One thing I did forget to say is also at that time I had my drums turned when I inspected them I saw many fracture cracks in both drums the place that turned them said they were ok but I didn’t think so I wish I still had the pic's of the cracks to show you they were very noticeable to me and even puckered up at you even after being turned.

So I have two new drums now.

What I find scary was the guy that turned them said most drums have those cracks in them?? But I dont think so I think he was NUTS

 

Thanks for all of the tips. I have plenty of grease and anti-sieze on hand. This will be my first time doing drum brakes. I have seen some videos on Youtube, they make it look so easy but I figure it can't be that hard. I also have my good ole Haynes Book, the factory Dodge Service Manual for my truck and I will take digital pics before I get started and do one wheel at a time so I can use the other for reference. I have always been good with small parts and have a real knack for doing tedious detailed work. I have a lot of patience and I figure if other guys out there can do their drum brakes then I can do it too. I think it makes much more sense to just go with all new parts and do the entire job now so I won't have to worry about it later. I am driving up to Atlanta for Thanksgiving next month and I sure don't want any surprises along the way.

Thanks

Jimmy

 

Hey sorry for the delay - having computer issues

http://s736.photobucket.com/albums/x...20Replacement/

 

This is what my brakes looked like after being on my Dak 3 years the shoes look new thats because they were not working.

 

Thanks for the pics guys. I am off work tomorrow and will pick up all my parts tomorrow afternoon. If I get back home in time I will get started on the brakes tomorrow, otherwise I will already have all of my parts here for an early start Saturday morning. I am going to stop by Harbor Freight tomorrow and pick up one of those vacuum brake bleeder tools and a few other things I need too. I hope the reviews I read are right and the bleeder tool really does make it easy to bleed brakes by myself with no helper to pump the pedal.

Jimmy

 

I have a sick feeling, after reading this, that my rears may be stock approaching 150K.

At some point, don't the shoes get glazed over?

 

Hey, sorry for the random pics with no description - I will go in today and "label" them. I also uploaded some video on youtube, I will post the links here. As far as bleeding the brakes, I am sure the bleeder tool is not alot of money but I just got my 15 year old to pump the brakes when I bled mine.



Here is some amature advice (not a mechanic):
If you have never had your drums off, the will more than likely be stuck on. I have seen a video where the guy takes a sledgehammer and pounds the **** out of the drum until it "breaks free". I used pry bars to pry them off. I have also seen people make a homemade puller to draw them off.
Basically, in my opinion, when you get the drum off - look at your shoes. If there is still pad left and not worn down so far that you see the rivets coming through, you probably don't need to replace them unless you are experiencing problems. I would also reccomend setting up a camera and videotape what the brakes do when you (1) pump the brakes and (2) apply your parking brake. If you see that they move freely, then I think you may not need to worry - again, just my opinion. Obviously if your parking brake doesn't work then you have a problem.

 

Holy **** Dude! those are immaculate!

 

Well that is what happens when you trust a shop to do a job for ya.

The picks are very clean because I did spray them off with brake cleaner and hosed them with a garden hose but yea they look like new brakes.

They just didn’t work so no wear and tear.

 

This link is better.
http://s736.beta.photobucket.com/use...%20Replacement