Well let's hope I don't have to do them very often.
CK5
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Looking to buy 1974 K5
- Thread starter GoAWOL
- Start date
Well let's hope I don't have to do them very often.
Did you buy a hardware kit?
Martin
Martin
Do you mean for the brakes? Yes, bought one for each side.
Yeah. Usually one hardware kit does both sides. Do you have the correct tools?
Martin
Martin
Son of a...guess I have a spare now. I don't have anything special tool wise. There are some tools that make working with the springs easier I think...but right now I'm using standard tools.
If you have some tips or hints, please feel free to share. I haven't twisted wrenches in ages and I will take all the help I can get. Right now I'm just wishing for a fantastic cutaway of what parts go where. I have a Chilton's but that's not very accurate. The other side is still together and I'm using that as a reference.
There are some drum brake specific tools that make it easier, but I have done lots of brake jobs without them. I guess it is just one of those things that gets easier with time.
Martin
Martin
chulisohombre
1/2 ton status
The only tools I use are a pair of vice grips and a screwdiver to do the rears. Make sure to use some brake cleaner to get the carbon buildup out of there before you reinstall the shoes. I like to take a font grit sandpaper like 300 grain and scuff the drum a lil but to get fresh metal for the new shoes. In rust country it gets that little rust lip out of there where the brake shoes don't touch. I also like to bleed the brakes a lil bit to get fresh fluid down the the brake cylinders as well. As big as these trucks are they build up a lot of heat in the brakes so it breaks down the brake fluid over time.
Those are what I'm using too. I ended up having to replace the drums because of wear issues so I went ahead and replaced the wheel cylinders too and wire brushed all the crap off. When I bought the truck I had to mash the brake pedal all the way to the floor to get any kind of braking action so bleeding the brakes is definitely next on the list. The front rotors and pads were good so I'm thinking I may have a master cylinder issue...probably find out this weekend assuming I can get the rear brake puzzle back together.
I have done plenty without the correct tools. For the price of the tools, I would just buy them and make it easier on yourself.
Martin
Martin
chulisohombre
1/2 ton status
At least you'll know it's safe now with new components. I'd check the brake lines too. Maybe getting bad as well. They swell when they are old and makes for a soft pedal.
That's an open diff BTW...which is good. The Gov-lock is a time bomb, and now you can drop in a lock-right without having to find another carrier.
At a decision point
These pics were taken for Chief but I welcome any and all comments. I'm looking at replacing my bedside panels for the following reasons;
-The driver's side has a bunch of bondo from the lower rear up to the rear tail light. Under the bondo the steel is rusted. I don't know what the PO was attempting to hide here.
-The passenger side bedside panel has rust all the way to the bottom of the wheel well and I haven't been able to locate a donor or repro piece that includes all of the wheel well.
The remaining steel on the quarter panels looks good from what I can see.
The other option is to weld in replacement panels...but as I mentioned above, I can't seem to locate ones that include all of my problem areas. Open to suggestions....
These pics were taken for Chief but I welcome any and all comments. I'm looking at replacing my bedside panels for the following reasons;
-The driver's side has a bunch of bondo from the lower rear up to the rear tail light. Under the bondo the steel is rusted. I don't know what the PO was attempting to hide here.
-The passenger side bedside panel has rust all the way to the bottom of the wheel well and I haven't been able to locate a donor or repro piece that includes all of the wheel well.
The remaining steel on the quarter panels looks good from what I can see.
The other option is to weld in replacement panels...but as I mentioned above, I can't seem to locate ones that include all of my problem areas. Open to suggestions....
Holy moly....that panel is eat up...do both the driver and passenger side look like that? And you won't really know for sure until you take the paint off...
I have a patch panel that is the whole wheel well I think:
Wait...no...that's not the whole wheel well
Wait...no...that's not the whole wheel well
I do have both my original quarter panels and one new passenger side quarter that I got from LMC
Everybody told me in the beginning that the rails up top usually have more rust than the rest of the panel...have you looked at them yet? Are they solid?
I am leaning towards Quarter Panel replacement....even though it is a big huge PIA....
I am leaning towards Quarter Panel replacement....even though it is a big huge PIA....
Right now the Driver's side is pretty obviously trashed. I've sanded through some spots on both sides to see where the bondo stops and it 'seems' to be just the immediate wheel well area. But you're right..I won't know until I get the paint and crap off.
I haven't taken the top off yet...but from the outside they look okay. Maybe this weekend I'll take a look.
I was afraid you would say that...
From reading the Ryoken rust thread I hesitate to look at repro stuff just because it is such a quality risk. Decisions....
