72' Brake Issues ???

[SlammedBlazerLife]

In my 72' Blazer the brakes make a really bad shreak noise with a vibrating pulse that i can kind of feel when i press the brakes when stopping some times.This brake issue gives me poor braking where its seems its hard to stop. The brake issue seems to be coming from the front but the back brakes might be doing it also. The new brake pads that i have replaced in the front have been used for at least 6 months, so i figured they should be worn in by now or help this problem that i have with the brakes. This issue is of great concern to me reason is i use my Blazer for Rock crawling/4 Wheeling and to have good brakes are critical. I need Advice/help with this issue and or any thoughts or recommendations to fix this brake problem, Thanks

[SlammedBlazerLife]

Any body got an opinion on this subject?

[NuBomb]

How old are the rotors?

[Jdubs71]

I agree could be the rotors. Just a word of advice, the one thing I will never sacrifice for cheaper parts is the brakes. I normally buy the best quality from Napa. I don't go cheap in that area, anything else and I'm always hunting for the cheapest deal deal I can find.
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[SlammedBlazerLife]

I'm not sure but i think the rotors might be stock from 41 years ago, I put new expensive pads the best auto zone had for my truck, but i might look into buying new rotors also, Do you think that bleeding the breaks would also help this issue?

[Jdubs71]

If it were me and the brakes haven't been touched in 40 years I would replace everything rotors, pads, and maybe the calipers also depending on what they look like. If your applying the brakes and the pedal is going to the floor there is a good chance a fitting or valve is leaking. You may want to replace front and rear brakes, rear wheel cylinders and check the drums. Check all your brake lines and then bleed them. After that you should be stopping much better.
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[RED 1970]

I don't think that bleeding the brakes will do anything to stop a pulse, vibration or metal on metal scraping sound from the brakes.

I'd start by inspecting the rotor and caliper with the K5 safely on jack stands and the wheels removed. Rotate the rotors by hand and look for problems.

[Slinger60]

I would also remove the rear drums and inspect them while your at it.

[SlammedBlazerLife]

Red I thought that bleeding the brakes wouldn't make a difference, but I'm saving money for slotted rotters for quality stooping for my 35's tires, Slinger i checked the rear drums and adjusted those and they seem to be fine, any more opinions throw them at me , thanks!

[jaros44sr]

Dont forget to torque your lug nuts on in a star pattern, rotors can get warped if you fail to do this....

[Ole Beater]

Thats what it sounds like to me. Either warped discs or they have something on the surface. A cheap method to resurface is to degrease them and then sand the disc surface down with some emery cloth on both sides of the disc. But you may have already contaminated the pads. Also rear brake drums are self adjusting once you put the drum back on and tighten the star wheel up some. They self adjust every time you back up and stop. Thats how they compensate for wear.

[skorpioskorpio]

The problem with old brakes in a modern world is that the parts to really make them work as designed were banned long ago. Those rotors and calipers were intended to work with asbestos pads. Rotors don't need to be nearly as hard with asbestos pads and calipers don't need to take nearly as much heat because asbestos is a terrific insulator of heat. I agree, with those that say, if your brakes are at all original start over, or at the very least turn the rotors to within spec if you can and use some sort of organic or Kevlar based pad. If you are using semi-metallic or ceramic pads on rotors and calipers intended for asbestos everything will get too hot and lead to problems, and your brakes won't work very well until those problems occur. Modern materials have produced brakes that are much better than what was available in 1972, but modern materials cannot make old brakes perform as well as they originally did.

[GuyO]

I think everyone is saying the same thing - rotors. Have them turned or replaced and buy good pads. Rears are easy: Shoes, drums, and adjusters. Bleeding can be tricky after you replace parts, especially if you bought new hoses. Make sure your hoses are below the bleeders or else you will never get the air out. New wear parts, new fluid is the best advice IMO! Guy.