is the factory brake proportioning valve tunable?

[Frankenchevy]

Nice to hear of someone having good luck with Eldorado calipers. I bought a set also for my one ton build. I understand the biggest challenge is getting the e-brake adjusted... does this ring true to you? And do you use the e-brake often?

yes to the adjustment. I had to play with it. there was a guy on you tube who did an easy video, maybe should've saved it. basically you need to get the armature to be adjusted to where at full rest, it's just about to make contact with the rotor. I can't speak to longevity as the system only has a few thousand miles. however, the stopping power is better than it was before and the ebrake can hold it on its own on a 12-15%ish grade. I only use the e brake when I'm on hills.

 

[77 K20]

This is my old thread while working on my brakes:

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/sorry-another-rear-disc-brake-question.10943/

It has part numbers and links to what I used. And when I thought it was working great- it feels pretty good but I didn't know about my rear brake pad wear issue yet.

 

[Frankenchevy]

I believe the issue with my inner rear brake pad wear is the DIY4x brake brackets themselves. I had to return one of them because it was twisted and couldn't even bolt the caliper on. The ones I have now are also slightly twisted. The mounting bolts have wear marks on them where the caliper is supposed to nicely glide along them. I've cleaned them, polished them, greased them, doesn't make any difference.

Perhaps they just had a bad batch- as I know of others that have used them. To me having the bracket have bends at the mounting tabs then welding there is a sure way for them to warp and be out of spec a bit.

Someday I'll get off my ass when I have nothing better to do and order the ones from ORD where there isn't any bending. Just a flat plate. Should be easier to make sure the caliper mounting bolts are pointed straight and correct.

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vs:

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EDIT: I drove around for months carrying my IR thermometer and would measure the rear brake disc temperature anytime I stopped and got out. Never saw them get hot. They were just a few degrees warmer than the front brakes.

I got these ones. they're a half hour away from my house. they seem to work well.
https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=14BSRW

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[77 K20]

And everything lined up perfectly? Not only did I have problems with the bolts not lining up to bolt on the caliper but the caliper wasn't centered over the disc brake itself. I had to shim the bracket on one side so it would line up.

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[Frankenchevy]

yeah, the caliper slid right over the rotor and lined up with the bracket. with the caliper and bracket tightened, everything rotated freely and true. I spent almost as much time adjusting the e brake after the fact.

 

[shiftpro]

yes to the adjustment. I had to play with it. there was a guy on you tube who did an easy video, maybe should've saved it. basically you need to get the armature to be adjusted to where at full rest, it's just about to make contact with the rotor. I can't speak to longevity as the system only has a few thousand miles. however, the stopping power is better than it was before and the ebrake can hold it on its own on a 12-15%ish grade. I only use the e brake when I'm on hills.

Right, thanks J. So in other words you want all the possible slack out of E brake as I understand it. I'll fab my own cable bracket and make it beefy so there is no deflection.

Another cool mod on 1 tons is using 3/4 ton discs up front. This will shed over 20 lbs off each corner (front wheels, to clarify) and it will give better braking and better pedal feel too, so they say. Do you know anything about this mod?
Thanks for your posts..

 

[Frankenchevy]

Right, thanks J. So in other words you want all the possible slack out of E brake as I understand it. I'll fab my own cable bracket and make it beefy so there is no deflection.

Another cool mod on 1 tons is using 3/4 ton discs up front. This will shed over 20 lbs off each corner (front wheels, to clarify) and it will give better braking and better pedal feel too, so they say. Do you know anything about this mod?
Thanks for your posts..

yes, you almost want a slight amount of preload on the arm, but not enough to make the caliper drag on the rotor. you need to pop the piston out and get it clocked right so everything lines back up with the arm right against the stop. there isn't much travel in the pull of the cable, so it needs to be just right.

no, I haven't heard about the 3/4 ton mod. they are definitely thinner though. I think the 3/4 ton rotors are 1-1/4" and the one tons are 1-1/2 inches thick give or take a sixteenth. I would have never guessed that plus the calipers would add up to 20lbs per side. I've never played with the 3/4 ton calipers. I wonder why the pedal feel would be better? must use less fluid volume to move the piston..