Good, there must be a difference in the calipers. My replacement El Dorado calipers came with instructions that say that you cannot get all the air out by conventional pedal bleeding, even with the calipers mounted with the bleeders up. There must be an air trap when they are mounted. Just FYI, my brake system is intact, except for the discs, including the RWAL valve, and my brakes work great...Mark

 

This is what I used to complete the conversion.
From Auto Zone
C529 & C528 brake calipers $16.99 each with $18.00 core charge for each
They should come with the pins, brake line bolt and washers.


From Summit Racing
2- Russel 20" long brake hoses. RUS-657370 for $27.97 each
Classic Industries brake line mounting tabs CLP-RBHTK $14.97


From Rock Auto
2-Raybestos rotors 5014R $27.99 each


From Great Lake Off Road
Dana 70 disc brake brackets GLO-DSKBR-70 $50.00
Spacer material (cut to fit tubing) $12.00


From Advance Auto Parts
Front brake pads CARQUEST Wearever Gold GNAD52 $37.99


And 2-4 1/2" band clamps I picked up at Auto Zone for $3 and some change and 1 quart of DOT 3 brake fluid which I already had.


The bolts that came with GLO brackets weren't long enough so I bought 6 grade 8, 1/2" by 3 1/2" long bolts and lock nuts at the hardware store. About $15.00 The 6 washers I used were left over ARP items from a main bearing girdle kit for my race car. I'm sure you can buy them separately if you wish from ARP.


So right around $315 plus some shipping and sales tax.




The more I drive it the better the pedal feel has gotten. The brakes are definitely better than they were before. I can still lock up the rears though even on a dry road. I still need to do the front calipers and pads and I'm going to put steel braided flex hoses on the front as well. I will update this later when I have it all figured out.

 

I can understand not having an ABS system downstream of the valve as the module would have pressure sensors in it and a reduction in pressure to the unit would cause it not function properly. Since our trucks have an isolated rear wheel only system that basically just dumps pressure it shouldn't matter. It is really no different than not applying as much pedal pressure.

I ordered one of those Aerospace valves and I'll let you all know how it works.

 

Wherever you decide to mount it, please let me know as I'm curious.
Me, personally, and I'm not locked into this, my 93 has a distribution block mounted right on top of the frame rail, directly underneath the steering rag joint. I was going to disconnect the brake line heading towards the rear, then add a 90 degree fitting of some sort to that port at the D-block, run a line up towards the MC somewhere, mount my Adjustable valve, plumb a line back down from the adjustable valve and reconnect to the brake line I disconnected from the D- block, the one that heads towards the rears.
Been reading up on these pressure residual valves also, the ones that work like a check valve. 10 psi, red colored ones for drum brakes, 2 psi rating blue ones for disc brakes. Think I'm going to add one of those, too, along with the aerospace unit.

 

Pretty much gonna follow this layout, but keep that Aerospace unit up in the engine bay. That would mean I'd have to install the 10 psi RPV as soon as I disconnect from the factory D-Block

 

Augie, I don't know what you are trying to accomplish with the residual valves. The only use I know of for them is if the master cylinder is mounted below the calipers or wheel cylinders as it is in some street rod and tube chassis race car or off road applications.

I have the valves on my race car because the master is mounted below the floor with the reservoir through the front floor aluminum below my legs. This keeps the fluid from flowing back into the master cylinder. Since the master on our trucks is the highest point of the system the residual valves are not used.

 

Just finish reading up on the literature on residual valves, their uses and functions. You are correct, when the MC is below a certain line of the Calipers in a disc brake system, for sure use them so they don't back flow fluid to the MC.

For drums, they maintain a steady 10 psi of pressure in the lines, not allowing any air to ingest into the system( via the drum cylinders) every time one were to release the brake pedal. If your cylinders are questionable, old, or if one doesn't have his rear brakes adjusted perfectly, air could siphon in thru the tabs that push on the shoes, upon brake pedal release. This here RPV is cheap insurance, and any help in bettering the drums on these things is always a plus.

Feel free to school me, if I am way off base on my thinking. I'm just learning as I go along.

 

I don't see the benefit to adding the valve on these trucks. The wheel cylinders are still going to expand and contract. The only way for air to enter is it would have to pass by the cup inside the cylinder. The outer boot is really just a dust seal.

 

Thanks, AJ, for your advice. Have you decided where you are going to mount that Aerospace unit?

 

I need to have it in my grubby paws before I can make a decision on that but that junction block on the frame rail looks like a very good place.

 

I've heard it called junction block, distribution block, and one more that I can't remember- is that basically a plenum(my type of lingo)? The front and rear fluid passages do not mix in there, correct? I see it as the lines coming from the balancing valve dive on top of that thing, and shoot out the sides towards either the front brakes or the rears. Every time I try to describe that thing, others call it THE proportioning valve, and I have to explain that there is no brake switch on it, so it cannot be.
Weird how dodge in the earlier years mounted that Balancing valve with the brake switch; some had it mounted at the frame, and others like on my 93 have it 4" below the MC.
If it is just a plenum of some sort, and the front and rears do not mix, then that Aerospace unit can even mount before it, as long as it is after the balancing valve that's below the MC(speaking for a 1993 model), correct?

 

That is correct. It's just a block and there is no connection there. You could (and I may) just tee the three lines for the front together and connect the rear two lines to the adjustable valve there and just toss that junction block.

 

If you're talking about the block where the front and rear lies both connect and there is a wire connected to it, that is the switch that detects when you have a fault in the front or rear brakes. When there is a pressure difference the switch will go to one side or the other and light the brake warning light on the dash. When my rear brake cylinder was leaking all the fluid out the light came on to let me know there was a problem.

 

Sounds like a winner- thanks for clarifying.

Edwin, not sure on your model years, but what AJ and me are talking about, on our trucks (mines a 93 model year) there's the master cylinder, then approx 4" below that is the balancing valve, that the brake switch connects to, then the brake lines head straight down onto this junction block. That's what we were talking about getting rid of. Your balancing valve on your 89 is mounted at the frame. That's what I was mentioning earlier, how weird it was that Dodge mounted it at the frame in the earlier years, then up and under the MC in the later years.

 

Here's a Dodge parts diagram for the D-Body. I have others for 90-93 model year. Let me know and I'll post them.