Joined this forum in hopes of finding someone with similar problems.
I have a 1988 F350, single rear wheel 4X4. The brakes have been on the weak side since it was new. Brakes worked reasonably well under normal braking but get on them a little hard and the rear wheels would lock up. The anti-lock system would then take over and reduce braking even more. Have bounced through stop signs before if they had a very rough approach. I disconnected the anti-lock a few years ago which helped a little but my rear wheels have continued to slide under hard braking. Since it's time for a brake job, I would like to see if I can fix this problem also. I assume my front brakes need more force but I'm not sure how to get it there. I would appreciate some ideas on what I need besides rear shoes and front pads. Thanks!

 

Some duallies came with the Hydroboost system, which is a hydraulic power booster for the master cylinder that runs off the power steering pump instead of a vacuum booster found on most trucks. I had the Hydroboost on my old Chevy dually and it worked very well. I wouldn't mind having it on my F350 too. I haven't looked into what it would take to do the swap though.

There is also a rear disc brake conversion for the 10.25" axle. I hear it's quite pricey.

 

I don't think I need rear disc brakes. Have plenty of rear brake already. It's the weak front brakes I want to correct. I imagine it is something in the proportioning set up but I hate to just start changing parts. Experiments can be costly and not always effective. What I had hoped was someone with the same problem had worked through this. Appreciate the advice though.

 

Maybe worth something.....I have heard from many guys on here that if you do a shackle reversal on your front end, then when you apply the brakes the front end "dips" down more than stock thereby applying more weight to the front brakes..I don't know if your truck even has front leafs, I'm still trying to learn all this stuff myself but the shackle reversal does seem to affect the weight distribution and braking charactoristics.

 

Trucks with disk drums always have weak brakes its the back brakes are the biggest problem. If the rear drums are not adjusted up and working properly you will never have good brakes.

To improve the brakes you can install hydroboost you can get that from a 88-97 F-Superduty F-450 thats a start. The second thing todo is get the biggest brake rotors for your truck then get rebuilt calipers with new brake hoses. Use Rabestos Superstop brake pads or Ford Motorcraft brand. Make sure the caliper slides are well lubed up so the caliper can slide.

Now on to your rear brakes replace the rear shoes with Rabestos or Motorcraft, install a hardware kit, replace the brake drums,probably change the wheel cylinders.

The last thing todo is flush your brake fluid if its old and black get rid of it seeing as your opening up the system its easy to flush out the old crap out.

 

I thought I had a front brake problem when my back brakes were locking up but as it turned out it was the rear brakes. The self adjusters were shot and some of the hardware was broken/missing. Also had excessive pedal travel due to one of the self adjusters not working. I replaced both rear cylinders, pads, self adjusters/cables and hardware... what a difference.

A friend and I had tried to bleed the front brakes several times trying to fix the front brakes but nothing helped until I fixed the rears

 

Thanks for the responses. Will be starting with a complete rear brake job and go from there. I hope it is that simple. I never have figured out why the pressure seems low to the front calipers. Always thought it might be a flaw from the factory.

 

yeah, I was actually surprised at how inexpensive everything was, except for the self adjuster barrels, which I snagged off a truck at the wreckers.

 

Since you removed the ABS, maybe the proportioning valve is a little screwy. I would consider running lines without the ABS boxes and maybe an adjustable proportioning valve. This way you can fine tune the front to rear bias. I am only saying this after you make sure everything is good to go. I would assume a leaking wheel cylinder in the rear or something. Give it a good rebuild and then see.

 

I've often wondered about the proportioning valve. When the ABS was plugged in, it was dangerous. If the rear wheels ever broke loose like at an intersection with gravel or lots of bumps, it backed my brakes off so much that I have actually went into or through the intersection before stopping. As I mentioned, I unplugged the ABS years ago, at least it made it safe to drive. Based on the suggestions so far, I'll do a complete rear brake job, all new parts, turned drums and a complete system bleed. Probably a test drive to see any improvements. Going to do a complete front brake job next, probably needs it anyway.
I appreciate all the help and comments!