Brakes 101 (How to bleed and replace shoes)

[Blazer_Boy]

(To cut through my rambling, need to know how to put shoes in a 12 bolt and bleed the brakes for an '82 K5.)
I feel a little silly asking this, I mean I've torn apart a T-Case and put on all new shocks (bragging here, lol), but I guess we all have to learn before we can do something. This weekend, if all goes well, I'll be dropping my 3.08 10-bolt and putting in a 3.73 12-bolt. I need to do a few things before I put in my 12 bolt to bring it back to life, mainly putting in new shoes and how to check my drums.

I'll have to bleed the brakes after putting this axle in and I have abousolutely NO clue. Here is the extent of my knowledge. If you put some brake parts on the floor all I could tell you is the names of stuff, booster, master cylinder, pads/shoes, and proportioning valves. I basically need a walk through on how to do EVERYTHING. I know where to put the fluid and what the rear proportioning valve looks like, but thats it!

Oh, how do I check if my drums are good? Is putting in shoes easy? Ya know, just put all the crap back like how ya found it, lol. Any idea what width shoes I need use. All I can tell from the frame I'm robbing the axles from is that it has dual pipes (not sure if they're stock), a Dana front, and used to run a 400.

Thanks

 

[muddin4fun]

I suggest you go to the parts store and get a Haynes manual. It'll tell you everything you need to know. I have to do it inorder to explain it. Drum brakes are a pain in the a$$!!!!!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://muddin4fun.coloradok5.com>http://muddin4fun.coloradok5.com</A>

 

[UseYourBlinker]

Most manual's have pictures to help you also.

<font color=blue> Yesterday was history,tomorrow is a mystery,and today is a gift. -Taproot- </font color=blue>

 

[Blazer_Boy]

Great, now I have to drive ALLLL the way to library and get some books, thanks for nothing, haha just $hitin'. That sounds like a good idea, should have thought of books to begin with. Is there any special little tools that help to bleed brakes?

 

[Triaged]

It is not too easy to describe in words how to do drum brakes. But I’ll give it a shot and others can maybe fill in the blanks. Start out with the right tools. A flair-fitting wrench, return spring tool, and hold down tool. Don’t get the tool that looks like a big pair of pliers with a pointy end and a hooked end. The tools you want are ones that look like a screwdriver with a cup shaped thing on the end, and a tool that looks like a screwdriver or rod with two ends (one end like a really narrow spoon and the other with a small cup with a tab on it). Than take off the drums (don’t shake out the dust), measure the width of the shoes, pull back the dust cover on the wheel cylinders to see if there is any fluid leaking (if there is buy rebuilt ones), and then go to the auto parts store and buy the stuff you need. Bring with the drums and have them measure them for you, and machine if necessary (if they don’t do that call around to find somewhere else to have it done). Where safety glasses for all the rest of the steps. Take everything off of one side only and set it all EXACTLY as it came off. To take off the return springs use the return spring tool cup end, put it over the spring and twist. The tab should catch the end of the spring and pry it off. To take off the hold down springs use the hold down spring tool to push down the hold down spring and twist it 90deg. while holding the nail from the inside of the backing plate. Take the parking brake lever off of the rear shoe (secondary also the shoe with more friction material on it), it is normally held on with an E-clip. Don’t loose the E-clip (they like to fly when taken off and match the driveway perfectly). Now spray the backing plate down with brake cleaner letting all the junk drip down into a plastic tub. Now is the time to replace wheel cylinders if needed (just remove and replace using the flair fitting tool on the line end) now is also a perfect time to replace the axle seal. Now clean each part individually so as not to mix up the parts (different R & L as will as front and rear). Install the parking brake lever on the secondary shoe using the E-clip. Install the spring on the bottom between the two shoes, the toothed wheel and adjuster, and put the shoes on the backing plate. Then install the hold down spring on the primary shoe (the one in front with less friction material), the parking brake link and spring (the bar that connects the parking brake lever and the primary shoe), the adjusting lever, and the hold down spring on the secondary shoe. Next install the stud plate (thing that keeps the shoes from sliding out off the stud at the top of the backing plate), than the return springs with the other end of the return spring tool. Put the return spring in the place in the shoe where it should go then put the spoon part over where the other end should go with the return spring around it, and pry the spring onto the stud/link where it goes. If you forget or mix up the parts, that is why you only did one side at a time (you can look at the other side which is just a mirror of the side you are working on). Than adjust the adjuster until there is just a slight amount of drag when turning the drum. Now remove the drum, do the other side, and bleed the brakes if the cylinders were replaced. The most helpful thing about the repair manuals is the pictures (or you could take a pic with your Polaroid/digital camera but who says that the person that did it last did it right)

Did I miss anything?


'71 Blazer CST with alot of rust

 

[dyeager535]

This may sound simplistic, and may NOT work, but on my buddies S10 (same axle though, not from 10 bolt to 12 bolt like you are doing) I just disconnected the complete backing plates, brake lines from the axle, etc. Left it all assembled, just pull the axles out of the 10 bolt and 12 bolt, (safe time to change fluid anyway!) slip the brakes up and out of the way, and then bolt in the 12 bolt, attach brakes, and slip axles back in. Sounds too simple, 10 and 12 botlsd probably have different backing plates or something, right? But this method will save you from dealing with disconnecting the e-brake cable, which in my mind, is the absolute worst thing to deal with on the rear brakes.

Dorian
My K5 and Chev/Olds tech/links page: <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.dorianyeager.com/index2.html>http://www.dorianyeager.com/index2.html</A>

 

[muddin4fun]

Do not be fooled by the "One man brake bleeder" stuff. They suck! And then it takes all afternoon bleeding out all of the air that you sucked into the brake lines cause the damn thing slipped off!!!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://muddin4fun.coloradok5.com>http://muddin4fun.coloradok5.com</A>

 

[jarheadk5]

I use 2 people on the "One man bleeder", and only then does it work OK.

Semper Maintenance!

 

[MudRebel350]

Definitely by a Haynes Manual, It has a very descriptive picture with all the parts in it. Its the best $12.00 you will ever spend.

JD