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-1 Ton Drum Brakes on a 3/4 Ton 14 FF-

Big power and weight calls for big brakes, and by now the big blue suburban was well qualified in the latter. A friend was switching over to discs, and that gave us the chance to pick up a set of backing plates from a 1 ton 14 bolt.

We began to gather up all the things needed to finish out a new set of brakes: springs, hardware, shoes, new drums, new studs, and the right parking brake cables. We ordered cables from LMC Truck for a 84-91 3/4 ton suburban with a semi floating 14 bolt with 13" brakes. Like any other project that's worth doing, it's worth doing right; so we got all the new parts organized and laid out.

Lay out all the parts.
Studs, springs, hardware - every part replaced.
Parking brake cables from LMC Truck. pn: 34-3882 & 34-3883

There's a big difference between the old 11" x 2" drums and the new 13" x 3.5" pieces. They're meant to stop big duallies with even bigger trailers, so they should work nicely for the suburban.

New Wagner brake pads & drums - American steel.
Braking surface.
It's easier to see the difference in size here.

Chock the front wheels, raise the rear, pull the wheels, pull the shafts, pull the hubs taking not to damage the bearings, and start disassembling the old brakes. Disconnect the parking brake cables and the hydraulic lines, and pull the backing plates. With everything down to the spindles, it's time to start making use of all those new parts. We chose to go back with used backing plates since we found some pretty cheap. There was a good bit of surface rust, but a wire wheel and some patience will clear that up. It's good to go ahead and replace things like wheel cylinders and hub seals while things are apart.

A wire wheel attatchment cleans up the rusted backing plates very well. New wheel cylinders and shouldered gripped hardware are details that are ofter overlooked. Bigger is better!

An important thing to remember is that when giong back with new studs it is necessary to use a press to make sure they're installed properly. It's possible to get away with the "hammer-'em-in" method when going back with used studs. Having taken careful notes upon disassembly on how the springs and hardware went together, put all the new parts in. Hook up the parking brake cables, bleed the brakes, adjust the slack and brake cable tension, and you're ready to enjoy some stiff brakes. You'll be locking up the rear tires on command if you're not careful!

New springs and hardware get the seal of approval. We really should be using a press. The new drums really do stick out.

It takes a few trips around the block to get the slack set right. Be careful not to over tighten the adjuster! It's much more difficult to back off the adjuster than to tighten it.

Sources:

Long Motor Company