Well Boys, I slapped the wheels back on and crawled around the neighborhood and it stops. Pedal not as firm as it should be but as y'all say I can go back and adjust the backs and give it another HOLD/SQUIRT bleed. I see no runs, drips, or errors anywhere. No nutty noises. Both the ABS and BRAKE lights went on and stayed on when I started the truck. After 6 - 8 pumps they both went out at the same time. Checked the fluid level when I got back, no loss. Should be good enuf to take to Wally World this morning (have no food in this house). I'll go back tomorrow or Sunday and tweak them. For now, I need a brake break from that damn thing. You guys are awesome!

 

For the rear brakes - Take a deserted parking lot. Bring it up to about 10 to 15 MPH in reverse; then SLAM on the brakes.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

After several passes, it'll self adjust out to where it needs to be.

If not, get the wife out also; put the truck's rear axle up on jack stands so the wheels spin free.

With the motor OFF, spin a wheel until it starts to drag as you adjust out the brake; have the warm body pump the brakes a few times. Lather, rinse, repeat until it doesn't loosen up when the brakes are pumped.

Repeat for the other rear wheel.

RwP

 

Good info! Will do.

 

Ralph's Gadgets Review

Ralph is good about recommending tools and gadgets for jobs. This brake job was no exception so I'll review three tools he recommended for anyone who might read this thread someday.

1. Titan Double Flaring Tool 3/16": Great tool! Do not, I repeat, do NOT use one of those bar clamp style flaring kits. They do NOT work! You go thru all that effort to make brake lines only to waste your time having to remake the flares. That's what I did. Don't make the same mistake. The Titan costs twice as much as the cheesy bar clamp ones but worth every penny and a whole lot more. The Titan makes factory-quality flares every time. Two issues with this tool. 1) The punch in my kit was mis-marked. OP 1 was really OP 2 (and visa versa). The side with the conical geometry is OP 2. 2) If using copper-nickel tubing, you need to push in to the stop (or line) then back it out about .040". If you don't, your flare will get a double chin. Not an issue with other brake lines. Just copper-nickel. Works beautifully on the bench vise OR on your vehicle.

2. Bearing Packer: I bought a cheap $4.97 one off RockAuto. The kind with two cones stacked together. Works beautifully, simple, packs the hell out of the bearing, less messy, less headaches. Just do it!

3. Pneumatic Brake Bleeder: Got a cheapy off Amazon. Yes, it's rather cheesy quality but how often do you bleed your brakes? It's a nifty 1-man bleeding tool that requires compressed air (I have a 2hp, 12 gal. compressor). Mine did not properly bleed the brakes but to be fair, neither did the traditional 2-man bleeding method. I think I had a special case...I started with zero fluid in my system. That might of been the issue...don't know. The kit also comes with a fluid feeding bottle for your reservoir. I think it's about a pint and a half. Great gadget. You can fill it up, put it in your reservoir and not worry about running your reservoir dry while bleeding your brakes.

Oh, and that copper-nickel brake line was easy to work with. No need for a bender. Do it by hand or if tighter radius just put a socket in your vise and wrap around it. Much easier to work with than steel line and wont corrode as much.

 

So, how are your brakes? How do they feel?

 

He may be picking his teeth out of the steering wheel due to how good they work now ...

RwP

 

LOL! Pedalwise they are about the same as before. Not spongy but they have some give. Maybe I was just expecting them to be a little firmer. But I still need to adjust the backs (Wally World parking lot was jammed, or slammed as we say in the south) and give it HY’s hold n squirt bleed. However, the stopping action is noticeably smoother. No subtle wobble like prior. It’s like you can hear it being smoother. And I didn’t do the Hey You shave on those Bendix rotors either. From box to spindle (with a clean inbetween). Pretty true rotors.

After all the suspension work and the front bearings there is now zero play in both wheels. Still have some creaking going on in the front. Been there for years but I don’t drive much so it hasn’t reared its ugly head yet. Has to be either control arm bushings or sway arm bushings. I crowbarred the lower CA bushings and gotta say I’m not getting much play at all. A little as would be expected but nothing that alarmed me. Havent crowbarred the sway bar yet but I may just change those out anyway. Looks easy enuf. I assume Energy Suspension sells those.

 

They do.

I'd recommend measuring the anti-sway bar (hint: Piece of string around, measure the length, and divide by 3.14) and using the "Universal greaseable" ones.

I give mine a shot or to (just until it starts oozing out the side) every time I change the oil.

RwP

 

Not a bad idea. Always liked greaseable stuff. OTOH, how much longer can I lay on a garage floor greasing crap?

 

Saw a guy on you tube today who used a pneumatic bleeder and reverse bled his brakes to recenter a proportioning valve. Stuck the thing on the master bleeder and opened the rear bleeder. Said to try sucking from the front wheel bleeder if there is no master bleeder. Then said if that doesn’t work there isnt much to lose so jam an air hose in the rear bleeder and give it a blast. Seeing how buried his proportioning valve was I didn’t blame him.