I put on front disc brake conv. kit a few weeks ago. Had trouble with bleeding but got past that. I have put about 10 miles on new brakes( 4 trips 3 miles each). 3rd trip pass side caliber was hot and smoking when got home. Today went for 3 miles, got home jacked up front end both front wheels will not turn by hand. I could tell when letting off gas, car was in a bind. Any ideas? Thanks dave

What brake setup did you use?Are they power or manual?Power you have to adjust the push rod in the booster.Were the frt hoses changed?Are the calipars new?Rocky

Kit is from Right Stuff. New calibers, new hoses, MC mannual new, new rotors. Just opened bleeder screw and they released. Thanks Rocky

You gotta love the lack of details about things when people have problems like this.

Since both are acting up I'd say PB pushrod nub clearance to inside bottom of the M/C rear piston "thimble" (want ~.060" or a bit less) likely or less likely there's a RPV in the M/C port the fronts discs are hooked to (should be port next to firewall). Undo the line & stick a drill bit deep into the brass cone seat & if there's a RPV in there you'll feel the springiness of it as it is only a piece of neoprene on a spring functioning as a check valve of sorts

So sorry to hear of your problems.

Like RR said I think is the master cly is not releasing all the way it sounds. Take a look at that and give us more details of the MC and how it's pumbed.

Unfortanly I bet the front pads and rotors are cooked and may need to be replaced. Once they get that hot the pads are fried and more likely the rotor needs to be freshened up. Hope not but I bet that rotor is glased now and hopefully not warped.
Don't drive it no more until you get it straightened out.

I have wondering about this for a while,how would you go about checking that clearance?

Have a helper work the pedal & you looking into the M/C & see if you can discern the movement of the piston seal past the compensating port in the bottom of the well & get feedback from him on the amount of pedal travel or could split the MC/booster & measure the distance the round nub is protruding from the booster flange & subtract that dimention from the distance from the MC flange to the bottom of the piston recess thimble

What the other members are saying is one thing to check, the other more likely problem is the residual valve in the master cyl., drum brakes use a 8-10 lb valve while disc brakes usually 1-2 lbs. You cannot use the drum brake valve on a disc brake set-up. Check with the manufactuer of the brake kit you bought and get their recomendation.

He says its manual brakes so no booster.Might be the wrong master though.Jack up the fronts and use the brakes.If they lock loosen the fitting at the master and see if they release.Rocky

Update Guys! I have worked on car last night and today with progress. I took off calibers and rotors last night, like you all suggested and brake pads burnt up, rotors glazed. I ordered new pads and rebuilt MC from Advance Auto last night, picked up this morning, and had rotors turned this am. Put together this afternoon and bled with hand pump. Just took for a 5 mile light drive trying to seat new pads and rotors. Pedal still a little soft (pump pedal a couple of times for more firm) but drove ok and nothing binding or overheating like before. Jacked up front end and wheels turn freely. Bottom line I think they sent me the wrong MC (for a power booster). The first MC pedal was real hard pedal and hard from first touch. This new MC has more of a normal travel for pedal. Do you think I need a little more bleeding and be ok? Thanks for all your input. I am tired, but feel alot better. Ready to go cruisin!

Yeah I'd bleed em again starting with the M/C. You replaced the MC along with the rotors/calipers?. I'm wondering if the MC had a RPV in the disc port (or the wrong port was connected to the discs) since BOTH sides were acting up & just a wrong bore size could give a hard pedal/inadequate braking but would not keep the fronts locked up like you were experiencing. did anything look abnormal on the calipers/discs when you took em apart (other than being burned up)? & were they the same ones you replaced em with? But all is good in the 'hood now. Happy cruisin

Just new MC. I used same calibers with new pads and had rotors turned as they were glazed. The rotors and calibers looked ok. How is best way to bleed the master on the car? Thanks dave

Sure sounds like it was strickly a MC issue. Your parts house has a cheap kit of (2) blue plastic threaded plugs to screw into the MC ports & 2 thin hoses to connect to the nipples on the blue fittings then loop them over & into the reservoirs (your recirculating the fluid). But before you undo the hard lines push on your pedal & measure the distance from the pedal to the carpet/floor & when bleeding put a block of wood the same thickness as that distance between the pedal & the floor as you dont want to go past that. get setup & pump the pedal a dozen or so slow strokes. Make sure the 2 black mini hoses are secure so they dont come loose & spray fluid onto your paint & I wrap a large towel on the lines under the MC to catch any fluid. When getting ready to screw the hard lines back in I have a helper SLIGHTLY push the pedal so the fluid is JUST coming out of the brass cones as I screw the lines back in to get ALL of the bubbles out of the MC. Then bleed the corners. If you still have the old MC stick a long drill bit into both ports into the brass cones & see if you feel a RPV in either of them

Ok, Thanks. I will check the MC I took off tomorrow. I agree, I believe MC was my problem. I will bleed MC. Thanks

Hey Robert, just went out and got a drill bit 2 1/4 inches long. Stuck it in front port (smallest section of MC and going to rear brakes and marked R on MC) and went in app. 1/2 inch and felt spring. Stuck it in rear port (largest section and going to front brakes) and went in 2 inches and bottomed out. Any ideas anyone? Thanks dave

You have a RPV in the port for the rear brakes & not one in the front disc half which is correct. Just trying to find out what was keeping the pressure on the fronts & tho the problem appears to be solved it wouldn't hurt to get to the bottom of it.