I have driven my 72 for 15 years now and want to continue to do so, but for all the time I have drive this truck it has not had good brakes. I have payed numerous mechanics to look at it as well as replacing the m. cylender / booster many times and it changes nothing. There have been several other remedies tried on my brakes, but they have not helped either. I want to find an after market disk brake system to retro fit onto this old truck, but I do not know where to start looking for a supplier. Does any one have any suggestions. Thanks, Heapum
Hello , just a few questions,, 1. is this a completely stock truck? 2. has it been lifted? 3.does it have oversize tires? 4. what do you mean by " bad " 5. does it stop straight or pull to a side ? 6. does the brakes work fine and then "fade"?(common with drum setups) 7. is this a disc or drum setup? here are some possibles answers to commom problems 1.hard brake-- bad power booster. 2. pulling to one side-- improper adjustment / non-working self-adjusters, leaking lines (soft or cracked rubber brake lines might be flexing under pressure, faulty wheel cylinders, air in lines.. faulty proportioning valve... (don't forget to check your wheel seals.. axle grease is murder on brake shoes. 3. are all 4 wheel brakes working? jack up the back , put it in gear (carefully) and see if the back brakes are actually working...just make sure BOTH tires are actually stopped before you jam it back into park.. good way to eat a tranmission up.. don't ask how I know.. 4. pedal that goes all the way to floor-- air in line or a leak somewhere. bleed the lines till you get clear fluid..and no bubbles. make sure they are not plugged by rust.. just had a 76 blazer nighmare.. turns out proporting vavle was rusted also lines were plugged. 5. if you have oversized tires your truck will need bigger size pads/shoes to stop it with.. might upgrade to a bigger set.. heavy half or 3/4 ton...parts.. 6. are your calipers (if applicable) working? if you want to go the aftermarket route check out www.classicperformance.com they have a lot of high-end brake conversion and upgrade kits... cross-drilled and slotted rotors provide more fade resistance.. bigger calipers/ double piston calipers provide more power or grip bigger shoes /pads create more area of friction which help stop better too.. carbon mettalic shoes are better then the organic.. as my grandpa always says you get what you pay for usually.. hope this helps you out, and good luck.. anyone else have any ideas? eugene
