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brakes
Guys, why are the brakes so bad on these trucks? I mean, 13x21/2 shoes, duel m/c, should stop these trucks no problem. I've driven other trucks w/o power brakes and they seem to stop alright. ???????. Also, any feed back on mounting the rear springs under the frame when i get around to putting the 14 in? I think it's stupid to have to remove all the hardware from the axle and stuff just to install soring bushings. My,02.
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What material are your brake shoes made of and have your drums been turned? My truck stopped pretty good with the stock stuff, but I got tired of constant adjustments.
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Stock it is a single chamber master cylinder...and the system, in good working order and adjusted properly works quite well.
If you have a dual master, maybe there is a problem right there...just a guess.
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With a dual master cylinder and a power booster, my stock drums haul my 715 to a stop relatively well for a 40+ year old truck of that weight with a big V8 and lots of extra gear in it.
Almost every truck I've seen or had my hands on has had at least a couple wheel cylinders inoperative, a questionable master cylinder, and improperly adjusted brakes. Get all that fixed and even in stock form, for the limits the truck was designed to operate in, they work acceptably.
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If it has had a master swap, it may have been done in such a way that the system wont work well...ll depends on what was used and how it was setup.
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My truck has stock brakes with dual master and stops great. Maybe your brake system isn't adjusted to specs?
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I second (or third, or fourth...) that stock brakes should work fine. My fire department never liked them because they way overloaded the thing and didn't upgrade the brakes, so when I bought it at town auction they all warned me I'd have to do brakes before I could drive it. Yeah right! I can lock up the tires with on dry pavement (nothing in the bed other than the spare).
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I'd wager a bet that there is a stuck wheel cylinder or two and maybe even a clogged line. Probably only one or two wheels are actually doing anything.
When I rebuilt my truck, All of the brake shoes looked new until I got to the left rear. They were shot and nearly to the rivets. That was because that was the only wheel that actually was stopping. All the other wheel cylinders were stuck and two of the steel lines were clogged with rust and brake fluid residue.
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Thanks for the replys, I did the s/s line thing, duel m/c, guess I'll try the w/cyl thing. If i had ANY hair left I'd pull it out!
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Should be able to get on some gravel, try to lock them up and skid. Look to see who is working and who is not.