Brake Upgrade?

[Goofyexponent]

I just lost a rear wheel seal. I knew it was leaking but it wasn't bad...just damp. Now it's gone completely.

If I take the backing plates off my F350 cab and chassis truck, can I put them on my truck and run the 3 1/2" shoes and drums?

I have really good drums and shoes and a MINT set of backing plates, but I don't want to tear it down if there is no possibility of it working.

I mean, bigger is better, right?

 

[Diesel_brad]

I really dont think you need the c-n-c brakes. more than 60% of your stopping power is the fronts. Ever notice you replace the pads 2-3times more often than the shoes

 

[Goofyexponent]

I really dont think you need the c-n-c brakes. more than 60% of your stopping power is the fronts. Ever notice you replace the pads 2-3times more often than the shoes

Yea I know lol. I didn't think I needed the rear ones to be larger, I just thought that since I had a pretty much new setup and no cnc to put them on, I could make use of them on my SRW truck.

If it did work, you wouldn't hardly ever have to change the shoes and drums for wear.

 

[riotwarrior]

Swap to disc use bolt or weld on caliper mounts and caddy calipers with parking brake...nuff said!

 

[Goofyexponent]

Swap to disc use bolt or weld on caliper mounts and caddy calipers with parking brake...nuff said!

I think Vicki would hand me my man parts on a platter if I did that....I am not allowed to spend much more on this before she is going to start hounding me to sell it. In a way I can't blame her, as I will be upwards of $4500 THIS YEAR alone in upgrades and repairs.

But if I had it my way I would consider this. I am deleting the RWABS from the equation, and running all new lines from the master to the rear flex hose. Might as well do it right.

 

[BigRigTech]

The bigger rear shoes help a lot from my experience...As Goofy can tell you because he helped - I replaced all the brakes on my 91 about 6 months before I sold it and it stopped ok - not great. Both the 91 or the 92 I have now have the same D60 front brakes but the 92 has the 3.5" wide rear shoes, night and day difference in stopping power.....The 92 stops a lot better.

 

[Goofyexponent]

The bigger rear shoes help a lot from my experience...As Goofy can tell you because he helped - I replaced all the brakes on my 91 about 6 months before I sold it and it stopped ok - not great. Both the 91 or the 92 I have now have the same D60 front brakes but the 92 has the 3.5" wide rear shoes, night and day difference in stopping power.....The 92 stops a lot better.

I am gonna be able to stop REALLY good here next weekend. I am putting that pickup dually axle under my truck with SRW's rims and tires on it. I got to put new lines from the master to the flex line, and from teh flex line to the wheel cylinders. I got two new wheel cylinders, a like new set of 3.5" shoes and drums. The axle isn't leaking at all, so I am not even going to screw with the wheel seals, but I am going to pull the cover and clean it up with fresh lube.

New U bolts even though I JUST put a new set on it last weekend

 

[MUDKICKR]

if the u bolts are only a week old i wouldnt replace them. i have reused u-bolts before with no problems and wouldnt think twice about it.

 

[gatorman21218]

I really dont think you need the c-n-c brakes. more than 60% of your stopping power is the fronts. Ever notice you replace the pads 2-3times more often than the shoes

i dont think thats right. it sounds like your shoes are out of adjustment.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

A properly adjusted set of drum-brakes that are getting their share of brake-fluid pressure will out-stop the best set of disc-brakes made.

The reason front brakes get all the wear is due to several factors.

On silly ABS systems, the rear brakes hardly ever get any fluid pressure, thus making the fronts do all the work.

Disc-brake calipers sort of self-adjust, whereas the rears have to be manually adjusted FREQUENTLY.

Another reason for fast front pad wear is that calipers have NO return spring, thus they are always more or less in contact with the rotors; this, coupled with most peoples neglect of properly lubricating the "ways", accounts for most of the wear.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

>>> BIGGER IS BETTER <<<

On most Dana and the genuine 14-bolt GMs, the wheel-cylinder bolt-pattern and the "hole" through the backing-plate is the same.


Some of the Dodge guys have discovered that they can swap their Dodge-issue wheel-cylinders for those spec-ed for certain models of GMC 1-tons and improve rear braking dramatically.

There is one minor difference in the design; Dana cylinders are Right and Left specific; whereas, the GM cylinders have the brake-line connection pointing straight out.

A minor bit of line re-arranging takes care of this.


Also, many of the 3/4-ton guys have re-surfaced their drums and are running 3-inch shoes inside drums that came with 2-1/2-inch shoes.

The drum is plenty wide enough for the 3-inch shoe; the wear ridge just needs be ground away.



You could probably just swap the shoes, as the backing plates are most likely the same.

 

[Goofyexponent]

On most Dana and the genuine 14-bolt GMs, the wheel-cylinder bolt-pattern and the "hole" through the backing-plate is the same.


Some of the Dodge guys have discovered that they can swap their Dodge-issue wheel-cylinders for those spec-ed for certain models of GMC 1-tons and improve rear braking dramatically.

There is one minor difference in the design; Dana cylinders are Right and Left specific; whereas, the GM cylinders have the brake-line connection pointing straight out.

A minor bit of line re-arranging takes care of this.


Also, many of the 3/4-ton guys have re-surfaced their drums and are running 3-inch shoes inside drums that came with 2-1/2-inch shoes.

The drum is plenty wide enough for the 3-inch shoe; the wear ridge just needs be ground away.



You could probably just swap the shoes, as the backing plates are most likely the same.

Check this out Midnight and let me know what you think. This is the route I am going with as it allows me to do a COMPLETE rebuild on it and not put my truck down. I am going to run with the 4.10's for a week, but if I don't like them I am going to pay BigRig and ask him to help me switch the 4.10's out of the dually axle, for the 3.55's that are currently in my SRW axle.

I may even look at a positive traction device if cash allows it.