The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline I'm going to tackle the brakes on my 53

Recently acquired a 1953 Chevy 3100 pickup. It has a 235 conversion, but other than that it is completely stock. Got it running good, fresh carb rebuild and gas tank, new electrical components, etc.

My main questions are:

1) Where is the best play to acquire brake parts, assuming I need new shoes, cylinders, etc?

2) Should I try to bleed the brakes "first", before throwing parts at it? The last time the truck ran and drove was 1995. Obviously the brakes bled down to zero pressure.

3) What are the proper steps to ensuring a proper brake job? Not looking to do a disc conversion. We live in the country and this truck will rarely be driven on anything but country roads. I am just wanting to get reliable/working brakes on the truck while maintaining as many stock parts as possible. I've done a handful of drum brake repairs before so I am not necessarily a beginner, but this is my first AD truck.

Thanks to all!

Answer 1) Rockauto has shoes, wheel cylinders, etc. The Bendix brakes on your 53 were used up into the '70s and stuff is readily available.

Answer 2) I wouldn't bother. If you replace wheel cylinders, or anything else that involves opening up the system, you should flush out all the fluid and put new in after replacements.

Answer 3) Get hold of a Service Manual (reproductions are readily available) and follow that. Adjustment of the shoes is a 2-stage process. If you don't have a service manual, take pictures of everything as you take it apart to ensure you get it back together correctly. Oh and check the drums for wear and maximum diameter. If they've been turned too many times, they may need to be replaced (also readily available.)

If you've repaired drum brakes before, this should be no issue for you.

RockAuto says they have drums, shoes, wheel cylinders and master cylinders in stock and for reasonable prices.

Start looking here.

Thank you for the reassurance! First thing I picked up for the truck was a service manual. It has been really helpful. I know that certain brake jobs can be difficult, so I wanted to get on here and ask some questions before jumping in. As long as this is a straightforward drum brake service & repair I don't think it should be too hard. My only concern was how long the truck sat, and what else I need to watch for.

My company actually does a lot of business with RockAuto and it was my first place to start looking. Looks like I will get some parts on order today!

FRanch53,

FWIW, since you will possibly/probably be replacing all the wheel cylinders and potentially the master cylinder, now would be a good time to replace any flexible brake hoses (2 in front and 1 at rear axle) and thoroughly inspect your brake hard lines for possible damage or severe corrosion.

If its been sitting since '95, it's very likely that at least the flex lines are ready for replacement. "rockauto" also carries the flex lines too.

Dan

Good call on the flex hoses and hard lines.
I replaced basically everything on my brake system.

After all components have been re-installed and you are ready to bleed the system, do what I did... let gravity do the initial bleeding. I filled the master cyl, then opened all the wheel cylinder bleeders and waited. After several minutes the front left bleeder flowed and I closed the bleeder screw. A few minutes more and the front right flowed. Closed it and then the left rear, then the right rear. You must keep a sharp eye on the fluid level in the master cyl, as it Must Not Run Out, or air will enter the system. Then it will be an easy job to bleed what air was left in the lines.
I spent the next few days hunting down minor fluid leaks, as I had replaced the whole system.

Would like to know which shoes are the absolute best in terms of resisting heat/fading. Rock Auto has 16-18 listed. Oftentimes the most expensive is best, but not always. Also, is riveted or bonded preferred?

Very easy to find high performance pads for most sports cars. Trucks? Forgetabout it!

How are you going to be driving your truck that you're worried about high heat fading? Are you planning on auto-crossing it? I doubt it. Any of the offerings will suffice for normal driving.

I've used the Dynamic friction brand on various vehicles - they're on the AD Chevy now. No problems with any of them and I don't exactly treat Ol' Roy with kid gloves. I drive it (and all my vehicles) like normal cars. As long as you're aware of the vehicle's performance limitations and characteristics, you'll be fine.

I've had good experiences with the Centric brand, as well.

Almost all of them will be bonded.

The most scenic drives in my area have steep mountain grades. Unless I throw it into a lower gear, the current shoes will (and have), faded out. Scary feeling!! They're new shoes, btw.

What brand are they?

I don't know if I'd blame the shoes for the brake fade. The brake fluid is getting too hot and boiling causing brake fade/spongy feel. That heat is generated by the shoes grabbing the drums. It seems like the shoes are doing their job. The drums are what is supposed to dissipate the heat. Are your drums new ? If they're original and cut to the limit or beyond, they aren't going to dissipate the heat generated by the friction of shoe on drum.

If you have to ride the brakes in the mountains you probably should be in second or even 1st.

Boiling fluid and "brake fade" are totally different problems. Fade happens when the friction material of the shoes is putting more heat from friction into the cast iron drums than they can dissipate. The only cure for that problem is bigger brakes, or time for the drums to cool off. A quick stop from highway speed transfers enough kinetic energy from the vehicle to the air surrounding the brake drums to melt an average-sized cast iron skillet- - - -every time you stop. Lots of airflow over the brake drums is essential to this process. Once the drums get heat-saturated, you'll have lots of firm pedal- - - -and no stop because there's nowhere for the heat to go.

Boiiling brake fluid is caused by the "hygroscopic" property of alcohol/glycerine brake fluid- - - -it absorbs moisture and the water in the fluid boils long before the rest of the fluid does. In humid climates, a flush and change of brake fluid periodically gets rid of the moisture-contaminated fluid. That's especially important on a vented brake system like stovebolts use, not so much for master cylinders with a rubber diaphragm seal and no vent on the reservoir. DOT 4 brake fluid usually used for disc brake systems has a higher boiling point than DOT 3. DOT 5 is silicone-based, and has the highest boiling point, but it cannot be used in a system that's ever run DOT 3 or 4 fluid without a total rebuild of all the rubber parts, plus a total system flush.
Jerry

So have I conflated two brake heat problems?

I guess I should ask Skooter if his pedal is spongy or firm when the brake problem is experienced? A soft pedal would indicate overheated brake fluid wouldn't it?

HRL, are you familiar with DOT 5.1 fluid? It's supposed to be backward compatible with DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluid but shares characteristics with DOT 5 silicone.

Drums have never been turned and there's no ridge, so they should be fine. Shoes were pretty old at the time but plenty of pad left. Hard pedal. Worth mentioning the two instances I've had fade was with 3.55 rear gears. Since then I've installed 4.11 gears which is much better around town and mountains but still don't wanna tempt fate.

On steep hills, the use of brakes should be reserved for one emergency stop, never riding the brakes all the way down, gearing down is what controls the speed. If one has not figured that out-get someone to show you. If speed cannot be controlled by gearing down, get lower gears!

Ed

Gas engines don't have all that much retarding power going downhill in lower gears. But braking should definitely be intermittent. Mash the brakes (in the lower gears - even first gear on the tranny) to reduce speed, then let go of them so that the drums have a chance to cool off. Mash the brakes again if needed, but you should definitely not ride them.