The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts brake parts interchange???

Hi, guys:

Have a good technical question for you all!!

Will wheel cylinders and drums on a 4400 interchange between a 6100 or 6400??? And vise versa?

Also, are brake shoes the same size for all these same series?

Reason for question... have a 6100 that needs alot of brake work done and have access to a 4400 (parts truck) that has had alot of the brake work already performed.

Thanks
57Heaven

Hy 57 heaven could you tell us the years of these trucks please

Series 4, 5 & 6 wheel cylinders should all be the same, as long as they are still stock. The shoes and drums could be different, and the hubs might be different, 5/10 lug vs 6 lug. You need to do a side by side comparison to be sure.

Mike B

Hey, guys:

haven't been on in a couple of days so sorry didn't back to your question sooner... okay the wrecker is the 6100 and is a 1953 and the truck we we are looking at for brake/drum exchange is either a 1949 4400 grain truck or a 1953 6100 firetruck. Both these vehicles have 7" rims as opposed to the wrecker which has 8" rims/tires.. don't know if that makes a diff? The lugs on the front hubs of all the trucks are 5 lug on the fronts and 10 lugs on the rears.. all have dually wheels. When Mike B says series 4, 5 and 6..is he talking 4400, 6100, 6400..?? I guess I wasn't aware they made a 5 series.. what would that be??

Thanks
57Heaven

I have an old Napa brake parts catalog. It shows the 53 wheel cylinders the same but the 49 is different.

Hy 57, Heaven your last post did not mention a 6400 , but I will assume it is a 53. According to my parts book the wheel cylinders will interchange between the two 53 models but not the 49. As for the lining that should interchange also between the 53s.

49 will have Huck brakes, simple, but not real great, one wheel cylinder each side. 53's will have Bendix? or some other brand, two cyls for side, upper and lower, both different. All the shoes and hardware are diff on 49. Look at cast numbers on side of cylinders, and check bore sizes. Depending on GVW, bores may change, even on same casting. In my experience, no truck setting around has had rebuildable cylinders, you can't get all the pitting out to be non-leaking. Replacing or resleeving is only way to go on these old rigs. Harder to find the big truck cylinders, check ebay, obsolete Chevy places and Carter's and Chevy Duty have some sometimes. Even Bow Tie Bits has had some I bought. One more thing....ALL the wheels are 10-lug, they just use 5 studs on front hubs, but is same wheel. Usually a trim plate bolts on there covering the other holes. AND.....a 5000 is a COE or Cab Over Engine truck.

Thanks GL Perry, 3B and Wrenchbender. All this info is very helpful. Think we will stay away from the 49 and stay closer to our year which is the 53. Probably would be better that this truck has the bendix brake stuff? Are those wheel cylinders expensive to replace or cheaper to rebuild? Or kind of negligable between the two..?? I saw some 1953 brake shoes on ebay here a while back that went for $20.. was probably a good buy huh? LOL Live and learn..LOL Interesting.. Perry noted all the wheels are 10 lug and now that I think about it that front rim is kind of a funny looking thing that has closeouts where you'd think lugnuts would be.. duh! And now that I know a COE is technically a 5000 series that helps too.. I have learned so much from you guys in such a short period of time. Thanks for the info guys.. you're great!

57Heaven

I used late 1960's C-50 /60 wheels cyls on the fronts of my '55 series 4400; the original 7/8" bore cyls are long,long obsolete.

Turns-out the only difference between the '55 front WC and the later ones are the brake hose connection; the '55 cyl comes straight-out of the wheel cyl (parallel to the axle); the later cyl has the brake hose thread in at an angle. It worked just fine on my '55...the flex hose is long enough to accomodate the change without stretching or kinking.

Stay with the later (Bendix) brakes...the fronts are 14 x 2, and shoes are still available (#109?).

If it has the 15 x 4 rear brakes, the shoes would need to be relined, but wheel cyls are stil available.

I got all new wheel cyls for my '55 about two years ago, for about $150 from my local Mom'n'Pop jobber.

1951 is the change-over year from Huck to Bendix brakes...Huck brakes work okay, but if you're building a working truck, the Bendix brakes are a lot easier and cheaper to maintain.

Good luck !

Wow, Frank 54.. thanks for that info.. invaluable and appreciate you taking the time to respond. I will definetly put this in my bookmark file.

57Heaven

'57 - Will see if I can find the boxes from the new cyls and post the part numbers...

With exception of the addition of self-adjusters in the '60s ( and ABS in the '90s), drum brakes really haven't improved significantly since the Bendix design was adopted in the 1950's...