Rear Brakes 14 Bolt?

[BBslider001]

I have been looking for a thread on anyone else that has tackled this. I have heard it's not for the faint of heart and then I have heard it's no big deal? What say you expo crew? Larry?

Mine are not terrible, but if I pull the drum, I want to be ready to get it done if need be. Thanks!

 

[bjm206]

If all you have to do is replace the shoes (and seals) it is not so bad. Just keep everything in the order they came out and maybe get a dentist pick to help get the spindle washers out. If you need to replace a drum then it can get nasty to separate the drum from the hub without damaging the wheel studs.

This site has some good info and links on 14 bolts.

http://www.billavista.com/tech/Articles/14-Bolt_Bible/

Good Luck!

 

[rxinhed]

When it comes to replacing a drum, the studs are a replacement part as well. If the drums are to be replaced, it's a good time to do a disk brake conversion.

 

[BBslider001]

If all you have to do is replace the shoes (and seals) it is not so bad. Just keep everything in the order they came out and maybe get a dentist pick to help get the spindle washers out. If you need to replace a drum then it can get nasty to separate the drum from the hub without damaging the wheel studs.

This site has some good info and links on 14 bolts.

http://www.billavista.com/tech/Articles/14-Bolt_Bible/


Good Luck!

Thanks for the input! I'll be dong this hopefully in the next couple of weeks. I'll post up pics when I do.

When it comes to replacing a drum, the studs are a replacement part as well. If the drums are to be replaced, it's a good time to do a disk brake conversion.

Easier said than done on the wallet. I would love to do this, but this is my budget truck. I gotta work with what I've got.

 

[bjm206]

Using a brass punch or better yet a press can help save the studs if you need to remove them.

 

[Outback]

Drums work great. The con is that they weight 75 lbs more than a typical disc brake conversion. The plus is that they are all ready on your truck and work. Simple to rebuild if needed and again work great. If your building a super high end rock buggy or off road race car then go ahead and do it. If not keep it stock. I would use all that money and buy something more useful like the Largest Freeze Fridge Engel makes! Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[BBslider001]

Drums work great. The con is that they weight 75 lbs more than a typical disc brake conversion. The plus is that they are all ready on your truck and work. Simple to rebuild if needed and again work great. If your building a super high end rock buggy or off road race car then go ahead and do it. If not keep it stock. I would use all that money and buy something more useful like the Largest Freeze Fridge Engel makes! Just my 2 cents worth.

I completely agree. This is more a DD and lite expedition vehicle than off-road buggy, so no need to go disc conversion. I do most stuff myself, so I figured they shouldn't be that hard to do. I just faintly remember reading that it wasn't easy and they had a tough time, but maybe they had no skills? Ah well, I'll post up data and photos when I get to it this weekend or next.

 

[plumber mike]

The hardest part is getting the drums off. The brackets are reasonably priced and the rotors, calipers and pads are all off the shelf Gm parts. The caddy calipers with the ebrake can be spendy depending on where you look, but front calipers off a 3/4 ton front work fine as well. the weight savings is huge too.

After fighting to get worn drums off the truck to replace shoes, you might be sold on a disc conversion.

All of this is for a full float 14, so I may be posting out of line if you are talking semi float.

 

[bjm206]

Thinking about it a 93 2500 Suburban 14 bolt FF should have slip on outboard drums as opposed to the pressed on inboard drums seen in other applications. So as long as the seals are good a brake service should be like any other drum system.

 

[BBslider001]

The hardest part is getting the drums off. The brackets are reasonably priced and the rotors, calipers and pads are all off the shelf Gm parts. The caddy calipers with the ebrake can be spendy depending on where you look, but front calipers off a 3/4 ton front work fine as well. the weight savings is huge too.

After fighting to get worn drums off the truck to replace shoes, you might be sold on a disc conversion.

All of this is for a full float 14, so I may be posting out of line if you are talking semi float.

It's a FF and if I had the coin, I'd do it, but the drums are gonna stay.

Thinking about it a 93 2500 Suburban 14 bolt FF should have slip on outboard drums as opposed to the pressed on inboard drums seen in other applications. So as long as the seals are good a brake service should be like any other drum system.

Cool...again, thanks for the input. If I run into issues and it has to sit wle I bike to the parts store, no big deal. I can't imagine it would be impossible. I know it won't be cake, but what is when working on 20 year old trucks?

 

[highdesertranger]

so on my 1/2 ton that I converted to 14 bolt I put on the disk brakes they worked good and were easy to service. however no e brake tried one of those transfer case mounted disk's what a joke. on my current 1 ton I kept the drums they work great and so does the e brake. a brake job on these will give you a work out but they a pretty straight forward. just be careful when reassembling and don't tear the seal up. make sure you get the drum on far enough to support the weight on the bearing and not the seal. like I said a work out. you will not need to go to the gym that day. highdesertranger

 

[bfdiesel]

so on my 1/2 ton that I converted to 14 bolt I put on the disk brakes they worked good and were easy to service. however no e brake tried one of those transfer case mounted disk's what a joke. on my current 1 ton I kept the drums they work great and so does the e brake. a brake job on these will give you a work out but they a pretty straight forward. just be careful when reassembling and don't tear the seal up. make sure you get the drum on far enough to support the weight on the bearing and not the seal. like I said a work out. you will not need to go to the gym that day. highdesertranger

If you want a cable ebrake you use eldorado calipers on the rear.

 

[highdesertranger]

those don't work well for heavier vehicles either, on lighter vehicles they are ok. disks by there nature just don't make good e brakes. drums are much better. a drum by design puts more force on if the vehicle moves, disks just slip. most newer vehicles with rear disks have a drum e brake. btw I have a stick so a working e brake is a must, it should be for all you auto guys too. highdesertranger

 

[BBslider001]

Yeah, my Ebrake works pretty darn well. No complaints there.

What is happening though is that I notice when I start to go from a stop, it feels and sounds like the shoes are grabbing. It almost feels as if someone is bumping the floor or something. At first I thought it was my diff, but I am convinced the shoes are sticking. They quit after I get above 15 mph, but it is something I have never experienced. Anyone else experienced this with this rearend? I hope my description makes sense! Hopefully someone has some info on this.