Rear disc conversion kit

[stutaeng]

While I don't disagree in gmt400 terms, wait til you do drums on a gmt800. Yep, some of them have drums, like our '06 Silvy SS's. The hardware SUCKS and I mean SUCKS to battle with, though allegedly I need some kind of long bent needle nose to deal with them. Oh, and there aren't adjuster slots (and as far as I can see so far, no knockouts I could punch) to back the adjusters off so I can pull the drums easier. I battled like a båstard to get the drums (one with a nice lip) off my wife's truck, and mine is coming up soon for rear brakes, I'm sure..

Anyway best stopping power investment is in the FRONT brakes, but more importantly, as most have correctly chimed in the brakes are a SYSTEM that all the chosen parts must work well together - and that's something you are very unlikely to get once you start throwing miscellaneous parts together.

Looking forward to doing the front GMPP 16" rotor / Brembo 6 piston upgrade to my truck one of these days. And probably leaving the rear as drums. Or, whatever GM-sourced/correct parts to convert the weirdo hybrid 9.5" 14 bolt to disc... makes my head hurt

Richard

On the GMT800 10 bolt drums, it seems easy enough to change to rotors from the earlier trucks (99-04). I've seen guys on the PT.net do that swap; everything is a direct fit. Not sure if you could do that on the AXN axle you have. Or look into the GMT900 rear AXN axle that had rotors.

I'm working on a 2KXX rear axle (same or similar axle to AXN) swap on my early GMT800. I'll let you know if I'm successful.

The front 6 piston caliper upgrade does look like the cat's meow though!

 

[Caman96]

While I don't disagree in gmt400 terms, wait til you do drums on a gmt800. Yep, some of them have drums, like our '06 Silvy SS's. The hardware SUCKS and I mean SUCKS to battle with, though allegedly I need some kind of long bent needle nose to deal with them. Oh, and there aren't adjuster slots (and as far as I can see so far, no knockouts I could punch) to back the adjusters off so I can pull the drums easier. I battled like a båstard to get the drums (one with a nice lip) off my wife's truck, and mine is coming up soon for rear brakes, I'm sure..

Anyway best stopping power investment is in the FRONT brakes, but more importantly, as most have correctly chimed in the brakes are a SYSTEM that all the chosen parts must work well together - and that's something you are very unlikely to get once you start throwing miscellaneous parts together.

Looking forward to doing the front GMPP 16" rotor / Brembo 6 piston upgrade to my truck one of these days. And probably leaving the rear as drums. Or, whatever GM-sourced/correct parts to convert the weirdo hybrid 9.5" 14 bolt to disc... makes my head hurt

Richard

I’ll take your word on that Richard. But, yes, this was really specifically meant towards the gmt400 J5 setup, that it seems most, if not all are doing the conversion. It’s these I feel are simple and for the cost and effort to convert to disc seems(imo) fruitless for no gain.

 

[Schurkey]

wait til you do drums on a gmt800. Yep, some of them have drums, like our '06 Silvy SS's. The hardware SUCKS and I mean SUCKS to battle with

Photos?

Anyway best stopping power investment is in the FRONT brakes, but more importantly, as most have correctly chimed in the brakes are a SYSTEM that all the chosen parts must work well together - and that's something you are very unlikely to get once you start throwing miscellaneous parts together.

Well-said.

 

[Frank Enstein]

These fit; https://www.summitracing.com/search.../disc-brake-kits/position/rear/drivetrain/rwd

 

[someotherguy]

Photos?

Not my pic, but this is pretty much the setup - seems to be what GM did in the gmt900 trucks, but the RWD SS's (2005 optional, 2006 and 2007 classic are RWD only) use this setup as well. It looks deceptively simple, but keeping everything in place while you wrangle those two big shoe return springs (or, "hold down springs").. is.. maddening. They say the long bent needle nose help a lot. I guess I should get some. Doesn't solve the lack of adjuster window, though.

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Richard

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

@someotherguy
They make a tool for the horseshoe brakes.

Lisle 50600 Spring Brake Tool for GM

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[Frank Enstein]

Not my pic, but this is pretty much the setup - seems to be what GM did in the gmt900 trucks, but the RWD SS's (2005 optional, 2006 and 2007 classic are RWD only) use this setup as well. It looks deceptively simple, but keeping everything in place while you wrangle those two big shoe return springs (or, "hold down springs").. is.. maddening. They say the long bent needle nose help a lot. I guess I should get some. Doesn't solve the lack of adjuster window, though.

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Richard

Those are really terrible. I would do discs in a heartbeat!

 

[Schurkey]

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How big are the drums?

Looks like a revised 254mm (10 inch) leading-trailing shoe system.

I wonder if they fixed the adjustment problem.

 

[someotherguy]

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How big are the drums?

Looks like a revised 254mm (10 inch) leading-trailing shoe system.

I wonder if they fixed the adjustment problem.

They're about 11.67" ID, shoes are 2.43" wide. Dunno about adjustment; they seem to auto-adjust OK.

Richard

 

[Schurkey]

Bigger...and with the adjustment problem fixed--would be a huge improvement over the horse-shiit 254mm leading/trailing brakes of the GMT400.

But being old, and old-fashioned, I still like Duo-Servo brakes.