7thdarkangel
Breaking Sh*t
For the couple buck it costs, have the drums turned.
Anything I Should Know About Repairing Drum Brakes?
- Thread starter NightRunner
- Start date
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94burbk1500
I'm Awesome
If the drums are ok, new cylinders, shoes and hardware will probably run less than $100. If you get the parts from a parts store, check the drum for a label listing the max diameter, mine was 11.24", you don't want to get the wrong shoes, and make sure you get the right cylinder, there are different ones for HD and non HD brakes.
NightRunner
Resident Junkman
I didn't get the hardware on this trip but I did get the correct shoes and wheel cylinder for my truck. Just trying to weed out issues right now, I'll replace the hardware at a later date if I don't do some sort of rear end/drum to disc swap sooner or later.
94burbk1500
I'm Awesome
When I say hardware, I'm referring to the springs and such, the kits are dirt cheap and one kit has all the parts for both sides. It is highly recommended that you replace them when you do shoes, the springs fatigue over time and don't retain the same effectiveness when you pull them apart and then pull them back together a bunch of times. It's your truck though, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I will say this, if you're inexperienced with drum brakes, they can be frustrating, especially when every video out there shows the dude slap everything together in a minute. Just take your time and walk away for a minute or two if you're getting frustrated.
NightRunner
Resident Junkman
I guess I'll swing by O' Reilly's on my way home today and grab the hardware kit just to be safe. I watched a 45 minute video last night of a guy taking each little part out of the drum brake assembly and explaining what it does and how it works. Pretty informing. Not afraid to take a break or two while I'm working though. 
94burbk1500
I'm Awesome
I'm sure you'll be fine, guys have been doing their own drum brakes longer than I, and likely you, have been alive. Good luck!I guess I'll swing by O' Reilly's on my way home today and grab the hardware kit just to be safe. I watched a 45 minute video last night of a guy taking each little part out of the drum brake assembly and explaining what it does and how it works. Pretty informing. Not afraid to take a break or two while I'm working though.
94burbk1500
I'm Awesome
Also, you don't need to disconnect the parking brake cable from the lever, just let it hang while you get the new parts together. The lever doesn't get replaced.
NightRunner
Resident Junkman
So my rear drums are shot and it doesn’t look like they’re gonna be able to be repaired anytime soon. Does anyone know of a solution to bypass the rear brakes and work off of the front brake setup solely? Just until I get the 3/4 ton rear end for this thing.
EDIT: I should probably reiterate this by saying that I’m not going to attempt to drive it like this. Just wanting to bypass it to get it on a trailer and ready for the 3/4 ton rear swap.
EDIT: I should probably reiterate this by saying that I’m not going to attempt to drive it like this. Just wanting to bypass it to get it on a trailer and ready for the 3/4 ton rear swap.
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east302
I'm Awesome
If it isn’t going to be going far - like not on a public road - you could try plugging the master cylinder rear circuit port with one of those threaded plugs that they sell with bench bleed kits. They’re plastic, so no telling how long it would last.
But, I’m not sure if it could be accidentally directed out of the ABS combination valve. The pressure valve should trip to isolate the front circuit but you never know. That may be the another place to plug it as a backup.
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But, I’m not sure if it could be accidentally directed out of the ABS combination valve. The pressure valve should trip to isolate the front circuit but you never know. That may be the another place to plug it as a backup.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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NightRunner
Resident Junkman
Good to know, that’s probably the route I’ll take. I’m not sure what happened to this drum in the past, whether someone rigged it to work or if it was damaged in the collision but it’s toast. Which is fine with me, just means I get to do the half heavy swap sooner than expected lol
