Title pretty much says it all. My brakes are working okay except for a slight pull on hard braking, and the usual rusty/muddy bell crank problems with the handbrake, but I'd like the peace of mind from replacing all the wear components and cleaning everything before I go on some big-ish road trips next month. I've replaced pads and calipers on a number of cars and trucks, but I haven't ever worked on drums or fiddled with my cruiser's front brakes. I've watched a detailed video of a rear 60-series drum rebuild a few times, so I'm not particularly intimidated by digging into mine...
I also replaced the MC about five years ago, and the hydraulic parts of the system all seem to be holding up great after bleeding it thoroughly. Zero signs of leakage in the front or rear. I think I'd like to replace the soft lines, though, just to be safe, since I'm almost positive that they're the original rubber hoses and thus 32 years old and showing some signs of brittleness.
So, here's the list of things I know I need:
- Pads
- Rotors
- Caliper grease and brake cleaner
- New soft lines
- Enough fluid to bleed the system after replacing the soft lines
Here's the list of things I don't know whether I need, and don't know the best place to get:
- Drum hardware kit? I've seen several versions of this kit for very different prices. I'd like to just replace everything and know that it's all new and solid, so please school me on which one to get and where.
- Rotor and drum machining. None of the telltale signs of warpage, and the rotors seem to still be well within spec for thickness/uneven wear/etc., so I'm leaning towards leaving these alone.
- Wheel cylinders? I realize these are a pain in the butt to get at, so I should probably swap them out while I have everything apart, but if they're working fine and not leaking, I feel like I'd rather spend that time and money on some other project.
Is anything obvious missing from my list?
I also replaced the MC about five years ago, and the hydraulic parts of the system all seem to be holding up great after bleeding it thoroughly. Zero signs of leakage in the front or rear. I think I'd like to replace the soft lines, though, just to be safe, since I'm almost positive that they're the original rubber hoses and thus 32 years old and showing some signs of brittleness.
So, here's the list of things I know I need:
- Pads
- Rotors
- Caliper grease and brake cleaner
- New soft lines
- Enough fluid to bleed the system after replacing the soft lines
Here's the list of things I don't know whether I need, and don't know the best place to get:
- Drum hardware kit? I've seen several versions of this kit for very different prices. I'd like to just replace everything and know that it's all new and solid, so please school me on which one to get and where.
- Rotor and drum machining. None of the telltale signs of warpage, and the rotors seem to still be well within spec for thickness/uneven wear/etc., so I'm leaning towards leaving these alone.
- Wheel cylinders? I realize these are a pain in the butt to get at, so I should probably swap them out while I have everything apart, but if they're working fine and not leaking, I feel like I'd rather spend that time and money on some other project.
Is anything obvious missing from my list?