The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Where to get...wheel cylinder bolts?

Ok...next hurdle in the saga.
I had to beat the heck out of the two bolts on each of the front wheel cylinders. They are rusty and beat up...cannot reuse.

Problem...all the bolts I have found with that thread...have a 1/2" head on them. That is too big for my truck (C-30). The problem is that these bolts sit practically behind the spindle. So the bolts people are showing me don't fit.

The old ones are same thread, but with this 3/8" head and a flange.

Places I have been....
1) ACE Hardware
2) Napa
3) Industrial GMC Truck shop

Places called
1) Midwest classics
2) LMC Truck

I didn't realize these things were rare, it's a bolt for crimey sake. I took half day today and monday off in the hopes of wrapping this up...now stuck.

Dave

Get some short Allen-head bolts, and eliminate the problem altogether. Most hardware stores, or places like Home Depot should have a good assortment of them. Take a Dremel tool with a cutoff blade and shorten the Allen wrench if necessary to get access to the bolt heads. I used to do that on smallblock Chevy header bolts before I figured out headers aren't worth the hassle.
Jerry

You can also take the bolt or what's left of it to a bolt retailer or wholesaler, they can match almost anything. Then crawl back into the hammock and sip some more lemonade.

I encountered the same problem with a 65 C-20.
If you were able to remove the bolts from the rear wheel cylinders in fairly good order, use them on the fronts. You should be able to use a standard 5/16 bolt on the rears as there is more room.
Fred

To wrap up this thread...I just bailed on trying to put in bolts while the brake backing plate was still on the truck.

I pulled the plate off and mounted the wheel cylinder...then remounted the plate.

My fingers are just too fat/big to get into that little space and turn the bolt to start it. It was MUCH easier to just pull the plate...and that included getting the bolts on the plate to loosen up.

Steps for taking the brake backing plate off...
1) Learn some curse words, they will be needed.
2) Get lots of PB Blaster
3) Figure out that there are nuts on the back of the two lower bolts...you have to find these under the 40yrs of grease/mud/wheat
4) Put the 1-1/8" cresent over the top nut/bolt and lean on it until you have a crease in your palm
5) Cuss
6) Put the cresent back on and use a hammer, forgetting that the vibration will go straight into your hand
7) Cuss
8) Still don't give up on the hammer, this time hit it harder so that it slips off and bashes your knuckles
9) Cuss
10) Finaly break the top one loose.
11) Move to the bottom ones and repeat a bunch of steps above.
12) When you reach the one bolt that will not turn at all...go to the neighbor and borrow a breaker bar/pipe.
13) Set everything up and push with all your might until it slips off the bolt and you land on the ground
14) Cuss
15) Be completely suprised when you learn that you can actually get a socket over the nut in the back.
16) Use the socket to pull the nut of the end of the bolt that won't move.

And there you go.

ps...oh wait, I forgot about that washer thingy on the top bolt that is all bent up against the bolt...like on purpose...that holds the bolt in place...use the small spackling knife with hammer...then move up to a chisel and the hammer...eventually flattening it back out to the bolt will turn....

This is FUNNNN!!!!!
:mad: