Brakes- '70 C20

[Steeveedee]

OK, I had a contamination issue with my truck and am going through the hydraulics. That's under control, but I have a problem with the rear brake shoes, which to me is just crazy. I bought relined brake shoes at NAPA, and they have too little friction material on them. I was a state-licensed ASE-certified mechanic back in the day, and I know what brake shoes look like. For those of you who know, most applications have a smaller primary shoe lining and a longer lining on the secondary shoe. But some trucks have the same amount of lining on both shoes. The shoes I got look like primary shoes- all four of them! Does NAPA consider this to be the same thing? I could understand even having the primary shoe being shorter on my truck, but that shorter secondary shoe lining length is a concern. I have a camper shell and stuff in it, and haul a trailer. The brakes need to be right. I'm taking them back tomorrow for a refund, but I'm going to have to find another place that has the right stuff (I know where to go for them- it's just gonna cost me a little more), but since I can do all the work myself, an extra $20 for shoes is not a big deal. It's also annoying that I've got about 4 hours in a 1 hour repair, based on not getting the right parts. I bought new springs and adjusters, but the adjusters I got weren't not only wrong, but two different sizes, to boot.

[toolboxchev]

That Napa for you, I just went through the same on my truck, Oh they said they meet or exceed OEM spec. Said the same about bonded line also. BULLCRAP! Look at the service manuals listed in this site.

I will use Raybestos or Wagner again in the future. American made, not the Chinwaa crud.

[72freak]

Avoid NAPA

[Steeveedee]

I took the incorrect adjuster screws back, and was going to pick up the replacement parts. They ordered adjuster screws for 13" brakes, way too big! Re-ordered the correct part numbers, since the guy there that is older than me (!) agrees with me that they were probably "boxed wrong", which in partsmanspeak means that the guy at the factory put it in the wrong box. A highly technical term, that. This ain't rocket science!

[chevylemon]

Originally Posted by toolboxchev

That Napa for you, I just went through the same on my truck, Oh they said they meet or exceed OEM spec. Said the same about bonded line also. BULLCRAP! Look at the service manuals listed in this site.

I will use Raybestos or Wagner again in the future. American made, not the Chinwaa crud.

Hate to "brake" it to you but napa brand brakes are raybestos in some states, otherwise they are rayloc. Unless you specifically buy the fleet, akebono, or Altrom brakes. Raybestos and wagner aren't made in the USA anymore. Only problem I have with people saying China crud is that they are at the top of the list for manufacturing anything. There is a reason "everything" is made in China. Not only is there manufacturing facilities stocked with the best equipment, depending on the contract, they have very strict quality control compared to us based companies. What gave them a bad rap was companies giving them contracts and settling for what was cheapest to make better profits. while not looking into if it was safe, reliable, or USA compliant.