'95 Jimmy 4X4 brake job - COMPLEATED!

[wb8yjf]

MAN, whatta job! Took 5 days (not constant mind you), but the rear brake job is DONE! Here is what transpired:

Driver side drum - about 4 days of pounding on the drum & spraying with penetrating oil. Finally ended up prying the drum off with a crowbar (bent the adjusting arm in process - fixed with big ass VISE),
Passenger side took about 3 hours, same result - bent adjusting arm - fixed with big ass vise)

BOTH drums looked TERRIBLE! Rusty, crappy and way in need of replacement

Pad on drivers side, almost down to rivets, passenger side decent.

Found the passenger side wasn't even engaging - bad piston.

I replaced: BOTH drums, ALL hardware (springs, etc), pads, both pistons.

Had to punch out the cut outs for the adjuster slots.

Bought the hardware kit (springs, pins, etc) at Autozone for $12. BUY THIS if you are gonna do the rear brakes!

Got the brakes rebuilt and discovered a big ol leak in the main rear brake line right behind the "shroud" that covers the frame (drivers side). I did the "unthinkable", I cut the bad crap out and used compression fittings to splice it it - IT WORKS GREAT.

Had the wife assist in the bleeding process - went great.

I used anti-ciese (sp?) on the hubs, where the drum contacts the hub, all bolts, & where the line fed into the piston, and all lug nuts.

Bottom line, total cost about $140.00, total labor (including removing the stuck drums, about 12 hours - spaced out over 5 days).

I feel GREAT! Finally - I'm not stranded!

I learned one main lesson here - don't ignore the rear brakes. I know I'll never do THAT again. It just ain't worth it.

THANK YOU for all the assistance & encouragment! This '95 is rolling once again!

Jon

[rlith]

I always hated dealing with old drums... That's why I switched to rear disc. Did a brake job saturday, took about 10 mins per side.

[wb8yjf]

Yea, I was thinking of doing that the whole time I was messing with the drums. I read the thread in the FAQ's about doing that. One of these days....