Hey, folks:

It finally got down into the lower 90s here in the Air Capital, so I went out to work on the truck this weekend. My friend Steve came over to lend a hand, and we set out to get the brakes in better running shape. (They barely work at all, and pull to the left pretty sharply.)

Since bleeding the brake lines was the simplest variable to eliminate, we set out doing that first. The left side brakes were both already in good shape, but the right rear is plugged up somewhere along the line (no fluid at all came out), and the right front bleed screw was so bound up that it broke off.

I took off the right front drum and discovered that there was no adjusting mechanism!!! I went over to the FLAPS and picked up the replacement kit, put it all together and discovered that the brake drum wouldn't fit over the pads any more. Upon further inspection, I realized the problem: the little arms on the wheel cylinder, the ones that actually move the pads, are bent upward, so the pads sit high and off-center. The whole cylinder needs replacing. I theorize that when the PO crashed the truck, it must have locked up the front right brake, so he disabled it.

Anyway, I'll be off later this week to pick up a new wheel cylinder and see how it goes. Any things I should look out for, or time-saving/safety tips, will be most appreciated.

Rocka Rolla,
Carmody
Air Capital, Kansas
http://www.kcisp.net/~carmody/truckpix.html