Drum brake overhaul

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Topic author
A.nunan
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun May 22, 2022 4:34 pm
Location: Central pa

Drum brake overhaul

Post by A.nunan »

i'm looking for any information on over hauling the 4 wheel drum brakes on a 1966 j-2000. i have no original parts just the backing plate and hub. was pulled by the last owner to get it to roll. the only solution i've found is to jet disc brakes for it. i'm trying to do it on the cheep, and disc are not. the only question is should i just do the conversion if i want to tow with it, or are the drums fine. any information would be greatly appreciated
Aidan.
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Yeller
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Re: Drum brake overhaul

Post by Yeller »

Welcome to FSJN!

To know for sure you need to know the GVW off of the tag in the door jam, but unless it is one of the more uncommon models Rockauto has shoes, drums and hardware kits in stock.

All the model on the fender designates is the wheelbase, the GVW is listed on the VIN tag in the drivers door jam. It will be 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000. that makes the actual model number J2500, J2600, J2700 or J2800, which you need to know to get the correct brake parts. No worries, I had to learn this too.

As for towing, or driving for that matter, converting the front to disc should be a priority, the rear is less of a concern in my opinion. These trucks are not known for their great brakes. There are a few conversion options available. Harry Dawg on here has done a kit that was easy to install and relatively inexpensive.
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timwiller
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Re: Drum brake overhaul

Post by timwiller »

X 2
1966 J-3600 Gladiator. 304, T-18-D20 [twin stick] ,D44-D53, magniflow exhaust
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tgreese
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Re: Drum brake overhaul

Post by tgreese »

Times change. Most would consider the drum brakes on these trucks inadequate for daily use, much less towing.

Measure the diameter of your backing plates, to determine what the inner diameter of the drum was.

You need the FSM/TSM. That will show you which GVWRs got which brakes. The lightest trucks and wagons got 11"x2" Bendix drum brakes, which were used in millions of Ford light trucks and other vehicles. No problem fixing/restoring, but they are wimpy for a full-size pickup. The middle GVWRs got 12"x2" brakes, and the drums have been unavailable for decades. None new, none good used - all gone. Unobtainium. The highest GVWRs have 8-lugs and 12"x2.25" (something like that) brakes; not sure what the availability is.

First post - welcome Aidan from Boston. Good practice to put your general location and year/model/equipment in your profile and signature file, so it will appear in every post.

If you keep your closed-knuckle front axle, the brake conversion is the same for all the Jeeps with these axles. (A swap to a newer, better axle that already has disk brakes is an option). If you convert to disks for your existing axle, the CJ-5 guys do this a lot, and their forum has a lot of good and current information about the swap. You can do it with junkyard parts, or buy a a kit. Here is some junkyard swap info, and this forum is friendly if you want more info. http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.ph ... ds/116749/
Last edited by tgreese on Fri May 27, 2022 2:10 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Harry Dawg
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Re: Drum brake overhaul

Post by Harry Dawg »

Hello A.nunan and welcome to the show!

As you are about to learn, these J-trucks are difficult to find parts for. (especially the first generation Gladiators like ours)
If you are looking to retain factory parts, I would suggest hopping onto the "FSJ Parts and Rigs for Sale" Facebook Forum, or searching on Rock Auto as Yeller suggested.
In regards to a disk brake swap, here are my thoughts AFTER doing the conversion.

1) The price is really not too bad. At right around $300, the price is fair for as much of an upgrade as this is.
(I bought a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve for mine, so if you are looking for a more budget friendly swap you can use a proportioning block and save 80 bucks, putting the total at right around $200. )

2) You will need to get different wheels, or run a wheel spacer to clear the calipers

3) If you plan on towing with this rig, I would suggest going with the K10 brake swap, versus the Geo Tracker swap like I did.
The larger calipers and pistons will be more appropriate for a tow rig, but for my application the Geo Tracker conversion was a better option.

4) The biggest pain in the a** was running new hard lines for the proportioning valve / block. I would suggest just replacing the factory proportioning block for simplicities sake, as it should be plug and play with the factory hard lines. If you do an adjustable valve, you will need to run custom hardline with odd size flare nuts ( It was at this point that my 1 day disk brake swap turned into a 2 week ordeal) and re-flare the lines.

Long story short, it will definitely be easier and more budget friendly to keep the drum setup, but if you want a nice upgrade and have a little extra room in your budget, I would recommend the swap.
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Topic author
A.nunan
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun May 22, 2022 4:34 pm
Location: Central pa

Re: Drum brake overhaul

Post by A.nunan »

thanks for all the help the information on the bendix 11x2 was helpfull. i'm going to just put disc brakes all the way around it as the drum rebuild kits that i found are only a few bucks cheaper than disc brakes. so ill spend the little bit of extra money for the safety of discs.

Aidan
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