Rear Disc Brake swap for 97 K3500

[BNielsen]

Because you have a SRW K3500, you can upgrade to DRW K3500 rotors, pads, and calipers; they're noticeably larger than the SRW and 3/4 ton front brakes. And it's literally a bolt on affair, no tapping or reaming out any knuckles like the GMT800; but if you are dead set on that I would go for it.

That's odd that your one ton with a 454 has a SF; my K2500 with a 454 has a FF 14-bolt that I'm debating on adding disc brakes on.

Personally I don't think I can ever go back to happily driving a non-hydroboost equipped 400; the steering is nice and the brakes are great in my truck even with the wear on them.

 

[John Cunningham]

I thought about leaving them however the 800 brakes have the dual piston caliper. If you get the 99-2000 steering knuckle and ream it for the ball joints you just dont have to do much..supposed the tie rods fit right in and you just have to have some thread mods..........I am not sure why lug nuts does not offer a kit like this...a machine shop could prepare all of this in 1 hour after you have done one...I ordered a used knuckle to try the mods on one side...I will make the change over as I have time...........first lets see if the rotor will even fit the axle....not looking forward to doing any grinding

 

[letitsnow]

all great info...! thanks..but still figuring the grinding
part out..how you grind it out? machine shop?

I should (like you mentioned) have done it on a mill. There was a snowstorm coming, and I was pissed off because I had to do it that way, so I just got r done. Keeping the axle balanced doesn't really matter much because the part that you grind is so close to the center.

I sat the axle upright with the studs removed. By upright I mean that the part that the tire would mount to was sitting flat on the floor. Then I took my 4 1/2" grinder to the casted area that was interfering with the brake disc.

 

[letitsnow]

That's odd that your one ton with a 454 has a SF; my K2500 with a 454 has a FF 14-bolt that I'm debating on adding disc brakes on.

It seems like GM used whatever they wanted (but it is all good stuff) on some of these trucks. Some of the people who say that they know what axles came in which trucks are just stubborn. Nobody really has a clue.

 

[BNielsen]

It seems like GM used whatever they wanted (but it is all good stuff) on some of these trucks. Some of the people who say that they know what axles came in which trucks are just stubborn. Nobody really has a clue.

Oh I know, GM must've just had a dart board with options taped to it for every truck, and where ever the dart landed was built.

I do believe most 454/6.5 equipped 2500 and 3500s supposedly came standard with a FF 14-bolt, but I assume there are more oddball trucks out there like this one.

 

[454cid]

A 1-ton shouldn't have a semi-floating axle. It's probably been swapped by a previous owner.

 

[Gibson]

A 1-ton shouldn't have a semi-floating axle. It's probably been swapped by a previous owner.

Yeah,, I gotta agree with this,,. A simi-float axle would never have been normally installed on anything over an 8,600 gvw rating,, and would generally use the JD7 brakes.
A 1ton/3500 SRW should start-out at 9,200 gvw and use a FF with JB8 brakes and Hydro.

 

[Stephen]

Yeah,, I gotta agree with this,,. A simi-float axle would never have been normally installed on anything over an 8,600 gvw rating,, and would generally use the JD7 brakes.
A 1ton/3500 SRW should start-out at 9,200 gvw and use a FF with JB8 brakes and Hydro.

My neighbor retired from GM here in Atlanta and had worked on the truck assembly line. He told me that if they ran out of certain suspension parts for the 2500s they would install 3500 parts and vice versa to keep the line moving. He had a 2500 and needed to replace a ball joint but it had 3500 ball joints on it.

 

[John Cunningham]

My neighbor retired from GM here in Atlanta and had worked on the truck assembly line. He told me that if they ran out of certain suspension parts for the 2500s they would install 3500 parts and vice versa to keep the line moving. He had a 2500 and needed to replace a ball joint but it had 3500 ball joints on it.

Yes this rear end has never been out of the truck 100% positive...whats going in now is a gmt800 with some discs....I found one and they are cheap

 

[ForeverFalcon40]

Sorry to bump an old post. I like using the search button!

I have a 1996 GMC K3500 DRW

Did you have to weld on brackets or bolt on kit? I’m going to call tomorrow to see which ones I need.

Using their website I have 14Bolt Full Float Axle. The only thing I’m not aware of are the style of drums I have. I don’t recall how the drums are installed