Disc brake upgrade

[Schurkey]

If and when I do an upgrade it would be the 9.5 14 bolt. Been eying these a bit...

That's a giant heap of dollars, especially since you don't have a core...and you'll still need the brakes and axle shafts. Easy $2K. Probably more.

I went to the Treasure Yard, and got a complete axle with brakes and shafts for a few hundred. Fresh shoes and springs, maybe cut the drums. Fresh grease seals for the axle shafts, leave the pinion seal unless there's an obvious leak. Fresh grease. ~$500.

 

[Caman96]

That's a giant heap of dollars, especially since you don't have a core...and you'll still need the brakes and axle shafts. Easy $2K. Probably more.

I went to the Treasure Yard, and got a complete axle with brakes and shafts for a few hundred. Fresh shoes and springs, maybe cut the drums. Fresh grease seals for the axle shafts, leave the pinion seal unless there's an obvious leak. Fresh grease. ~$500.

Totally agree on heap of money but they still offer $400.00 for a 10 bolt. I’m just throwing that out as an option “if” a 14 bolt wasn’t available in boneyard.

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

Notable comments relevant to this thread, starting here:

JB6 to JB7 brake upgrade​

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/jb6-to-jb7-brake-upgrade.58607/post-1249384

 

[68 TT]

I see the rotors used on some of the 5-lug kits are re-drilled 6-lug rotors with both patterns still in place. Why not use a factory rear disc setup from a 6-lug application and re-drill the rotors to 5-lug? I put the 13"x1.18" rotor dual piston rear disc from a 2003 Suburban onto the 1994 vintage 9.5" 14-bolt that I retrofit into my 1989 RCSB AWD 454SS tribute truck that I am nearly done building. It had HD drum brakes on it so the axle offset required some machined spacers to compensate for the extra tall drums but otherwise the entire assembly bolted right on and works fantastic. I have a little over 1200 miles on the truck and with the help of a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve I was able to dial in the system perfectly. It stops better than it has any right too and I haven't upgraded the front rotors yet beyond using the extended cab thicker version and using drilled & slotted rotors all the way around. I plan on upgrading the front rotors to something larger in the future after I rebuild the engine and get it painted. I am thinking the matching 13" fronts from the same Suburban that my rear brakes came from. I have the calipers already, just need to sort out the rest. My situation is complicated by my truck being torsion bar front and lowered 4.5" or so and the flipped tie rod trick with switching spindles to the NBS type may not work out.

 

[TylerZ281500]

i would suggest tghe cunningham machine disc brake brackets or the gmt800 dual piston rear suburban brake swap and 1320 flange spacers. way better than the majority of these offered kits IMO

 

[1990Z71Swede]

Anyone tried a GMT900 Suburban rear disc brake/park brake setup on their k1500 or K2500?

They have in my opinion the best type of Parking brake set up, (Drum inside the disc, GMT800 rear discs are the same).
Them being single piston calipers, does not really make them inferor to the gmt800 rears, but might come into play when finding a suitable master cylinder.

Now before I get @Schurkey all revved up, the reason for doing this in my case, if at all, would be 50/50 looks & weight reduction. (Owning a GMT900 Suburban may have something to do with it too) I also like the fact that disc brakes show in a blink of an eye what condition they are in.

I'm normally a fan of drums in the rear on most everything that does not see alot of repeated high speed braking.
But the impressive weigth of the 11" drums has given me stupid and unnecessary ideas .

 

[TylerZ281500]

so i know we can get 800 suburban stuff on our axles, and the 800 guys have run 900-t1 rears before so i cant see why its not possible.