Introduction and Brake Question.

[Surfdriver]

Hello, my name is Tim and I've been lurking on here for awhile. I got a 71 Jimmy a little over a year ago, and I'm getting ready to redo the under carriage to make it ready to move possibly cross country in a year and a half, and become a tow vehicle for my boat. I don't really do any wheel'n, just occasional trips to the dunes, or cruising mountain roads for camping.

I will start a thread when I start tearing it apart and rebuilding. I'm going to rebuild the axles, brakes, and steering. I'm also going to build a new fuel tank, put in a 700R4, install a 4" lift and possibly rebuild the transfer case (leaks). Eveything underneath will get new paint, and new body mounts.

As of right now, I have a couple questions.

The Jimmy is going to be a regular tow vehicle for my boat, and my wife is going to be towing with it when we move, so I want to ensure the Jimmy will stop with a load. It has trouble stopping on its own now. Right now I'm leaning towards a hydroboost and converting the rear to disks. Before I spend the money, I'd like to hear input on if I'm going overkill, or does it sound about right?

I'm looking at the VANCO Hydroboost Kit. I welcome any thoughts on this product or suggestions on other kits?

When I'm done with the undercarriage, my Jimmy's stats will be:
3:73 Gears in the Dana 44 front, and 10 Bolt Rear w/ Eaton Tru Track.
33" BFG's
350 SBC with a Bowtie Overdrive stage III 700R4.
4" lift, springs up front, and a shakle flip in the rear.
30+ Gallon fuel tank.

[red71cheyenne]

Interested in what everyone says. My 71 Pickup just has trouble stopping with nothing in the rear. If its loaded it stops fine.

Have you tried adjusting up the back brakes on yours? I have drums all the way around on my 69, and it seems to stop ok. I'd hate to be towing something without trailer brakes, but by itself, its ok.

[vtblazer]

Easiest upgrade for the brakes is to install a 3/4 ton booster/master cylinder.
Brakes will improve a great deal with that swap alone.

Your final recipe sounds great as long as the 33's your going to run are rated for towing and that they have really good highway manners.

Welcome to the board, enjoy the ride!!

[hgs_notes]

I towed a 20 foot open bow four winns with my 71 C-10 before I even had power brakes and it would stop fine. With out a load, it would lock them up and skid if I pushed hard enough. Any boat and trailer that big has trailer brakes and makes a huge difference. Then I upgraded to the 3/4 ton power booster and it will yank you into the seat belt now if you push the pedal a little too hard.

If you have power brakes now and it doesn't seem to stop hard, the rears may be out of adjustment, or have a kinked or blocked line to the back. Maybe need bled, or just overall need new brake shoes and pads, etc. A lot depends on what you are actually towing for weight and size.

[Surfdriver]

Thanks for the welcome.

I have not tried adjusting anything yet, so I'll try troubleshooting and adjusting the back before I tear everything apart. Right now one of the back brakes locks up every now and then when I stop, and they are real touchy when its cold and wet out side.

In my searches about brakes, I read some people still had trouble with the stock configuration after rebuilding, so upgrading sounds like a safe bet to me. I'm digging the idea of the 3/4 ton booster as well.

The boat is a 21' Cole Open Bow, about 4500lbs fully loaded including trailer, and the trailer has electric brakes.

I'll have to double check for a towing rating on the BFG AT's. I run the exact same tires on my Duramax, except 10 ply, and they handle great towing 10,000 lbs.

Thanks again for the welcome and insight.

[MB_70]

I got the wrong master cylinder from a parts store one time. "I trusted the wrong people". I installed the part, and tried to bleed the system with no pressure as my helper pushed the brake pedal. It took forever to figure it out. Brake fluid just trickled out.

If the weather effects your brake performance, you could have air bubbles in the lines. I would gravity bleed, then pressure bleed your system and test your brakes after. While you gravity bleed, use a rubber mallet and tap the calipers a few times (gets rid of air bubbles).

Prior to this, I would replace worn or worn / leaky calipers, check the rubber supply hoses (especially the ends), worn/leaky wheel cylinders, and make certain that your drums are not out of tolerance. A key indicator is to look at your shoes on the rear axle. If they are thinner in the middle than anywhere else, your drums need to be replaced.

Also, check for glazed rotors upfront. A lot of shade tree mechanics will not replace pads/shoes with new (or newly surfaced) rotors/drums, and that isnt the way to do brakes.

"Experience is what you learn AFTER you needed it .... Knowledge is passing that lesson onto others .... Wisdom is accepting the fact that others do have something to contribute."

Having said that, I will just add that there's a reason I can contribute all of this .... LOTS of experience !!! hahahaha

GOOD LUCK !!!

[Surfdriver]

MB 70,

Thank you for passing your knowledge along.