

Mine wore out once to. Just went to the part's store and bought the whole brake kit. Came with all the hardware spring's "H" thing etc....It worked !!

i went to the part store today & they looked at me funny. :homer:
they could not find the H part in their system.
anyone have a part number so i can order a replacement?

anyone have a part number so i can order a replacement?
Wagner F97900
Raybestos H5529a
Bendix H5533

I had the same problem except with a dodge 60. Throw out the anti-rattle spring and tap a piece of angle iron in between the top of the caliper and mount, I cut a slot in the angle iron so I could bend the tabs over, so it can't come out. You can use flat steel also just bend a 90 into it. Takes up the slop in the caliper, and puts pressure on the retainer, so it can't work its way out.

I was confused too when I first put my calipers on, the H block is totally stupid. The H goes at the bottom, and there is an arched metal tension bar that slides in along inside the channel if the H, this holds it firmly in place. I put a glob of JB Weld on the outside of the H to keep it from wiggling loose... It's a stupid design, I hate it. Plus the calipers are way too huge.

i have been having this same issue for almost 3 years now and havent solved it yet...new hardware...big washers...weld overlay...plating...all i have successfully been able to do is keep the big h shaped wedge in....calipers still fall off and bounce inside rim...always losing the spring banana shaped clip....pretty much gave up hope on solving this unless i find a pair of brackets that didnt live in the rust belt or swap to a different braking system up front....its getting old chasin calipers....

Wagner F97900
Raybestos H5529a
Bendix H5533

thanks RCman, i ordered & got the parts today.
i'll weld them up & install them tomorrow night if i get time.

fukin' ford craptastic brakes!
beat my junk at hollister yesterday & popped both calipers out. they just drag the inside of the rims. shitfuck! i need to figure a better way to mount them.

Is it possible to convert to the newer 80s style setup?

My calipers haven't moved.

You guys should post up pics of your fixes for this problem I'm sure alot of people would appreciate it.

I put the H Block in place with the spring bar, making sure everything fits really snug... Then smear JB Weld on the outside end of the H block / caliper bracket. Or just put a tiny tiny tack weld that can be filed or broke by a hammer blow.

[QUOTE=moparmaniaccuda;13033034]Is it possible to convert to the newer 80s style setup?

anybody have anymore info on this or write up ???

Search for a thread by seabass44, he had the same problem, I think he ended up swapping Chevy calipers and from Blackbird customs.

here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=904489&highlight=caliper+blackbird