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My pig is a 97 maroon/purple same as yours thoughVery interested in this.... I ordered front calipers/pads (RockAuto Power Stops) and absolutely hate the drums that won't adjust properly.
I tow a 2100# car on a 20' trailer & braking sucks as I've had to manually adjust the rear shoes twice ..... but that only lasts so long before having to re-adjust. I mostly stop using the trailer brakes..... Lol.
What parts did you use in the entire swap? Do you have a complete parts list?I know quite of few forum members thought that is was a waste of time to convert to rear disc brakes.
I reported what I found with a much improved pedal feel. Nos so hard of pedal etc.
I have driven this for several months and contemplated to going to bigger rotors and 4 piston etc because I thought it should be better than what I was feeling but have been too busy to do anything about it.
However I knew I did not do anything with the disc/drum master cyl and I knew that was not right.
So I decided to check the caliper pressures knowing that the rear and fron should be about 1000-1100PSI
Mind you that this is a K3500 with a hydroboost.
I purchased a pressure gauge and checked it and found the rear disc was only 475psi and the front was only 675 psi
I was shocked and happy at the same time.
I installed a new disc/ disc master cyl with a 1 1/8 bore which should be correct for the conversion with no residual or prop valve.
I installed the new MC and the readings are now 1050 in the rear and 1100 psi in the front.
I took it for a drive and was delighted as it feels like a newer truck with a very nice normal feeling pedal and unreal stopping power from what I was experiencing.
No more hard pedal feeling and no more dull feeling pedal. It has the feel you should expect a truck to have even though it was an older truck. To me 4 wheel disc brakes should feel the same on any year truck because the brakes do not know a thing..
It pays to check things more closely and the pressure gauge told the story.
Converting to Disc Brakes all the way around with a new correct MC with the correct bore size changed this truck stopping power 100%
I let a buddy of mine drive it who has a 2015 GM 3/4 ton and he says it feels and stops as good as his truck
Best thing I have done to the truck as far as safety is concerned.
Go ahead naysayers and attack!!...but for those who want to do this conversion I would be happy to share info
One issue with the E-Brake/Parking Brake is that the cable can freeze in the winter. I have had this happen on 2 vehicles in my driving career. 1 of them is my 89 GMT400. I have a manual 5 speed. While I do use the parking brake in the summer I will not use it in freezing weather. First winter I had this truck the cable froze and it took me 5 tries to rock the truck to pop the brakes loose. Back in the early 90’s I had a car that the first 3 times it froze I was able to rock the car to release the parking brake. The 4th time I had to get a ride home and go back later in the afternoon to get my car. After that I never used the parking brake.
I do not like that the brake cable can hold water and freezes in the winter time.
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I just had the Little Shop rear disc conversion ( not their large one) done and also used their MC because they stated you need the larger bore which in turn I assume increased the pressure ??Which master cylinder did you purchase?
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It actually reduces the pressure, but it moves more volume. The pistons in a disc brake caliper are much larger than a drum brake wheel cylinder and need more volume to move.I just had the Little Shop rear disc conversion ( not their large one) done and also used their MC because they stated you need the larger bore which in turn I assume increased the pressure ??
https://www.littleshopmfg.com/gm-ck1500-master-cylinder-upgrade/
The pistons in a disc brake caliper are much larger than a drum brake wheel cylinder and need more volume to move.
That is an idea that just keeps being repeated so often that many think that it's true,, but it's false.
Actually the pistons in a caliper move very little, only a few thousands of an inch, they are already dragging on the rotor even when they are in the relaxed position.
The difference between brakes off and brakes on is just an increase in fluid pressure, the motion of the piston is so small that the rubber boot is the return force,, perhaps a couple of ounces.
just pm me if interestedWhat parts did you use in the entire swap? Do you have a complete parts list?