The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Back brakes work front brakes don't stock brakes?

I need to know where to begin. I have a stock 59 3100 that I bought a month ago it seems like only the back brakes are working in fact sometimes they lock up and slide if I brake semi hard. Where do I begin bleeding the brakes or adjusting the front out or changing the brake shoes need a little help on where to start and what to do. The truck stops fine but if you brake hard the back locks up and begins to slide but I don't brake hard enough where they should slide. At first I thought it was one back wheel locking up on braking like a leaking wheel cylinder but it is both back wheels locking to quickly.

Sounds like you need to go thru the whole brake system.A 59 should have self adjusters on it,maybe they are not functioning properly or they are not hooked up.As far as bleeding your brakes start at the wheel farthest from the master cyl.RR first,.RL second, RF third and LF last.Usually if they need bled you will have a low pedal,and you have to pump them.Get this fixed pronto,its dangerous driving with bad brakes.If you have problems take it to a pro.

Sounds like you need to go thru the whole brake system.A 59 should have self adjusters on it,maybe they are not functioning properly or they are not hooked up.As far as bleeding your brakes start at the wheel farthest from the master cyl.RR first,.RL second, RF third and LF last.Usually if they need bled you will have a low pedal,and you have to pump them.Get this fixed pronto,its dangerous driving with bad brakes.If you have problems take it to a pro.

You need to definetly inspect the entire system-I get the impression from what you describe that you may have stuck pistons in the front wheel cylinders. Take off the drums and use a small screwdriver to push on the piston pushrods on both sides of the wheel cylinder. They should move with little force. Adjustment could be an issue as well, they didn't use self adjusters until the mid '60's. The front may not be adjusted up enough. Also the correct sequence for bleeding a TF 1/2 ton is -LR-RR-RF-LF, you always start with the cylinder that is furthest away hydraulicly. I would suggest getting a shop manual before you attemt repairs so that you will familiarize yourself with the systems in your truck. For a '59 you will need the '58 manual and the '59 supplement to get all the information.

thanks I have been meaning to buy the shop manuals. the brake pedal is high and feels good and you never have to pump them. it stops pretty good but it just doesn't feel like the fronts are doing there share of the work. I think I will start with adjusting them and go from there. But I have to buy the manuals which I think I can get locally in Wichita Kansas.

Jack up the front end & turn the front wheels. Have someone step on the brake or prop it down & see if the wheels lock up. If they don,t you could have a kinked tube or sometimes a PO has blocked it off to keep from repairing something. There could be a big difference in the friction caractoristics between the front & rear linings.

hey wrenchbender good ideal I jacked up the front and spun the wheels and the front brakes are working they locked up so they must just need adjusting I think. good to see another bolter from kansas. There are alot of old bolts in kansas and I wish I owned everyone I saw...

With light trucks the amount of weight in the bed of the truck makes a big difference in how the truck stops and how the brakes should be adjusted. When the bed is empty, the back end is very light and the rear brakes will lock up very easily. When the bed is loaded, the back end is heavy and the rear brakes will not lock up as easily.

Newer pickup trucks have a sensor that will adjust the amount of braking depending on the height of the bed, compared to the differential. This ensures good braking with or without a load in the back.

On my '59, the brakes are adjusted so the rear wheels will lock up with no load in the back, especially on wet pavement.

Remember brakes are probably #1 on the safety list.

Nice 59 stovebolt 2355 what color is that paint? sounds like my rear brakes lock alot like yours on gravel and a few times on dry pavement so If I plan not to haul anything in it and just cruise around town I should adjust them as it is always going to be empty and light in the rear. The truck really stops fine just a couple of times in the last month the back brakes locked up so I thought maybe something was wrong but it really sounds like your brakes.

Hey there longbox 55 the rr is the farthest from the master cyl.

You can,t change the braking force by adjustments. Hydraulic brakes are self equalising. You need to adjust the brakes in the proper manner to get a good pedal. Pull the rear drums & inspect the brakes. You could have fluid or grease leaks or the linings may be cracked & deteriated.

Physically,yes. But not hydraulically. The line to the rear brakes runs om the right frame rail to the rear axle. That makes the path to the LR the longest line. The bleeding sequence that I gave is from the factory shop manual. When you bleed brakes you generally start with the longes line, that can vary depending on how the lines are routed. Checking the manual is the best method of making sure you have the correct sequence for your year vehicle.

I have to make a correction-the bleeding sequence for '58-'59 is LR-RR-LF-RF. This is directly from the manual. '55,'56,'57 uses this sequence-LR-LF-RR-RF.

Hi 195931shortstep. The paint color is Dawn Blue

Wrenchbender Ret., you make a good point about adjustments on front/rear hydrolic brakes. Hydrolics are used to give equal pressure everywhere in the system, like you said.

I should correct myself to say that the brakes should all be adjusted equally to make the correct pedal height and shoe to drum clearance.

A Proportioning Valve would need to be added to the system to correct for front vs. rear braking force.

Pull all the drums and inspect what you have. Be prepaired to do a 'complete brake-job'.

I think the complete brake job is the way to go since I don't ever plan on selling this truck. thanks for all the ideals and advice that is what makes this site so great.

I had an old truck I redid the brakes on. Had a similar problem. When I took one of the junktion blocks loose from the brakeline, it had a solidified piece of crud in it. Fluid could slowly get through, but the harder I pushed the pedal, the more it blocked the passage. Other than that I would tighten the shoes until they lock up the hub. Then back the shoes off until you can just hear them rubbing the hub when you turn it.

Occasionally, the inside of the hose will deteriorate. I had a "flap" inside a hose that would allow the fluid to apply the brake, but it would act like a one way check valve as the fluid tried to return. Drove me nuts and burned up a couple sets of pads until i found it.

This post started with where do I begin. Well that tells me you have probably never done a brake job. Wow, where to begin indeed! I don't think there is enough space to tell you how to do a brake job on line. Brake jobs are not difficult if you take you time and only do one wheel at a time. Use the oppisite side as a guide of how it should look when you are finished.
All the above posts are great info. And I agree with most of them. Remember this, when it comes to the hyd. system. All the rubbers in the system are about the same age,they use the same fluid,they have the same wear. If one is leaking the others are not far behind.