A Rear Disc Brake for American Passenger Cars

Rear disc brakes were released as standard equipment on 1975 Mark IV and as a regular production option on 1975 Lincoln, Thunderbird, and Mercury. This brake is the result of a joint Ford/Kelsey-Hayes design and development effort. The key feature is a single-piston sliding caliper with an integral, self-adjusting parking brake mechanism. The design offers great flexibility in packaging on various car lines and on different axles.

This paper describes the major features of the design and the significant problems found and overcome in the development program.