I have a cracked rotor on my 1984 F250. Its 4x4 and has manual hubs, so how would I go about removing the old rotor and replacing it? Also, my parts place has two different rots, one with a hub and one without. Which one do I need? thanks. By the way, im not sure if it matters, but it has the twin piston calipers since its a HD truck.

 

It's not that hard to remove the rotors. You need to take the brake caliper off and hang it out of the way. Don't let it just hang there on the end of the brake line. Take the locking hubs off, (and since you have them off it's a good time to either replace them with heavy duty stuff if your budget allows or service the hubs you already have).
Then, you need a special 4 pronged socket to take the spindle nuts off. You can get the socket at any good parts store, I got mine at Napa for $20 or so. Once you get the spindle nuts off and the bearings are out, the whole rotor assembly should come right off the spindle.

If you go with just a rotor, you'll have to have your hub pressed onto the new rotor. You'll need new inner and outer bearings and races. If the old bearings are ok, just repack them and replace the races. Get a brass punch or something that won't scratch the surface of the races and seat them by tapping around the perimeter of the race until it bottoms out against the lip it sits on. Then just pack the hub with wheel bearing grease, put in the bearings, slide the rotor back onto the spindle, tighten the locking nuts and put the locking hubs back on.

I just did this last year to my 86 F-250HD and even though I'd never done it, it was a piece of cake.......................chocolate cake mmmmmm.........

 

You shouldnt need to replace the hubs, just knock the wheel studs out of your old rotor/hub assys then knock the rotor off the hub, new rotor on the old hub, wheel studs driven in the back then back together with the hub. I have seen people disassemble the hub.. not neccesary. A couple snap rings and it comes out in 1 piece

 

I agree. Just drive the studs that hold the wheel on, and the rotor will come off after you have gotten the whole assembly off.

 

So does the hub have to come off? Do I need any special tools? Does anyone have an exploded diagram of the rotor and hub? Thanks

 

Yes, you need to take the whole hub off.

You'll need the 4 prong wrench to remove the lock nuts.

Bang the studs out with a brass drift and a hammer. Be careful not to mash the threads up. Put your new rotor on the hub, and hammer the studs back in from the back side with same drift and hammer.

1 hour per side is about all it takes if you've never done it before.

I always have a light cut done on the rotors when they are changed out. By removing them and re-installing them from the hub, they may no longer run true and you will get pulsating in the brake pedal or a shake in the wheel.

 

Ive been a professional auot mech since 1988..we used to resurface new rotors every time no matter what they went on. I havent done it for like...10-15 years and dont recall having any problems. New rotors are cheap, resurfacing them will probably cost as much as the rotors. Also they draw up to the hub better when you tighten the lug nuts so thats a factor. Just make sur rou dont get any dirt between the hub and rotor when you mate them and you should be ok

 

They almost NEVER seat against the hub cleanly once removed and the recommended total runout is about .003 IIRC.

I skipped doing it on my last brake job and regretted it. Even after taking a cookie to the hub and cleaning it as well as I could.

I ended up taking them all back apart again and cutting them any way to get rid of a slight shimmy while braking.

 

Okay, I got the hub out and went to the parts store (I called ahead of time to see if they had the spindle socket) and they sold the last one to the guy before me, so Ill have to wait until tomorrow. I had a q though-do I have to replace the other front rotor? Will they be unmatched? What about wheel bearings?

 

If the wheel bearings look good with no black pits, I would re-use them. To look at the rear bearing you will have to buy a new seal though.

You can change one rotor with no problems.

 

Well, I finally got it done. The wheel bearings looked newer so I just cleaned em up and repacked it with grease and set the clearance on them (tighten then back off 90degrees, then lock washer then torque second nut). the brakes seem much stronger now and take less pedal travel, so Im very pleased. Thanks for all the help.