I have a 1996 K1500 with classic brake problems. Drum on the rear. I love the truck but it will not stop with a load behind it. I have read that 2500 calipers and pads can be installed for more braking power on the front. What is involved on doing this conversion? Is it possible to replace the rear differential with one with disc brakes from a later K series or a Tahoe. I know the Tahoes have coil springs, I could cut the pads off my original housing and weld them to the Tahoe housing. One reason I'm considering replacing the complete unit is mine has over 400k on it and it is not limited slip. I would like to replace it with a G80 code unit with disc brakes. Has anyone done this? Is there an issue with the park brake cables? Also considering replacing the MC with a 2002 with the larger pistons. I know there are aftermarket brake kits but it would be easier or me to replace the entire unit if the modifications aren't too extensive.
1996 K1500 brakes
- Thread starter Ronnander
- Start date
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swap/upgrades to front calipers
hey guys I was sifting through the threads and was unable to find any options or upgrades to the front calipers. So if anyone has some info I'd love to hear it!
www.gmt400.com
Have you seen this one yet?
How much of a load? Definitely look into a 14b 9.5 rear axle with 11” brakes. What brakes do you currently have? JB5 or JB6?
Disc brakes can be just as crappy as the weakling drums you have now. Be careful what you install as an "upgrade", because it might actually be a "DOWNgrade".
Before you invest in so-called "improvements", how about making sure that what you have is working properly? And for that matter, WHAT BRAKE OPTION CODE DO YOU HAVE? JB5?
When was the last time the brake fluid was flushed, using a scan tool to auto-bleed the ABS? For way too many folks the answer is "When the truck was built more than two decades ago."
What do the shoes and pads look like? Drums and rotors? Calipers seized or sticking? Rear wheel cylinders leaking? Does the power booster work?
If you do a hard stop from highway speed, do both front brakes get to about the same temperature, and do both rear brakes get about equally hot? It's really easy to have a plugged rear brake hose, the rear brakes don't work at all, so the fronts do ALL the stopping. No squealing, no pull to one side. It's just about "invisible" except the stopping power stinks. I've had more than one of my own vehicles do this.
Having said all that, yeah the 254mm leading-trailing shoe rear brakes suck mightily. An upgrade to 11.x drums is the single-best thing you can do, and the easiest way to do that is to scrap the equally-crappy 8.5" semi-float rear axle in favor of a 6-lug K2500 9.5" semi-float axle in the same gear ratio; which comes with the 11.x brakes as a bonus.
Before you invest in so-called "improvements", how about making sure that what you have is working properly? And for that matter, WHAT BRAKE OPTION CODE DO YOU HAVE? JB5?
When was the last time the brake fluid was flushed, using a scan tool to auto-bleed the ABS? For way too many folks the answer is "When the truck was built more than two decades ago."
What do the shoes and pads look like? Drums and rotors? Calipers seized or sticking? Rear wheel cylinders leaking? Does the power booster work?
If you do a hard stop from highway speed, do both front brakes get to about the same temperature, and do both rear brakes get about equally hot? It's really easy to have a plugged rear brake hose, the rear brakes don't work at all, so the fronts do ALL the stopping. No squealing, no pull to one side. It's just about "invisible" except the stopping power stinks. I've had more than one of my own vehicles do this.
Having said all that, yeah the 254mm leading-trailing shoe rear brakes suck mightily. An upgrade to 11.x drums is the single-best thing you can do, and the easiest way to do that is to scrap the equally-crappy 8.5" semi-float rear axle in favor of a 6-lug K2500 9.5" semi-float axle in the same gear ratio; which comes with the 11.x brakes as a bonus.
When I bought the truck a year ago the brakes were a major issue. Both wheel cylinders on the rear were leaking and the shoes were saturated with fluid. I replaced wheel cylinders shoes and drums. I also replaced the front pads and rotors. all Delco parts. I still had the issue with the pedal being spongy. I tried bleeding the wheels. Bled the ABS unit with the bleeder on the side. Finally I Replaced the AbS unit with one from a 99 Tahoe from the salvage yard. That solved the brake pedal issue. I tow a 20' Key west boat most of the time. It has no trouble pulling this boat, seems like to me if it will pull it it should stop it. I was also surprised it didn't have limited slip. I have since learned it was not standard equipment. the brakes are fine without a load, I have heard the front brakes an be upgraded to the 2500 calipers and pads. I was wondering if anyone here had done this upgrade. The differential has over 400k on it. I was wondering I anyone has done a disc brake swap from a later model. I did this on a 96 Blazer and it worked really well. I'm keeping the truck. I can deal with the brakes as they are but If there is a way to make them better I would like to go that route.
I'm not convinced that method actually does anything worthwhile. It sounds to me like you may still have air in the ABS system. The proper way to bleed it is with a Tech2 or comparable bi-directional scan tool, details here:
https://www.gmt400.com/attachments/...rake_bleeding_procedure_ref_cards-pdf.299090/
If everything is bled properly according to the factory instructions and you still want more stopping power/better pedal feel, get some more aggressive pads/shoes and braided brake lines. Raybestos Element3 are a great option for pads/shoes. The EHT369H pads fit JB5/JB6 brake systems and are HH rated, which is more aggressive than any compatible track pad I could find for a fraction of the price. More info here:
https://www.gmt400.com/threads/ebc-yellowstuff-brake-pads-worth-it.47903/
Braided soft lines won't help you much with actual stopping power, but they will remove some slop from your brake pedal. Not a bad idea regardless if you're unsure of how old the existing lines are.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cst-sbh6055
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Does your trailer have brakes?
There IS NO bleeder on the side of a '96 ABS unit.
Some guys are pushing the stem of the metering valve, and getting some air out of the combination valve, but that is NOT bleeding the ABS unit.
Again...was it bled using a scan tool? See previously-posted ABS bleeding .pdf.
IF (big IF) it's removing air from the combination valve, it's doing some good. It's not bleeding the ABS, though.
I tried that on my '97 K2500 and got nothing--no air, no fluid, zippity-doo-dah.
Makes me wonder if those folks pushing the stem and getting air/fluid out, have defective combination valves. I just don't know.
Agreed.
