good morning all!

i was thinking about getting my pads and rotors done on my truck this summer as there is a bit of a pulse in the brakes... plus they need to be done!

how hard is it to do myself? are they drum brakes or just rotor and caliper?
thanks alot guys!
i really appreciate the help!

 

you should have 4 wheel disc brakes. they are pretty easy to change them your self. just remove the wheels and remove the caliper mounting bolts on the back of the spindle and then take the caliper and hang it with a wire from the upper control arm then just remove the pads and the rotor and then swap them out. the backs are a little harder due to the parking brake which is a drum in hat assembly but it is still easy. just let us know if you get lost

 

You should just be able to take your rotors down to a brake shop and have them resurfaced. It could save you some money. And when you replace the pads you will need to buy a pad installation kit that has tools to compress the piston so that you can fit it back over the rotor.

 

The rotors can be cut if they fall within the specs, meaning if they are too warped or too thin ou'll need new ones anyway. Check local auto parts places for mid-grade rotors and compare prices. My rotors cost me $20 more then having them resurfaced.

Oh and you can squeeze the pistons back into the calipers with a big pair of channel-locks if you are careful. Been doing it this way for 10 years, no problems.

 

A friend of mine and myself just changed out my front and rear pads on my '03. The front calipers (atleast mine) were held on with a T55 Torx head, and i had to use a 1/2" drive breaker bar to break them loose. I actually broke 1 cheap T55 bit, which was hollow inside, trying to get them out. After buying a set of 6 bits for $24.00, i used to T55 bit out of that set, and had no problems. Rears on mine were easier than fronts, and the rears had a regular octagon bolt head on the bolts, and i was able to break them loose with a ratchet. I also noticed the backing plate on the drivers side rear wheel was pretty much toast, as its rusted thru. The Pass. side rear was fine. I used a C-Clamp to push the calipers back in, using the old pads. Rotors for my truck would have been about $44.00 each, but mine were fine with just very minimal pulsation in the brake pedal. To change the rear pads, you do not have to touch the E-Brake shoes, unless obviously you or someone uses the E-Brake alot and has worn them out. I was told that the pads for the E-Brake are more expensive than the other pads too. Remove the brake reservoir cap,and SLOWLYpress the caliper pistons back in.

 

i really appreciate the help guys
i'm going to have to line up all the parts before i go for it... but ill give er a try next weekend! ill take some pics while im doing it and maybe make a sticky out of it!

thanks guys!