strange brake noise

[mxmattd]

sorry in advance for the length, but i want to give as much info as possible.

i have a 66 with a 289 and have recently upgraded to a front disc brake setup. the kit i bought was essentially a granada swap with new parts. it came with spindles with sleeves in them to accomodate the original steering parts. it also had a dual master cylinder setup (not a power setup, i didn't have power brakes before either). Ever since i have installed it, there is a clicking noise that occurs intermittently. it seems to be related to the push rod/master cylinder. it usually occurs going through the parking lot, braking at slow speeds, but also occurs at speed on the street. it also occurs at different levels of brake travel. sometimes i hear it right when i step on the brake pedal, but before the brakes engage. sometimes its during brake engagement while i am slowing down. the brake kit did not include a new push rod, so i'm not sure if that generally needs to be changed with a granada setup. one more thing, it never makes the noise when the car is stopped in park or neutral. i can step on it as many times as i want and the clicking sound does not occur. has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? any ideas as to what it could be or what i should try to do?

thanks in advance for the help!

-matt

 

[2nd Mustang]

Is there a shim for the disc pads? Or maybe an anti-rattle clip that's missing? Hopefully it's not an issue with the bearings in the hub.

 

[mxmattd]

I installed everything that came with the kit. I think it was definately a granada swap because the calipers are floating single piston. Also, the spindles that were included had some sleeves in them so that the outer tie rods didn't need to be changed. the problem is frustrating because its so intermittent! it might not happen at all on a 30 min drive, and then it seems to happen very frequently once it starts. i'm not even sure how to begin diagnosing the problem! it definately sounds like sharp metal to metal contact.

btw, i replaced the front bearings when i did this. they were also included in the kit.

 

[geostang351]

I installed everything that came with the kit. I think it was definately a granada swap because the calipers are floating single piston. Also, the spindles that were included had some sleeves in them so that the outer tie rods didn't need to be changed. the problem is frustrating because its so intermittent! it might not happen at all on a 30 min drive, and then it seems to happen very frequently once it starts. i'm not even sure how to begin diagnosing the problem! it definately sounds like sharp metal to metal contact.

btw, i replaced the front bearings when i did this. they were also included in the kit.

I can understand your frutration. My 68 with Granada swap does the same thing. It sounds as though the brake pad slides then hits the caliper when applying the brakes. Mine has done it for 8 years without any problem and since I'm the only one who drives it, I'm the only one who knows about or hears it. I just rebuilt the brakes this winter and saw no damage occuring so I'm not worried about it.

 

[mxmattd]

that makes me feel a little better. the problem hasn't gotten worse in almost two years, and the brakes have never lost pressure, pedal has never gone to the floor or anything like that.

the problem is, circumstances have forced me to put the car up for sale, and i'd never try to hide the problem, but i hate to admit that i have no idea what it is

 

[krash kendall]

Some people use silicone on the back of the pads to stop those types of problems.

 

[mxmattd]

i did use this red disc brake quiet stuff. I don't remember if i put an anti-rattle clip on mine. do you need one on the inside and outside pads?

geostang- did you use an anti-rattle clip on yours? from the pictures i've seen it seems like that would remove the possibility of the pad moving around.

 

[302 coupe]

you have a problem with the anti-rattle clips. You can also bend the tabs on the outter pad, the ones that wrap around the caliper, to make a tighter fit, which will also eliminate rattling.

 

[mxmattd]

one more thing, about how much brake travel should there be for a 66 with manual granada brakes? or is that dependent upon too many factors? i think the pedal might be a bit too soft, but the brakes were so bad before i don't really have anything to compare it to.

 

[geostang351]

geostang- did you use an anti-rattle clip on yours? from the pictures i've seen it seems like that would remove the possibility of the pad moving around.

I don't "think" I did. I can't find any pics right now of the old set up. I'll look at my home computer.

I now have updated to slotted rotos and new calipers (the old one froze up on me) and I did not install a clip on the new set-up. Still to cold and too much salt on the roads to try the new brakes. Once I do, I'll let you know.

New set up shown below:

 

[mxmattd]

finally got rid of it!!!!!!

i found a good install guide for a granada swap, and realized that the anti-rattle clip on the inboard pads need to be installed on the trailing edge (towards the rear) of the pad. i had them installed, but they were on the leading edge (towards the front of the car). If only the kit i bought had a decent set of instructions... oh well, at least the noise is gone. hope this helps anyone else dealing with this issue.

by the way, the tabs on the pads were mushroomed a little from getting flung forward into the caliper so many times, but it doesn't look like they were damaged enough to cause any problems.