2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Rear Brakes Conversion Drum to Rotor????

[SRath]

Now I understand. That's actually a great mod, Floyd. I always dislike having to turn the key "on" and needlessly cycle the heater grids just to roll a window up or down without starting the truck.

 

[SMorneau]

The ABS on my 96 worked in both 2 and 4 wheel drive.

The larger wheel cylinders helped and was a good mod. It maybe the cheapest useful mod ever.

The drums brakes, while needing frequent adjustment, should be more than capable of locking up your rear wheels. On my truck (ABS removed) the front wheels will not lock but the rear ones will easily lock. Even on gravel roads at slow speeds my front wheels do not like to lock up. If yours will not lock you should pull your ABS fuse and if the rears will still not lock you have a problem. I would suspect a the hose that goes to the rear axle hard lines has failed and is blocking the flow to the rear cylinders.

I have added an adjustable proportioning valve on my 96. I have had it configured after the factory combination valve and by itself with the combination valve removed. With the adjustable valve by itself I would get excellent braking when I had the camper on the truck. In that configuration I could pass full pressure from the master cylinder right to the rear brakes.

The problem is the combination valve has some other functions, the adjustable one lacks, that are kind of nice; like the ability to block off one circuit should the other one fail in the case of a ruptured line. So when I put it back in it limits the line pressure to the rear cylinders.

If someone could provide me with an adjustable combination valve I could dial my truck in for any kind of driving and load.

The best mod I have done to aid in stopping power is to add the hyrdoboost system to my truck. If you have a vacuum boost system (96 and earlier) you would be cheating yourself by changing to a double piston caliper front end without do that change also.

Also, I haven't heard of anyone impressed by the parking brakes on the rear disk so keep that in mind if you decide to do the swap.

 

[BFrye]

I have a early 2001 2500. Whats the cylinder bore? Should I go with the chevy or the 1T Dually Dodge cylinders?

 

[LVJUNIOR]

The 3500 duallys did not have proportioning valves. I got a 3500 drw brake line that replaces the lines going to the proportioning valve. It was a direct replacement and toog 15min total to swap

 

[LRutigliano]

The two ways I'm familiar with are:



1. Pop the arm off the axle connector pivot and zip tie the arm to the frame such that the valve thinks the truck is heavily loaded. This is just setting the appropriate angle when you secure it with the zip ties. This is the method I used.



2. Dodge issued a TSB to dealers with a kit and instructions for running new brake line to completely bypass the valve.

I had to use this kit with my '01 with airbags and a slide-in camper because I was not getting any stopping power out of the rears with slide-in on the bed... very bad... Its a simple install.

 

[Midnite]

I have a early 2001 2500. Whats the cylinder bore? Should I go with the chevy or the 1T Dually Dodge cylinders?

Your 2500 has the same size wheel cylinders as the 3500 dually, I believe. I would go with the larger GM ones.

 

[tabell]

I have 220K miles on my 99. I just did the the wheel cylinder upgrade. Best upgrade so far. I run 35" tires and under hard braking I can feel the rear antilock brake pulsing to keep the tires rolling. I also replace the shoes and drums. my drums where out of spec and I also found my shoes where on wrong. My total cost was around $310 from NAPA for shoes, drums and wheel cylinders.



The wheel cylinder upgrade work so well I had to take my spacer out from under my proportioning valve because the anti lock engagement was so violent. The big thing to remember is to install larger shoe towards the back

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Now I understand. That's actually a great mod, Floyd. I always dislike having to turn the key "on" and needlessly cycle the heater grids just to roll a window up or down without starting the truck.

I disconnected the heater grids 5 years ago after a TDR member said they are in place for emissions. He was correct. The engine starts fine without them hooked-up. -7° was my all time low last month. Tough start. 2 full revolutions before it lit.

 

[SRath]

I have 220K miles on my 99. I just did the the wheel cylinder upgrade. Best upgrade so far. I run 35" tires and under hard braking I can feel the rear antilock brake pulsing to keep the tires rolling. I also replace the shoes and drums. my drums where out of spec and I also found my shoes where on wrong. My total cost was around $310 from NAPA for shoes, drums and wheel cylinders.



The wheel cylinder upgrade work so well I had to take my spacer out from under my proportioning valve because the anti lock engagement was so violent. The big thing to remember is to install larger shoe towards the back

I have been asking about this periodically in brake thread topics for a long time. Years ago, when I pulled my rear drums which had never been off the truck before, I found one set of shoes on correctly and one set on backwards.



I have always been curious whether it was intentional or just sloppy factory work. I put both sets back on correctly with the short shoe in front.



When you say yours were 'on wrong', is that what you found, too? Just curious.



HemiDart, while I probably won't disconnect my heater grids since they work fine, it needs to be 20* or colder before I will let them cycle. You are aware that simply turning the key to start before your indicator light goes out will cancel the cycling of the grids, aren't you?



I'm sure they probably restrict airflow to some degree, but as long as they aren't causing a problem I'll leave them alone. Of course, if there is empirical data showing I can gain mpg or a noticeable amount of power by removing them, I may rethink that position.



I think rerouting the power for the windows would be easier and solve that minor irritation of needing to have the key on with the grids cycling just to roll the windows.

 

[ChrisOlson]

Very interesting thread here i did the proportioning valve tie up and it helped a lot maybe i will try the Chevy 3500 brake cylinder deal next.