If the rotors are warped, now if the time to replace them. Normally, warped rotors are just annoying, but in wet weather, they can throw you out of control. Even more so on ice. It's better to replace them when it's 70 than when it's 7.

 

Yeah I replaced them. Front end has brand new pads, rotors, and calipers. Braking is significantly more consistent now, I can actually slam on the brakes and it doesn’t just lock up one side.

 

Your brakes are probably factory fresh. The calipers have to float on the pins. This is how they compensate for wear. Looking at the pads, I'll bet the previous owner was a real hot rod. Slam on the brakes and the pads wear like that. If he was coming down a hill and had the brakes hot, if he hit a puddle of cold water, that will warp the rotors. Since your brakes don't lock up now, you fixed them.

 

For some context, this truck is a 92 4x4 Dakota SCLB, originally equipped with the 3.9 v6 and the 5 speed ax-15, but the motor has been swapped to a mild cam carbed 360. This was done by me however, I bought the truck with the 6 cylinder.

From what I heard, the previous owner used it to haul parts and stuff for car flipping, and he put in the description, and I quote, “hauls like a bigger truck”, which makes me think it’s been overloaded a time or two. I’m sure you could drive the v6 spirited but I don’t think it will ever achieve the hot rod status lol

 

Oh come on. People NEVER overload their trucks.......

I took my 2500 to the yard to get some dirt. I didn't figure dirt was all that heavy, so, I had loader guy dump two buckets into the bed, which nicely filled it. Hit the scales..... better than 5000 pounds of dirt.... The drive home was VERY slow, and the front end was REALLY floaty...... Back roads the whole way...... It was only one scoop after that.....

 

Haha well with the way the frame looked when I bought the thing, it definitely looks like it was abused. I know the Dakotas rust out right under the cab on the frame, sort of at that low spot of the box frame, but it also split at one of the seams of the frame, which at least to me points at overload and weight stress

 

Ouchy. That's gotta be some serious weight to start popping welds..... My truck dealt with the overload OK, I wouldn't want to drive it any distance that way though...... way to easy for the front to push, rather than steer.... bit of pressure on the brake pedal to shift some weight forward took care of most of it..

 

Yeah I need to actually start messing with reinforcing the frame and stuff around that area, right now it’s just kind of patched.

i am going to probably get new leaf springs and air bags for the rear, and I already have some rake toward the front (2 inches lower than the rear) to try to force some weight up front. Im also experimenting to see how affective air dams are lol. I built some 10 inch or so air dam out of some landscape edging for a science experiment to see if it makes a difference. That along with the bumper brought the bumper height from 20 inches off the ground to 8, so we shall see

 

I had a '93 2wd I bought brand new with 11 miles on it. That's the one that did the off set pads like you had. I never over loaded it but I did drive in a ...spirited... manner at times.

 

I guess if it’s just a “normal” wear pattern for them with spirited driving then I might just not worry about it. I guess the benefit of the floating caliper is it’s literally 6 lugs and 2 bolts and boom calipers off so pad changes are easy.