I have a 1987 K5 with wimpy 10 bolt axles. gears are 3.08s. and I'm running 33" tires. [not good!] I want to swap in 3/4 ton GMs with 4.10 gears and have seen many posts and articles on how to install them. My question is; what about brakes?? I plan to use an 8 lug stock Dana 44 disc brake front and stock 14 bolt, drum rear. Do I have to change the master cylinder or power booster to complete the swap? Any info would be appreciated!!
CK5
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What do you do about brakes for a 3/4T conversion
- Thread starter Rondo
- Start date
hawkeye649
1/2 ton status
I've got a dana 44 and a dana 60 (rear) you can have cheap /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif
sled_dog
1 ton status
no change neccessary by any means.
WARP1
Registered Member
I did the swap on my '73. I reused the 1/2 ton calibers up front and the lines bolted right up in the rear. I had '74 3/4 ton axles. I changed the rear to disk and the rear brakes would lock up easy. I think a proportioning valve would have fixed this.
I plan to swap in a stock drum brake rear set up. I pulled the 14 bolt axle out of a 1975 K20 camper special. Since these are a bigger diameter I was wondering about the master cylinder. Is the master cylinder on a Blazer the same as a 3/4 ton pickup or are they different?
I ran the stock Master, 1/2 ton, for a long time after I updated the brake booster to 3/4 ton and it made a huge difference. A few weeks later, I added the disc brakes and master- WOW. Stops on a dime, no locking. I did buy an adjustable proportioner, but have not installed it.
First off I would try to find a front 8 lug 10B instead of a D44.
1. The brake lines are different between the two.
2. A front D60 and 10B caliper share the same size line.
Your rear 14BFF will bolt in like it was meant to be there, brake lines and all except for the emergency brake.
When I did my swap I just swapped axles and that was it, no brake parts. I was amazed on how much better the brakes were with the much larger 2.5" drums out back, especially trying to slow down when towing. My brakes work perfect with the stock 1/2 ton master cylinder, proportioning valve, etc.
1. The brake lines are different between the two.
2. A front D60 and 10B caliper share the same size line.
Your rear 14BFF will bolt in like it was meant to be there, brake lines and all except for the emergency brake.
When I did my swap I just swapped axles and that was it, no brake parts. I was amazed on how much better the brakes were with the much larger 2.5" drums out back, especially trying to slow down when towing. My brakes work perfect with the stock 1/2 ton master cylinder, proportioning valve, etc.
