Pedal too firm after brake overhaul

[chevy72blu]

Update:

I've gotten a few PM's about this problem so I figure a post would do better for people looking in the future.

The Oreilly brand M/C was certainly part of the problem, as mentioned by luvbowties. I warranty exchanged it and found that it was significantly easier to operate the piston. I think the first one was out of spec/tolerance too tight. This improved the pedal feel by a good 40-50%.

I've put perhaps 2-300 miles on the truck since then going to little cruises and quick trips to the store. The pedal has improved another 20-30% - my belief is the old pads/shoes were glazed over/hardened from sitting. That could be 100% impossible/incorrect, but it has definitely improved with several heat up/cool-down cycles.

I'm glad I revisited the thread though as I didnt know about 5/16" rod adjustment. I dont remember seeing when I did the overhaul, but I'll pull the M/C tonight and give it a shot. The explanation makes perfect sense with the amount of pre-travel prior to engagement. The truck now stops easily with one foot and locks them up without too much effort. You still need to be serious about it, but it does not feel at all unsafe. Still, its not quite the pedal I remember - the only real issue is the amount of pedal pressure required sitting at a stoplight.

I plan on replacing the pads and shoes in a week or so once its back from the suspension shop (getting the front end rebuilt) and I'll post if there is any change. Still plenty of material on them, but I imagine a higher quality brake lining cant hurt performance compared to the stock/economy type on it now.