Jim's 1969 Custom/20

[bollybib]

BRAKES IV

The rear brakes were more interesting because I was unfamiliar with the construction of the rear axle and wheel hub/drum assemblies. I had been acquiring service manuals, reading posts on The Board, watching YouTube, etc., so I was learning. I like to study-up beforehand on a project to so I can overcome the inevitable mistakes and unforeseens that occur without panic. I like to work through the whole sequence of work in my head a few times before turning a wrench. The unfamiliar becomes the familiar by the time I actually do the work.

I needed a lock nut removal tool to remove and install the wheel hub so I bought one. If I had to replace the drums (very likely), I would need a press to remove the wheel bolts to separate the drum from the hub. I started looking around for a shop press. New brake shoes and cylinders were readily available, but the drum was a different story. I located a few sources of new drums, many of them expensive, I thought.

At last one day mid-January 2011 I had enough ducks in a row to start work. I moved the truck onto the driveway so as not to clutter the garage any longer and also have enough room to slide the axles out. I did one side at a time, starting on the DS. The DS hub and drum assembly was a little stubborn to slide off the shoes, but otherwise, no difficulties. Confidence level up, I decided to replace the kinked brake line while I was at it. I made the new one with steel tubing. The rear hose looked OK so I decided to leave it alone for now but it is something to keep an eye on (add to The List). The worst part was cleaning out all the accumulated crud, red Utah dirt, and so on (not quite as bad as the fronts).

[bollybib]

BRAKES V

The reassembly of the shoes and WCs went OK. Here’s an interesting note. I bought the rear WCs from NAPA; one made in USA, the other in China. Guess which one had a casting interference with the hole in the backplate (it wasn’t China). A little grinding and all was well. The brake line was a challenge to fabricate, but I took my time and got it the first time. I made a short-handled brake line wrench to get to the fitting mounted inside the axle bracket due to restricted swing room (I’m working under the truck with everything in place except the spare tire). I found the keys to success (for novices like me) to make good brake lines are: practice a lot, be very patient, make lots of trial fits, and get the fittings aligned as accurately as possible so you don’t have to force anything when you screw them together.

I pressure tested the system now and again by pushing the brake pedal down and holding it in place with a clamp. A few minor snug-ups of fittings here and there was all I needed to get it leak free. The tee fitting at the front stayed dry (and still is as of this writing) so maybe the fitting was not secure to begin with or the source of the leak was elswhere (from above, perhaps).

The bearing cups looked worn, they were concave. Other than their shape, they looked fine. I ran a lot of new gear oil through the bearings in the hub rather than clean them, good enough for now. I decided to later replace the bearings at the same time as the drums and do it all at once. A future wheel hub project, basically (add to The List).

[bollybib]

BRAKES VI

I started a thread about some of the problems I encountered with obtaining new drums "69 C20 Rear Brake Drum" ( http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=443837 ). The DS drum was pretty chewed up, and both drums were worn at least to the wear limit (as close as I could measure without having large diameter calipers). I thought I could have it turned for the time being since new drums wouldn’t be available for several months so I wouldn’t tear up the new shoes. I had two guys try to turn it on the cheap, one got it OK, but I decided to just leave the PS alone, it wasn’t worth it. But on the plus side, I learned how to disassemble and reassemble wheel and hub assemblies on a 1969 Chevy ¾ ton truck (and how to use my shop press that I decided to buy).

[Ed 72 Sierra Grande]

Originally Posted by bollybib

BRAKES IV

The rear brakes were more interesting because I was unfamiliar with the construction of the rear axle and wheel hub/drum assemblies. I had been acquiring service manuals, reading posts on The Board, watching YouTube, etc., so I was learning. I like to study-up beforehand on a project to so I can overcome the inevitable mistakes and unforeseens that occur without panic. I like to work through the whole sequence of work in my head a few times before turning a wrench. The unfamiliar becomes the familiar by the time I actually do the work.

I needed a lock nut removal tool to remove and install the wheel hub so I bought one. If I had to replace the drums (very likely), I would need a press to remove the wheel bolts to separate the drum from the hub. I started looking around for a shop press. New brake shoes and cylinders were readily available, but the drum was a different story. I located a few sources of new drums, many of them expensive, I thought.

Attachment 735682

At last one day mid-January 2011 I had enough ducks in a row to start work. I moved the truck onto the driveway so as not to clutter the garage any longer and also have enough room to slide the axles out. I did one side at a time, starting on the DS. The DS hub and drum assembly was a little stubborn to slide off the shoes, but otherwise, no difficulties. Confidence level up, I decided to replace the kinked brake line while I was at it. I made the new one with steel tubing. The rear hose looked OK so I decided to leave it alone for now but it is something to keep an eye on (add to The List). The worst part was cleaning out all the accumulated crud, red Utah dirt, and so on (not quite as bad as the fronts).

Attachment 735683 Attachment 735684 Attachment 735685

Great Job and post