Since Danny had been driving the truck around for as long as he had, I assumed that the drum brakes must be working better than I would expect. I was nervously amused, however, when I stepped on the brake approaching the street from the parking lot and didn’t feel that sudden deceleration that one expects when said pedal is applied. Instead, I kept on rolling toward the street, directly in the path of an oncoming vehicle. A quick, anxious jab of the brake pedal got the truck stopped, however, and I laughed out loud, quickly reminding myself that I was driving a 4,000-pound truck with drum brakes that I wasn’t used to.
Since completing the upgrade, I asked Danny how the truck handles, then and now.
“Before when I would hit the brakes on the freeway, I would never know which direction it would decide to head as one brake overpowered the other. It was a constant struggle to keep the truck heading in straight line. Now, you simply mash the brake pedal and it comes to a swift, straight stop. A light amount of pressure on the pedal is all it takes to keep it from creeping at a stop sign as well, so that’s a great improvement to my daily commute.”
Nothing beats a little personal testimonial, eh?! CCT
The second is to ensure that...
The second is to ensure that the spindles rotate around the kingpin
while it remains affixed to the axle.
Some kingpins can be removed...
Some kingpins can be removed using a hammer and a drift while still bolted up to the chassis. However, most will need to be removed from the truck and pressed out using a hydraulic press. This is one of those Ford vs. Chevy battles that Chevy definitely wins as the process of removing each axle to press out the kingpins adds a bit of unnecessary labor to the overall task.
Some kingpins can be removed...
Some kingpins can be removed using a hammer and a drift while still bolted up to the chassis. However, most will need to be removed from the truck and pressed out using a hydraulic press. This is one of those Ford vs. Chevy battles that Chevy definitely wins as the process of removing each axle to press out the kingpins adds a bit of unnecessary labor to the overall task.
Some kingpins can be removed...
Some kingpins can be removed using a hammer and a drift while still bolted up to the chassis. However, most will need to be removed from the truck and pressed out using a hydraulic press. This is one of those Ford vs. Chevy battles that Chevy definitely wins as the process of removing each axle to press out the kingpins adds a bit of unnecessary labor to the overall task.
Installing the new kingpins...
Installing the new kingpins is much easier
than removing the old ones. Using light pressure,
a drift is used to drive it through the
axle and lower spindle boss. Be sure to align
the keyway with the hole in the axle for the
locking bolt. At this point, excess kingpin
wear on the axle should be checked by rocking
the spindle back and forth. If the kingpin
is loose in the axle, the axle may need to be
machined or replaced.
Next the locking bolt is installed...
Next the locking bolt is installed and tightened.
Note that the “knurled” side faces the
kingpin. The locking bolt is tapered so as to
lock itself against the kingpin and the axle.
The upper and lower dust caps...
The upper and lower dust caps and zerk fittings
are then installed on the spindle, followed
by the brake hose. At this point, the
axle and spindle assembly has been installed
back on the truck.
Greasing the zerk fittings...
Greasing the zerk fittings is one of the last
things that needs to be done to the suspension
components.
At this point, the suspension...
At this point, the suspension components are wrapped up and we’re ready to install the master
cylinder and bleed the brakes.
Before we do so
however, the...
Before we do so
however, the master
cylinder must be
bench bled. This is
as easily done bolted
to the firewall or
clamped in a vise
on a workbench.
Fluid is cycled
through the master
cylinder until all the
air in the master
cylinder is removed
from the system.
Then it’s time to
hook up the brake
lines and bleed the
rest of the brake
components.
One thing worth mentioning...
One thing worth mentioning is the fact that
the stock brake lines are flipped on the original
master as opposed to the new LMC master.
In stock guise, the front brake line mated
to the back port on the master and the rear,
the front. The larger chamber was to provide
more braking power to the front drum brakes,
responsible for approximately 70 percent of
the braking duty.
Once the brake lines were...
Once the brake lines were rerouted, it was a
simple task to run each line to the appropriate
location on the proportioning valve. We
also took the opportunity to install a low
pressure brake light switch on the prop valve.
We’re now ready to bleed the brakes and hit
the road!