1995 - 2000 OBS GM 8 Lug Full Size Truck Rear Drum Brake Shoes & Springs Replacement (Chevy & GMC)

[@ShaneWillard]

HUGE thanks! This is the most detailed video I could find on changing rear brakes, and it's terrific!! All the different camera angles were extremely helpful. You did a great job!! Thank you for saving me a ton of time and money!!

[@kevinbrumley1894]

Thankyou it helped me a great deal have a great day

[@thegoodwolf4255]

Im glad you left in all the fumbling during reassembly, makes us feel normal when the same things happening to us.

[@TheStangSlayer]

Your ability to keep your cool and not let out a string of curse words during all of the spring popping is amazing. I laughed on the inside because I could imagine how frustrated I would be and exactly what I had said doing this job before.

[@TheStangSlayer]

Annnnnnnnd, I went to do it myself this weekend. No way I passed that no cursing / yelling challenge.

[@thenexthobby]

Nice video. What we did today was install the top 2 springs first, by looping them on under no spring tension and walking the shoes onto the top post and then just using the natural level action of the shoe length to bring the end down. Once in place, it doesn't take much to hold them so that the funky side pin/cup/spring assemblies can be installed.

[@user-tj6hs6wd4w]

I got a 1500 2000 GMC Savana never did no drum brakes thank you for your video you're a lifesaver blessings and Godspeed

[@klaassybrand]

Very good video!! Super detailed to get the job done. I did my drum brakes on my 2002 Express van 3500, the brake setup is exactly the same although it has the FF 14 bolt. So maybe good to mention that 1996-2002 models also. Working great. One thing to note: I have noticed the self adjusting system does not adjust very well automatically. I've checked the drum shoes and tighttness on the drum and it was too loose after using it for over 6 months. SO today i took off the drums and manually adjusted till the drums were snug again. I noticed an instant increase in (rear) braking performance!. I tried all the tricks like reversing and full braking but have not noticed an auto adjust of the drums unfortunately.

[@kimjones308]

I just want you to know that thanks to your video I was able to identify missing parts in my brake system. (Previous owner removed parking brake components) and I was able to use your video to verify that I was getting the right parts and I was able to use your video as instructions to rebuild my brakes as my 1984 c20 has the exact same setup. Thanks to you I am able to use my parking brake for the first time since I bought the truck. Thank you for taking the time to make such a compete and clear video, you’ve made my project a whole lot easier

[@Tailu66]

Super helpful for my K3500, the brake setup was exactly the same. One of the best How To Video's I've ever used for vehicle repair. TY so much!

[@MessiahStudiosNet]

Thank You for uploading this video. I had no plans for playing with the springs. I just wanted to swap out the Wheel Drum. I started to clean up some of the gunk and the whole assembly fell down on the ground. I searched for pictures/videos and was a bit worried. Was getting ready to call in a pro to come help.

[@gregoryjackson8466]

Awesome video man! I was about to take my truck to the local mechanic but this video saved me labor cost. Thanks again!

[@PrismaxMan]

this was a tremendous help, doing all new brakes and lines on 2000 1 ton.

[@vbrtrmn]

This is the best video for this style brake, there's several other ones, but they don't show squat. Thanks for making this!!

[@joshwolfzahn945]

Thank you so much, mine did the same thing plus adjuster arm came off on my way home from work and I haven’t done drum brakes in quite a few years, this was a lifesaver fixing this in my driveway👍👍

[@markdavis5970]

Man oh man you have no Idea how much your video helped me. I don't know you but I'm so thankful I wish I could shake your hand. Thanks for posting this

[@65mrcarguy]

Thank you! I started this job on the exact same truck about a month or so ago. I got hurt and couldn’t work on it. So this video saved me! Great video!

[@GregBeyer-cm8np]

GREAT video Dr. Shock! Same set-up as on my 1999 Chevy C2500, I only wish i had found your video BEFORE i launched into my own project! But I just kept the other side as a reference and it wasnt too bad. Only issue i had was E-brake cable wasnt under tension (replacing) and it came loose after i put last spring in place... lesson learned, and i got to take it apart twice so it was even more practice. :) thanks again! Now im just sitting here relaxing, reliving the process through your video.

[@AL-kw3cd]

Really appreciate you making this video, extremely helpful and informative!

[@billdaa1]

Great video I was thinking how many times I was coursing those springs....Doh!!!

[@Nudnik1]

Brake spring tool hook and pin end get springs on / off. Good video. Blue hoop on ebrake bar goes up .

[@Moparking]

The blue spring for the hand brake link should have the little "loop" uppwards, otherwise.. i used this video as a guide, saved me some time.. Thanks a bunch!! ohh.. and i used a wise grip to set the springs in place.. worked out so easy!!

[@MrBowNaxe]

Another great video! I have a '99 K2500 and hear a little "click" in the rear (right side) so I'm about to tear it apart. I've done that job on my K1500 so I know what I'm in for. I have all those tools and noticed your struggle getting that top spring on. One arm of your clamp tool has a grove in the end to hook on that pin and you can slide that spring down the shaft into place. I'm sure you know that but like the rest of us it's usually a while between brake jobs and you forget things. Thanks for sharing!

[@DrShock]

Thanks, yeah rather than pause thru that memory lapse I just improvised to get thru the job. ;-)

[@hummvee69]

Use quick clamps to hold the shoes if you're working alone.

[@djrechsteiner7355]

Many thanks very very well done video with lots of details and excellent camera work!!!

[@FIRG951]

Thanks you is the best and most detailed video.

[@jessyoungquest]

--how you do this with out cussin', is beyond me!!! --- Thanks fer the vid--- now--- it's MY TURN!!!!

[@davidl2022]

Thank you for doing this, best presentation ever.

[@cmrncrick]

Awesome video! Helped me out tremendously! Thanks.

[@tommymartin2551]

Thanks 🙏 so much for the video. It saved me a lot of money 💵 . God bless you!!!!

[@williamsprague2329]

This video was a life saver big Thanks,

[@williamwatson3567]

You Could / Should...use Some Needle Nose Pliers, or Regular Pliers to Close the Open Ends of the Brake Springs...so they Stay Securely in Place. ( Just a Little Safer... I would also sand down or wire Brush some of the Rusty Parts....then Give them a Coat of Primer or Paint- or- Both....Just to Make Everything Last Longer.... Then Maybe a Light Coat of Grease on the Lug Bolts to Save The Threads, and Easier to Release...Next Time.! Thanks For The Great Video...!! Iam Sure You Helped A Lot of People that Have Little Experience on " Brake Jobs"... I have Done Them on all Kinds of Vehicles For 40 + Years... The Most Difficult I ever Ran Into was My Current Vehicle's Rear Drum Brake....a 1998 Chrysler Cirrus....small dia. Drums, and it also had Cracked, Leaking Rubber Shrouds/ Covers on the Wheel Cylinders...which can Let Sand, Dirt , Grit, into the Wheel Cylinder Cups...and Destroy the Pressure Surfaces, and Contaminate the Brake Fluid... Bill in L.A. 2-20-2018

[@scottbarrett4753]

Thanks. Great video. Huge help.

[@SirGuidemere91]

I appreciate you man. Thank you

[@danielholtzapple7124]

Old mechanic told me how to get those pain in but springs on. Use your Philips screw driver or straight edge. Hook the spring on it and lever it onto the that top pin. Works but takes a couple tries.

[@BurbanK2500]

Thank you so much. You save mmy day

[@TempoDrift1480]

Excellent. Thank You.

[@shauneredwine3138]

great video DRShock thanks ! I said a lot more cuss words than you ! lol

[@josephleonardo2526]

Awesome video

[@benkanobe7500]

This just an input you most likely don't need as I have watched so many of your genius-level KZbins. You were not using the correct end of your tool while trying to attach the brake springs. The cammed end is as you know it for removal, the other end is to slide the spring on the attachment point. Again, I suspect you now know this and this is not a criticism just input for others that may be watching for the first time. Maybe update this great video with a ".... and this is the way I should have been using my brake tool...." Thanks again for all the great links. Nope, I just watched further and that is not the way to use the tool. The far end is the correct way. Again, I think this is mute as I have seen so many of your Master Mechanic level KZbins. I comment only for those watching for the first time to help them.

[@DrShock]

Yeah, I thought about editing that out but didn't get around to it. I'll chalk it up to a moment of brain fog and unintended improvisation. ;-)

[@tarbeau8561]

DrShock, Another great video sir, one question I have is, does that tool you used putting the springs back on have a part number or a name ? Thanks for sharing your knowledge and videos sir, really appreciate your detailed information on how parts work and go back on, in all of your videos. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and videos sir.

[@DrShock]

That's an old Craftsman brake spring plier set. I have been known to improvise and use just vise grips instead, or even use that tool _not_ as intended ;-) Whatever gets the job done. But you should find a very similar 3pc brake drum spring plier set at Harbor Freight today.

[@mattmcdonald3615]

Thx for the video only one i can find for 11 inch drums all the rest r for 10 inch. My problem is that my new shoes dont yave yhe rivet holes so kinda guessing what one goes where as yhey t almost exactly yhe same. One shoes a little thinner in the pad than the other so hopefully i guessed right lol

[@DrShock]

Glad I could help. WIthout those rivets the shoes are aftermarket, non GM. But typically you can also tell by the length of friction material which can often differ between the leading and trailing shoes.

[@mattmcdonald3615]

@@DrShock i had a dealership tell me the shorter one goes in back but my mechanic said its the bigger one that goes near the rear

[@MrBowNaxe]

This video is great for when I do my rear brakes on my '99 K2500 Suburban. My dilemma is how did you get to this point? Do I have to pull the axles? My axle hub doesn't look like yours... mine has bolts around the center hub assembly. I've done that job on my old K1500 but those hubs just came right off the wheel studs like your truck does.. This one is making me nervous.

[@DrShock]

So there are a couple of different axles used on an OBS truck in the 3/4 ton range. The one shown here is a semi-floating axle, 14 bolt rear with a 9.5" ring gear (differential cover circular). There's also a full-floating flavor of that same 14 bolt rear, with a 10.5" ring gear (differential cover angular). Sounds like you have the latter heavier duty version, so this video wouldn't apply to that FF axle types brakes.

[@aaronsand3517]

great video you just earned a sub!!!!!

[@nelloagostini4389]

Hello DrShock I recently inherited someone else failed brake job along with the rest of the truck. I was trying to figure out if the brake shoes were installed correctly or backwards. You explain about the 4 verses 6 rivets to distinguish difference between front and back but the shouse I have are glued one is bigger than the other in that case which one is front and rear? I am suspecting they are installed backwards. Thank yu

[@DrShock]

If you are not working with GM OEM shoes, you can still tell them apart. The primary and secondary brake shoes can be identified by the _length_ of the friction material as well. So if you look at the video where I'm showing these GM shoes, you'll see that difference in friction material length. Your aftermarket bonded type shoes (as opposed to OEM riveted) should also have this difference so that you'll be able to determine primary from secondary (e.g., front short from back long).

[@johnmarc7473]

You have the right tool your not using it properly . The springs go on a lot easier when you learn how to use that tool . Wish I could send you up video on how to use it to make it easier for your next time .

[@DrShock]

John, yeah that's an old vid that I definitely did too much _improvisation_ on in a brain fog moment. ;-) Totally agree. All good now though.

[@AWSmith1955]

@@DrShock @27:16 if you freeze the video, right by your left wrist, the tool handle appears to have an end with a V groove in it, And a turned portion about an inch and a half. THAT is the tool handle end you use to put the spring ends over the pins. The groove goes over the pin and you lever the spring on.

[@jzeerod]

nice work! i am subbing! and ill come back here soon!

[@Texasbird026]

Drums don’t want to come off. Soak with pb blaster and bang on them?

[@DrShock]

Try backing off the adjusters all the way first to clear any _rust lip_ that may have formed. Use a dead blow hammer, or a brass hammer, and start with impacts to the sides. You'll want to first break free any rust at the axle to drum flanges.

[@Jimmy_Cavallo]

💥 Excellent video, thank you. 💥 Excellent video. I tried my best but could not get the driver side drum off of my ‘01 Express 3500 even after soaking it with penetrating oil and striking it with a hammer. I brought it to my mechanic and $730 later it was done. I drove 4 miles from his shop and as I took a left turn to enter a highway the rear wheel separated from the van and extended out 2 feet on the axle. The mechanic says it’s not his fault since he didn’t do anything with the axle although he gave the drum a good beating with a hammer to get the job done. The nut on the end of the hub that holds the axle in place spun loose and the axle slid out…. Does anyone know how that could have happened…?? I think it’s much too coincidental that it happened only a couple miles after he did the brake job for him not to own up to the problem. 🤟🏼🇺🇸

[@WildSuns42]

I am not familiar with what exact rear end would be in your vehicle, or what options were available for that matter.... But there are rear ends which require the removal of the axel to get the drum off... Those have components at the wheel end of the axel which keeps it in, and some I think also have a clip in the differential itself that locks it in.... I would first identify exactly which rear end is in your vehicle and type as is posi/limited etc. And then look up exactly how the axeles are removed because that will show you what had to have failed or not been in place which allowed your axel to come out like that.... I have seen that happen before, on a ford. good luck.

[@helloitsme4139]

The Chevy 3500 express, almost all of them are “full floating” rear ends, requiring removal of the axel to service/ replace the rear brake components. Did you ever get that sorted out. I’m late to the party it seems.

[@buck2713]

Like a kick stand spring on a Harley, bend spring, put quarters in between spring coils, let go straight, install spring, push quarters out. Spring shortens once coins removed. Restores tension to spring once installed.

[@1kbutta]

Do you have to buy 2 springs and pin kit for each side?

[@DrShock]

You should really do both sides. But you only need one kit of each part number if you buy genuine GM. Aftermarket may vary idk. One GM pin kit will cover both sides (and with parts left over since it's intended to cover a wide range of model years). And similarly one GM spring kit will also cover both sides (though with this one you should not end up with any left over parts as it's a model year specific number). There are links to the part numbers in the video description.

[@pwee507]

The thinner/ shorter shoes go on the front do they not?

[@DrShock]

Shorter in friction material length goes forward, yep. As shown at 5:14 the GM shoes with the extra row of rivets have more friction material (in length not thickness). That's why they go on the back (the rear shoes perform the bulk of the braking force in this 3/4 ton truck type drum design). The one with only two rows of rivets is shorter (but same thickness), so it goes on the front. Aftermarket brands may have a very different design in how to determine this, I'm only showing the genuine GM/ACDelco shoes here.

[@pwee507]

@@DrShock thanks man. I appreciate this video. I have a 1500 with a 14bolt rear .. could have been an upgrade

[@Сергей-ъ5г8ь]

Молодец!По русски собираешь!!!)))

[@IamRemoWilliams]

👍

[@isaacnelson6345]

Thanks bud

[@jamescole3152]

Nice.

[@areynoso18]

Can you recommend a drum to disc conversion set?

[@hudsonhawk0016]

There are a few. I just completed a rear disc conversion on my 84 K30 using a Roughstuff Specialties kit. It's a bolt on kit that you can do in a few hours.

[@marcusstarkweather6967]

What size are the shoes I have 1999 gmc k 2500 and I don't know brake shoes size 11 or 13

[@DrShock]

Could be either, you have to check either what is stamped into the drums outer casting, or the options sticker in your glove box for the JB/JD code. It's 13" if you have JB7/JD7 (13 x 2.5) and 8 lug wheels.

[@Nudnik1]

11 on six bolt wheels ,13 on 8 bolt HD .

[@charlietuna8649]

You need to get to know your tools. good vid .

[@charlietuna8649]

Auto adjust works when you are in reverse

[@lostlune]

why didnt you replace the cylinder ?

[@DrShock]

Wheel cylinders and calipers are not regular brake maintenance items like shoes, springs, and pads. You only need to replace them when they reach a high mileage point (bore wears out), start leaking fluid, or otherwise present a need to replace proactively. If it were otherwise, the GM factory service manual would call it out, which it does not.

[@RW-ds4dj]

k1500, 1996 6.5,,,,, Nice, but I just clean the dust (brake cleaner or some other),,, the only part I lube (grease) is the adjuster. Lube will attract dust and make things fuzz.... And I also sometimes remove the brake-dust by flush internal with water (no need 2 remove the drum) from behind the drum......

[@TopGunMan]

My drum is suuuper stuck to the plate the lug bolts come out of I guess.

[@DrShock]

You may have to go around to the backing plate, remove the access covers, and turn out the adjuster knob to account for a rust lip at the inner edge of the drum. Of course, this is presuming your parking brake is disengaged and working properly.

[@alianoglass8861]

my 1987 chevrolet emergency brake is where the leading shoe is , they must have changed the design in the 90s , why is the friction material thicker on one brake shoe ?

[@DrShock]

The friction material is thicker on that one shoe, the trailing side, because it bears greater friction forces and would otherwise wear prematurely compared to the other shoe.

[@DavidBc6744]

You where using that spring pliers wrong to install springs your supposed to use the other end slide it in the hook side of spring and then put the edge on the end of where your gonna put the spring then left the pliers upwards and spring should slide on your pliers to the end of it and go right in hope that help for next time

[@josephcade3541]

You went through all that and didn't change the wheel cylinder wow big mistake that wheel cylinders got to be as old as the rest of the parts should have changed it brother you'll be sorry

[@DrShock]

I'd disagree there. Only replace what you need to, when you need to. I've got a 1957 Chevrolet still running the original Delco-Moraine wheel cylinders, rebuilt once 11 years ago with new pistons and a re-honed barrel. But on an 80s and up vehicle I'd just get a new replacement ACDelco one when the time came. A GM brand wheel cylinder used on trucks is an extremely robust part, presuming you flush the brake fluid when required to prevent internal corrosion. What would prompt a replacement for me is external corrosion at the line inlet or bleeder, or wear leading to fluid leaking past the piston.

[@3ormorecharacterstimes2]

I've had them last nearly 400k miles, but your preventative maintenance theory is indeed solid, right now I'm doing a complete brake system on a C2500 with this exact rear end. shoes, drums, cylinders and all hardware, going in I noticed right off the shoes had recently been replaced, (I've owned the truck for 8 months) but that was all that was replaced. Today I am going through it again this time it is the passenger side wheel cylinder that is bad, if they had done those when they had it apart I wouldn't be having the problems I am now. Replacing the drums solely because the passenger side was at one time worn real bad the drum is chewed up pretty bad. I'm with you on the point where if I'm already that far in I'll go ahead and eliminate any future possibilities of having to do it again.