Drum drum drum......brakes lol

[mctattooer]

Ok the truck I bought, po put new shoes and hardware kit on front and rear, he told me he couldn't get the drums back over the shoes and he thought the adjusters were wrong, so I ordered new ones and put on today, well no change as I thought.

Took shoes off and took drum and shoes to my parts guy to match up, they are correct. Back home I put back together and after so more digging the wheel cylinders would not compress, took one apart got it to go in and boom drum fits.

So today I ordered all new wheel cylinders, new brake hoses because the others looked rough, and ordered new master cylinder do to small leak. So all in all everything will be new.

However. More I think about it, should I just spend the money and convert front wheel to disk? And if so anyone know if they make a affordable kit to make it disk but keep the 6 lug?
Thanks in advance

[hjewell2]

I would like to know also hope somebody can chime in on this one.

[franken]

I'll just google it for you. You'll need to read the results for yourself.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...71.4HyFDnkO9SM

[saxart]

You'll hear a lot of guys say that you absolutely should convert to disks. I really think it depends on how you use your truck and where you drive. I live in relatively flat country, don't tow much, and only use my truck as a weekend cruiser. If you live in the mountains, tow with your truck, or even daily drive it, then I would absolutely convert to disks.

Drum brakes stop fine, they just heat up during repeated usage. For me they work perfectly fine, were easy to install, and dirt cheap to rebuild, so I decided to keep the drums with no regrets.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by saxart

Drum brakes stop fine, they just heat up during repeated usage. For me they work perfectly fine, were easy to install, and dirt cheap to rebuild, so I decided to keep the drums with no regrets.

When drum brakes get wet, such as driving through a puddle when it's raining (not always avoidable) they don't work nearly as well. When just one side gets wet, the dry side tends to grab and pull you to that side. If you need to hit the brakes suddenly under such conditions it can get a bit dicey in a hurry.

I know, we used drum brakes for decades and survived, but there are real reasons I prefer discs. To each his own.

[GASoline71]

There are front disc brake kits made that have 6 lug front rotors. But you'll have to switch to 71-72 spindles, ball joints and tie rod ends.

Gary

[saxart]

Originally Posted by Stocker

When drum brakes get wet, such as driving through a puddle when it's raining (not always avoidable) they don't work nearly as well. When just one side gets wet, the dry side tends to grab and pull you to that side. If you need to hit the brakes suddenly under such conditions it can get a bit dicey in a hurry.

I know, we used drum brakes for decades and survived, but there are real reasons I prefer discs. To each his own.

This is a VERY good point. I've only owned my truck for a couple of years now, and it's been off the road for part of that, so I don't know that I've ever driven it in the rain. Certainly something to watch out for!

[weq92f]

.
The conversion isn't trivial as it involves swapping out the MC as well as the the front-end components, but it isn't all that difficult or expensive either.

As long as you keep those brakes adjusted and working properly and drive within the limits of the drum brakes and the road conditions, they will serve you well. That's the difficulty with drums and conditions. It doesn't take much of a lapse of concentration to find yourself in a bad spot!

If you have the time, $$ and ability, it's probably a good idea to upgrade as it is a safety concern and will ultimately make the truck a better vehicle for and everyone else on the road!

Hth,

-klb

[Rick Bollinger]

I have a 6 lug 2 1/2" drop kit coming from CPP. I also ordered the midnight series master with booster. My brake light keeps coming on and my brakes are soft so I just figured I would do the swap. I have right at 1K in everything but that includes inner and outer tie rods ball joints everything except fluid and lines from the proportioning valve to the block. My truck is sagging on one side so I also got new Moog front springs, pitman, idler, upper and lower a arm shafts and bushings with a new swaybar. Should be a major improvement over stock. It was about an additional $400 for the complete rebuild.