- Location
- NJ, U.S.A.
I know a lot of folks convert to discs in the rear, but for those who (like me) have stuck with the drums, I recommend taking a good look at the backing plates.
A couple years back I did a major refresh on my drums (drums, shoes, hardware, cylinders). As I was doing this, I noticed a small crack just below the cylinder mounting point on the driver's side. I wasn't prepared at that point to try and replace the plate and it seemed like a small crack, so I elected to leave it alone and finish the job.
Well, this past Saturday at NACFest, when I hit the brake pedal while working my way out out of the trails at the end of the day, it went all the way to the floor. We diagnosed as a blown wheel cylinder, and I crimped off the hardline to that wheel with vice grips to get out of the park and back to camp (by way of a parts store for a new cylinder, I already had access to a replacement line). Unfortunately, when I got underneath to start loosening connections before jacking up the wheel, I found out that since I'd last looked the crack had grown, to the point where it looked like the entire section where the cylinder mounts is breaking free of the rest, leading to the cylinder failure. Ended up driving it home on 3 brakes and the vice grips secured with zipties to prevent losing them on the highway.
My plates are, as best I can tell, original to the truck (1992). That said, if you live in the "salt belt", it might be a good idea to have a close look at your plates to check for developing cracks. I was able to get a pair of Dorman plates on Amazon for a reasonable $130 ($30 less than RockAuto), so replacements are still available.
Rob
A couple years back I did a major refresh on my drums (drums, shoes, hardware, cylinders). As I was doing this, I noticed a small crack just below the cylinder mounting point on the driver's side. I wasn't prepared at that point to try and replace the plate and it seemed like a small crack, so I elected to leave it alone and finish the job.
Well, this past Saturday at NACFest, when I hit the brake pedal while working my way out out of the trails at the end of the day, it went all the way to the floor. We diagnosed as a blown wheel cylinder, and I crimped off the hardline to that wheel with vice grips to get out of the park and back to camp (by way of a parts store for a new cylinder, I already had access to a replacement line). Unfortunately, when I got underneath to start loosening connections before jacking up the wheel, I found out that since I'd last looked the crack had grown, to the point where it looked like the entire section where the cylinder mounts is breaking free of the rest, leading to the cylinder failure. Ended up driving it home on 3 brakes and the vice grips secured with zipties to prevent losing them on the highway.
My plates are, as best I can tell, original to the truck (1992). That said, if you live in the "salt belt", it might be a good idea to have a close look at your plates to check for developing cracks. I was able to get a pair of Dorman plates on Amazon for a reasonable $130 ($30 less than RockAuto), so replacements are still available.
Rob
