I replace my rear brake cylinders with the Chebby one ton's and am very pleased with the braking improvement. I would reccomend it to any one.

But now with increased rear brake action I want to replace my rear shoes (They had 1/4 material left). A couple of questions?

How big a job is a shoe replacement - special tools?

Are the AutoZone/Checker brands good enough or should I go for a better quality??

 

The tools you need are not any different for any other drum brakes. I would think that the places you mentioned should have decent shoes for you. I would not go with the "top of the line" (personally) because they can eat into the drums and then you will be buying drums the next time. Sure is nice to have good brakes like they should have been isn't it?
Tom

 

The brake expert who first recommended the larger cylinder upgrade to me exact words.
"Use the cheapest rear shoes you can find, they will last just as long and stop as well as any other."

 

Wise words

 

I REALLY like my brake spring tools, one for removing/installing the retainer springs, and one for the return springs. It makes the job SO much easier.

Chris

 

Thanks....I feel better now. I got mine for $43 and the guy at the parts store said "if that was my truck I would put the best shoes on it" the next ones up on the dollar scale were as I recall $85. The $43 dollar specials work good for me.

 

Gotta love Vise Grips. The wonder tool. I do have a pair of brake pliers and have used them but the vise grips are the first tool I pull out when doing shoes.

 

Rear shoes are $15/axle at AutoZone, house brand Albany. I put their front pads on and they are excellent. I bought both front and rear but returned the rear when I discovered that my original shoes were only half worn.

 

I'm with Dusty, my favorite brake tool is needle nose vice-grips.
Even though I have brake spring tools I end up grabing the vice grips first.

 

Great minds think alike!
First thing that came to mind when I read the original post.

yep, I have the "special" brake spring tools but you just can't beat visegrips, they work far better in my oppinion. Needle nose variety is a little less clumsy.

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I got some problems with my brakes I think. I would like some opinions from y'all before I trust my truck to some "brake specialist" at the local brake shop.

My left rear tires are locking up for only a second each time I brake. I have only noticed this when I'm driving at 10 mph or less, and only since I put new tires on last week, but I don't see how new tires could have caused this.

Also, my antilock brakes seem to lock up way to quickly and during a fairly quick (not emergency) stop, they slam on and off rather violently. I've ridden/driven alot of trucks, and this just seems a little to harsh to me. Could the pads on the rear be worn or not working causing the front to work to hard? My front pads have easily 75% left. I'm kinda stumped, any ideas?