M1028 rear drum to disc conversion

[truck1]

I know his has been covered before but I thought I would post my '85 M1028 rear drum to disc brake conversion. Thanks to Sharecropper for his excellent reference post. I also used TSM parts and the conversion was fairly easy. Some fabrication was required to use the existing parking brake cables. The left side was too short so I used a dually stock cable which is 2 inches longer. Test run today and I like it. No lockup backing down my steep driveway and the pedal feels more responsive. Have not hard stopped yet to allow for brake in but it feels good. Park brake works good also. Overall it is a good upgrade.

 

[Sharecropper]

truck1 - make sure your rear proportioning valve is adjusted properly. With no weight in the bed, the little dot should be at 12:00 o'clock. I explain this in my rebuild thread. When this is adjusted properly, your M1028 will stop on a dime going forward or reverse.

Hope this helps.

 

[truck1]

Thanks Sharecropper, got it set up when I did my 4" lift. The indicator dot is set at 12 o'clock and I extended the actuator arm. Great upgrade.

 

[rhinob]

I like this. Any info on sourcing before I dive into the research? I have an '85 M1009.

Is this it?? http://www.tsmmfg.com/2531.html

Thanks!

 

[truck1]

That looks like the kit for the Blazer. Give them a call. Skip will help you make sure you source the correct kit. Lots of suppliers for these conversions out there. I went with TSM just for the ease of purchase all in one place and they use new not rebuilt calipers.

 

[PETE BALLARD]

Nicely done, may we ask how many $$ it cost + it looks like there was a little welding as well? Who/where is tsm? Couple hours of work?

 

[rhinob]

That looks like the kit for the Blazer. Give them a call. Skip will help you make sure you source the correct kit. Lots of suppliers for these conversions out there. I went with TSM just for the ease of purchase all in one place and they use new not rebuilt calipers.

Thanks much Truck1 !!

 

[truck1]

Sorry for the late reply Pete. The whole conversion including new hard brake lines , left side e-brake cable( get the one from Napa for a dually rear end, it is 2" longer) was about 700$. I reused the right side e-brake cable , had to weld on the brackets for the hard to flex stainless line transition, and weld a tab on the right side of the axle housing for the e-brake cable. Pretty easy install, mostly R/R old drums , R/R wheel studs from drum to rotor through hub and check bearings and hub seal. All were replaced on my last brake job and in good shape. TSM supplies everything in a kit( rotors, calipers w/e-brake NEW, pads ,caliper mounting brackets, spacers, and flex stainless brake lines. Pretty much everything you need. I replaced my hard lines to the tee with new lines, no bender required. All in all about a 8 hour job with bleeding of all brakes. Pretty easy job. Helps to have a mig welder for attaching the tabs to the axle. Besides a tiny tach, and Gear Vendor, the best upgrade so far. Highly recommended. http://www.tsmmfg.com/2531.html

 

[PETE BALLARD]

sorry for the late reply pete. The whole conversion including new hard brake lines , left side e-brake cable( get the one from napa for a dually rear end, it is 2" longer) was about 700$. I reused the right side e-brake cable , had to weld on the brackets for the hard to flex stainless line transition, and weld a tab on the right side of the axle housing for the e-brake cable. Pretty easy install, mostly r/r old drums , r/r wheel studs from drum to rotor through hub and check bearings and hub seal. All were replaced on my last brake job and in good shape. Tsm supplies everything in a kit( rotors, calipers w/e-brake new, pads ,caliper mounting brackets, spacers, and flex stainless brake lines. Pretty much everything you need. I replaced my hard lines to the tee with new lines, no bender required. All in all about a 8 hour job with bleeding of all brakes. Pretty easy job. Helps to have a mig welder for attaching the tabs to the axle. Besides a tiny tach, and gear vendor, the best upgrade so far. Highly recommended. http://www.tsmmfg.com/2531.html

very nicely done and at a resonable cost!!

 

[Sharecropper]

Hey truck1 - when this thread popped back up today I got to looking at your installation photos again and noticed something. I understand you and I used the same TSM kit, however your calipers are positioned differently than mine. My calipers are positioned on the upper quadrant of the rotor however your calipers are positioned on the lower quadrant. Your parking brake cable is routed under the axle where mine is routed over the axle. What gives?

 

[truck1]

There are 2 reasons I mounted the calipers in the lower 45* position. First was to use my existing brake cables. The drivers side was 2 inches short, so I sourced a cable for a dually application - fit perfect. The right side I used the existing cable and welded a bracket to the axle housing for support. Works perfect. Second reason is ease of bleeding. The calipers are '78 El Dorado with E-brake. GM originally routed the cables on the bottom below the axle, the same as the CUCV drum brakes. In this position the bleeder valve is on top which facilitates an easier bleed in place mounted to the caliper brackets. I used a pressure bleeder to bleed the whole system. One man job. If the e brake is on top you must remove the caliper from the bracket and gravity bleed because the bleeder valve is on the bottom and will trap air in the caliper. Basically makes the bleeding of the brakes easier. If you look at the front calipers they are orientated in the same position. Function is not affected either way. The calipers are stamped L and R . From your photos it looks like you switched sides so your cables would route on top. Same function either way. Thanks for the detailed thread on your installation.

 

[jcappeljr]

My son Jason,Just put m1008 rears in his m1009.And then did the rear disc conversion.He is happy with it..