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'97 K2500 Brake upgrade to K3500 GMT400 ?'s

S

schiker

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Ok, I did the upgrade to K3500 rotor, calipers, and Flexstop hose. Also did new Timken bearings.

http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/th...00-88-00-obs-and-94-99-dodge-2500-3500.44950/

I bled the brakes with a Motive bleeder but was disappointed slightly with pedal travel on test drive. It did stop fine and as a plus my antilock brake light stays off. My bearing were overdue.

Do the K3500 calipers take more volume? Or should I bleed again. My drivers side leaked a good bit of brake fluid out while I worked on the getting the brake hose holder off the old hose. I bled out a fair amount of fluid and had a decent burp or 2 but could have a bit of air left?

When you do the flexstop hoses do you crimp the brake line holder to the new hose? I added a bit of clear hose on top and its fairly tight but not like original.
 
I noticed a little more pedal travel than I did with the smaller 2500 calipers, but not alot more. It did take a few miles though before my pedal tightened up as the new pads were slow to seat in. I gravity bleed mine with no problems. I will say when I did my stainless braided lines back in 04, I had to bleed quite a bit to get all the air out of the rear. Also make sure you do the larger rear wheel cylinders or else you will get alot more front braking than rear braking to the point it will probably pull all over the place under braking. After getting back from my trip last week, I will say it was a worthwhile upgrade as stopping was so much nicer in the mountains hauling the travel trailer. I didn't have to have hardly mess with the brake actuator as I didn't have to rely on trailer brakes so much.
 
You posted while I was re reading and posting.....

THEFERMANATOR said:
in the front calipers, 8 lug single rear wheeled trucks used a 3.15" diamter piston, and dual rear wheeled trucks used a 3.285" diamter piston.
Click to expand...

If I could retain what I read better the answer was already posted. K3500 has 0.135 larger diameter caliper piston. That is not much difference but maybe a bit farther pedal travel??? I wouldn't think I should feel much of anything different after its right should I?

I am thinking of getting a generic cushioned line clip and take off the original line clip. What did you do for the hose clip near upper ball joint?

I haven't tried to lock them up but did brake firmly and did not feel any wandering differene. I will try braking harder and in reverse too to see if I notice anything. Probably will change once pads are seated better.

I think I have been stopping more with fronts for a good while and plan to do rears too.
 
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I wouldn't change your mind from my post if you are thinking of doing this. I am usually hyper sensitive to things like this when I do the job. I only do brakes on my truck so not too often. Its not bad and it stops. I haven't even warmed the pads yet. Once pads seat it should be even better.

I was on original brake hose, calipers, and rotors so it needed to be done.

I replaced the hydroboost and master not too long ago so not wanting to do another master for a while.
 
K3500 single rear wheel trucks use the same brakes as a k2500 8 lug truck. The 3500 dual rear wheel trucks use the larger calipers. The difference in piston size sounds small, but when you do the math it's a pretty good sized change(just redid the math, and it's an 8.7% increase in pressure application). The p30 master would help with pedal travel as its a larger diameter puston to move more fluid, but it comes at the price of increased pedal effort required to get the same braking. I have noticed rear brake adjustment makes a bigger difference in pedal travel now than with the smaller calipers. As to the lines and clips, mine used all the stock hardware, just replaced the rubber hoses with the stainless braided ones from russel.
 
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THEFERMANATOR said:
. . . just replaced the rubber hoses with the stainless braided ones from russel.
Click to expand...

Which part number? I looked over Russell's site and seems they stop at the K2500 / 7,200 GVW. Not seeing anything in the GMT400 series for either the 8,600 GVW or 3500. Also, when they do list a K2500, there is a disclaimer of not for diesel.
 
Just looking on Rockauto I see the master cylinder is listed as 1-1/4 dia for both K2500 and K3500 but does not reference dual wheel vs single wheel (part numbers are different).

If you drove a K2500 then a dually would you notice a bit more pedal travel with the dually just a normal difference ????
 
8600+ GVWR all used the 1 1/4" master cylinder. You can swap in the P30 master which is a 1/16" larger bore which isn't quite the same size as the GMT-800, but bigger than stock GMT-400. Russel doesn't list the ones for the 2500+ anymore, but 12 years ago they did.
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
8600+ GVWR all used the 1 1/4" master cylinder.
Click to expand...

Exactly... The pedal travel isn't really anything to be concerned with should be normal then. I am just being hyper sensitive since the first pump went so far (new caliper piston had to push out). It just seemed a bit farther after that.

Did your Russell hose have a clip already on it? Here is a OE type hose for my '97 That clip is a bugger to get off and I did not want to crimp it hard on the new nose.
 

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You might call some of your local hydraulic hose building shops.
Dot rated clear covered steel braided brake lines -I get built for $35-$40 without discounts. Way outlast any factory lines -higher uv rating, no road damage, fittings figh rust better,and look great also. I will never buy factory lines again unless it is a restoration.
Here the company is called Nevada House of Hose.
 
Will L. said:
You might call some of your local hydraulic hose building shops.
Dot rated clear covered steel braided brake lines -I get built for $35-$40 without discounts.
Click to expand...

Wanna see if you and Leroy can make another product offering? :)


sctrailrider said:
last time I was through Nevada their were a lota hoo houses :banghead:
Click to expand...

Once upon a time, there were so many of them that even the IRS ran one . . . IIRC it was the Mustang Ranch.
 
Haven't really drove the truck yet. Going to rebleed the brakes to be sure.

Classic tube probably could make flexstop hoses for other years???

Thinking of rear brakes. Here are pics of my current drums. Looks like they are 2-1/2" shoes? Since they are original and will need turning probably going to buy K3500 drums to be sure they can accept the wider shoes. Maybe mute point but thought I would post pics and see what ya'll say.drum1.JPG drum2.JPG drum1.JPG

Might as well doing bearings and seals. So....... Thinking of buying new Hubs and taking them to get installed by someone with press and better drifts than I have. Might get froggy and buy a bearing drift set. Suggestions welcome but it will be one of those tools I don't like to spend too much on since they will sit in a box on shelf mostly.

What do you think of this ......

I would like to buy K3500 dual wheel hubs, drums, wheel cylinders, and some good used K3500 dually axles (or new depending not sure of availability and cost). Then I can take off my wheel spacers and still have the wider stance.

Anything else I need? Would I need anything else. I could still use single wheel lugs or are they different? Not sure but think I need dually drums with dually hubs?

I read an article on pirate 4x4 that said the GM 14 FF hubs and axles are interchangeable with some differences in perches, shock mounts, and tube variations of the housing but again pretty interchangeable.
 
I'm guessing you have the drums behind the hubs? If so you can get the hubs and drums from a 2500 suburban, and get the wider drums. Suburbans and 3500 trucks got the drums that slide on over the hub instead of behind the hub like 2500 trucks got. The wheel width is the same for both as the difference in how the drums go on evens things out once together.
 
Thanks for working this out with me.

Yes, I have the hubs that are pressed on with lugs from inboard of hub. Slide on drums would be nice. I thought the inside to inside width of the tire rim to tire rim was wider for DRW (or Type B hub). I have to run 2" wheel spacer so the outside of tires match front to rear.

After looking again I think I mis read / mis understood. The axles and hubs will interchange just need drums and hubs to do wider brakes. But I will still have to keep the wheel spacers to keep same stance (front tire rear tire tracking). The rim flange will be in the same spot just the drums are slip off and not behind the hub. The DRW axle housing is different width backing plate to backing plate and perch widths. The backing plates are in different spot width wise but same part. I was thinking the hubs will space the tire out some but not the case. Now do I have it right?

To regurgitate:
I'll need new hubs and drums can use my axles. Then DRW wheel cylinder and shoes ie 3-1/2" wide need maintenance items: bearings, seals, etc They seem interchangeable14BFFbibleclip.JPG .

Are DRW drums the same as Suburban? Would there be any benefit to getting DRW hubs and drums (thicker maybe) or just get the Suburban drums and get DRW wheel cylinder

Billa Vista 14 bolt bible is where I have read some of this.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html
 
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