The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline brakes for a 1953 chevrolet canopy

good morning to all,
my son and i will be swapping out all 4 brakes on his 53 stock canopy. any tips or videos on how to accomplish this?
i have an idea on what is needed but pictures always help
thanks in advanced.

If you do not mind my asking, why you think your truck needs different brakes?

the truck was pulling to the side, so i took the wheels off to check the front drivers side. there was leakage on the wheel cylinders and i was going to rebuild them but for the cost, its cheaper to replace the wheel cylinders. i did all four. i adjusted the brakes but it still pulled. i noticed the pads were bad and took the drums into shop to have them checked. was told that they were pitted and couldn't be re-surfaced. i bought new drums all the way around and new shoes. they came in. just wanted to see if there was any steps to follow.

OK

I mistakenly thought “swapping out” meant changing the style/type of brakes.

I would replace all wheel cylinders, as you suggest.
If you plan to keep the truck for a while, replace the Master Cylinder.

Also, bleed your existing brakes thoroughly before replacing any parts. This will get “junk” out of the brake lines, before installing wheel cylinders and master cylinders.

If your brake lines look questionable, you might want to consider replacing the, with stainless steel lines, if you plan to keep the truck for a long time.

The $$ adds up, but the brakes and front end components are very important to safe driving.

Follow the Shop Manual instructions and you should be OK.

Check the condition of the front wheel bearings and races.
Do not be surprised if they are scored/etc and need replacing.

Have you check the front steering pars, as per the description in the Shop Manual?

I think the 1954 truck Shop Manual brakes are the same as yours? . Someone will correct me, if this is wrong.

Thanks for clarifying your intended project. What you are doing is a major brake job. Don’t let the word “Major“ mess with your thought process. It’s all pretty much straight forward. Take a photo of the brake workings before you disassemble. For maximum braking you will want to arc the shoes to the drums but finding a shop that even knows what that is will be a battle. Shouldn’t be a big problem for a competent DIYer. 🛠

Martin has nicely added items that I forgot to mention: brake shoes and brake drums.
In your second post, you indicated you were buying “new” drums.

Good luck with this important project/undertaking.

If/when necessary, ask questions here as you proceed/progress through this project.

thanks, i shall take pictures, i always do as sometimes a one day job turns into a week job due to parts or missing tools.

If you are going to keep this truck "in the family" for many years, here are SS brake line sets:

Chevs of the 40s - $170
Classic Parts - $170
Jim Carter - $170
Also, check out Inline Tube and Classic Tube - the vendors above often buy from them.

Check prices of wheel/master cylinders at Rockauto.com & NAPA.

Classic Parts & Jim Carter aften give a 10% discount.
Chevs of the 40s might give a discount on a large order.

Classic Parts often gives free shipping for big orders.

It never hurts to ask for a discount.

If I were doing it, I would replace the lines with copper nickel lines. I have seen steel lines that looked perfect but were rotted on the inside. I would replace all the rubber parts including the three flexible lines. I usually take one side apart leaving the other intact. This is especially useful in the rear with the complication of the emergency brake hardware.

I agree 100% with truckernix, if I was going to make my own lines.

thanks for the advice, yes i have bought some brake lines as well.

thanks for the advice. i was able to get this project done, i did replace brake lines, shoes all around, drums all around, wheel cylinders, and hoses. all in all about $400 in parts and zero in labor we did ourselves. thanks to everyone my son is back on the road.

53 canopy