Ok well, after allowing my truck to sit for most all of the summer, it has developed a rather mean vibration under braking. I cleaned up both the front rotors and pads and lubed up the slide pins and it didn't do a thing to the problem. Pulled the truck into the garage yesterday afternoon and took things apart in the 95*F weather! YIKES! Anyway, both rear rotors are shot. I couldn't believe that they had ventilated rear disks on it, but what has happened is that the vents have rusted shut and this has caused one of the disks to crack. That and the fact that the pads were no longer flat on the braking surface (kinda moon shaped) due to the rust buildup on the inner and outer edges of the braking surface of the rotor.

Now during the disassembly, everything was going fine until I removed the caliper brackets. Both sides had a slider froze up. One side came apart after 45 minutes worth of coaxing. The other decided to snap off. 1hr later and it's still in there. I then decided to go inside and see what these things cost seeing as how I was going to have to buy one anyhow. $16 each! $16 FREAKIN' dollars. Damn I should have checked that to start off. I wasted enough time trying to salvage the old ones that I could have bought 8 of them! LOL.

Anyway, parts are ordered. I have the new disks and pads in my car right now. Hardware kit, bolt/pin kit, and new caliper brackets for both sides (don't want to screw around any longer cleaning up the old one) should be here tomorrow. I'm basically buying everything new for the brakes on the back (calipers aside). I'll do more cleaning up of things like the axle bolt flange and caliper to pad surfaces tonight (or maybe tomorrow night - it is my wife's birthday today).

Just thought I'd share. I should have some pictures up when I get a chance in the next few days (waiting on parts), until then you'll just have to wait.

 

I know what you mean. Last Summer I struggled with the caliper on my Chevy truck for two days and then my brother said why don't you just buy a new one. I thought it would be expensive, but they were like $12. I was definitely kicking myself.

 

It really didn't bother me to be out there workin' on it for as long as I was cause it atleast kept me busy and sweating my a$$ off is probably a good thing. I would have just went inside and parked it in my recliner anyhow. But once I figured out how little they actually cost, I'm not screwing with the old ones any more!

 

Me neither. I used to rebuild them myself, but that was when they were expensive to replace. It's just amazing how much calipers have dropped in price.

 

Tell teh wife happy b-day, belated of course.

Front calipers and rear wheel cylindars for my '87 are $9.99 each. Hard to beat those prices.

I recommend some anti-seize on the hub face where it make contact with the rotor, and some on the lug bolts deosn't hurt either.

Post up them pics when you get a chance.


I was out paintballing in the 95* temps. Had a blast.

 

inexpensive parts are the #1 reason to buy GM products, IMHO

 

Well, all told, I'm spending $201 to replace EVERYTHING besides the caliper and parking brake shoe in the rear brakes. New rotors, new pads, new caliper brackets, new sliders, and new hardware. We'll see if my choice of rotor comes back to haunt me... I ended up going with Advanced Auto's Wearever rotor for the rear. It was $40 while the Bendix rotor was $100. And they don't carry Raybestos any longer so that option was out. I'm half tempted to purchase the premium NAPA rotors ($70) and return the wearevers, but the rear does so little braking overall that I don't think the wearevers will have a problem.

I'll take some pictures of everything tonight. Don't think I'm going to get things back together tonight cause I want to spray some paint over the new caliper brackets just to protect them (flat black rustoleum). I might pick up some high temp paint when I pick up the rest of the parts this afternoon for the rotors (masking off the main and parking brake surfaces as well as the hub/rotor and rotor/wheel surfaces) again only to protect. I don't even want gloss paint on them, just flat to keep them from rusting prematurely. What sucks the most about having a primary summer vehicle and a primary winter vehicle is that the winter vehicle gets driven in the salt and crap. Then gets left to sit. I wash things down very well as often as I can, but salt acts fast on exposed metals around here!

*EDIT* - Well, damn it all... Advanced Auto pissed me off today. I went to pick up the rest of the parts that I require to get this thing put back together and look at the hardware kit as I'm checking out and NO FREAKIN' pin boots! Online it shows the boots in with the hardware kit and doesn't even list a pin boot kit... So anyway... I'm going to be pissed if when I get there tomorrow the damn thing doesn't include boots for both sides. I still have 3 of mine that could be salvaged, but still... Pisses me off!

Anyway, I'll edit this again with some pictures of my progress this afternoon. It got hampered by a standby call for a nearby fire department while they were working a structure fire.

*EDIT #2* - Here's some pictures:
Freshly painted and greased caliper brackets


Passenger side rotor on the axle


Driver's side rotor


Red lines are the cracks!


Another shot of the old rotors

 

Yea, those rotors are gone. You can see where the brakes were hanging up. Not too mention they look to be composite, not turnable.

You might want to call the dealer for those pins and boots.

 

LOL. Let this one go for a bit.

Anyway, it's all done now and running great. Braking is MUCH improved! The new pads squeal a bit at light pedal pressure which I hope to cure with some anti-squeak compound I have. I wasn't able to get my parking brake to work though. The application mechanism is froze up SOLID. Plus the backing plate is starting to fall apart... I'm planning on rebuilding my rearend next summer so I'll replace all of that then as well as all of the bearings at the same time as well.

Reason why I'm bumping this is because a new member just asked for a how-to on rear brakes. Some of these pictures are very useful even though they don't show a lot. But they are only relevant for rear disc brake setups.

 

You could not have had better timing with this post for rear brakes. My room-mate just did my brakes for me...we replaced pads all around plus rear rotors and the right rear outside flex hose. He took apart the sliders and cleaned them up but the problem is that my rear brakes are sticking badly ... should I just pick up new calipers etc. and have him relace them? He is talking about trying to resurface the pins some more.

Before this work started I already new I needed new pads & rotors on the rear and had been told the flex hose needed to be replaced. The only thing that has not been diagnosed so far is my parking brake. It stopped working some time ago. Unfortunately I do not use it often enough.

I have suggested he look into the parking brake issue and see if once it is fixed if the problem of the rears sticking also goes away.

Am I way off base?


Thx

(P.S. 4 door model, all stock, no offroad packages)