67 GMC Front Drum Brakes ARRGH!

[Legolas894]

OK-Just trying to get my truck safetied so I needed new Front shoes, wheel cylinders and back drums, wheel cylinders and shoes. Spent a lot of money ($700) but got the six bolt drums (OEM even), bearing seals-the works. So, I go to put the wheel cylinders on the front (do the easy one first right?) only all my books say undo two bolts that hold the cylinder on. Mine has one big nut that holds the cylinder on. It's 1 1/8 too so off I go to get an impact socket since my set only goes up to 1". Got that. Then I had to get the brake line off the cylinder. Here's the stupid part, I try to loosen the brake hose off the cylinder and it's on real tight. So, me being really smart, I start to undo the hose from the brake line and "snap" the nut breaks the brake line!!!!!Then I realize that all I had to do was take off the wheel cylinder with that shiny new 1 1/8 that I just bought, leave the hose on and then just spin the cylinder. Needless to say, the second front wheel came apart real easy. So, 6 hours for the left front and 1 hour for the right front!

I'm tackling the rear drums tomorrow. Any crazy things I need to know about there? I'm worring about the brake lines to the wheel cylinders there too.

[Longhorn Man]

i hope most of that $700 was on the OEM drums. Everything else should be pretty cheap.
The drums though, if they are real OEM and vintage pieces are 10 times better than the craptastic parts store pieces that are $30-ish a piece. you can ID the old ones by looking for a hole to adjust the star adjuster... or at least a knockout for it, and also a lip on the outter ring for the vibration spring that wraps around the drum.

The rears should be like any other rear drums (assuming you've done this before) and the only issues you should have is the rust factor.

[Legolas894]

Yeah-The shoes and drums were OEM from a GM dealer. The other stuff was a crap shoot-Wheel cylinders from Italy, springs, bearings and seals from China. What can you do.
I had the rear off the other day so I think there won't be as much trouble. I think I have to take off the axle shafts to change the bearings though. I'm a little scared about that since you need to take of the rear differential cover, pull out clips etc. Never done that before!

Thanks for your reply.

[capev86]

i would never spend $700 on drum brakes - front or rear. i could swap to disc a lot cheaper than that. my 72 suburban has disc on the front and because it is a 3/4 ton the brakes on all 4 corners are huge. it brakes awesome and doesn't need an upgrade (well, maybe late model rear disc some time in the distant future).

[passthebuck]

Anticipate on having to grind off the boltheads so as to be able to get the rear cylinders off. You, like I, live in the Canadian rust region (pretty much ALL of CDA).

[Legolas894]

Rust? Oh you mean that's not two-tone?

Every little job becomes a big job. Try to get one thing off, break something else. If I had the money, I would just strip it all down and start over. Body, engine, interior are all in good shape but it's the mechanical stuff that is giving me troubles.

[BAGNDRAGIT]

QUOTE=Legolas894 Rust? Oh you mean that's not two-tone?



Classic!

[big mike71]

I start to do something to my truck, I tell the wife this won't take long one hour turns into five everytime.