Which brakes are right

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
Keith, trying the “suspension change” route first, would the rotor/hub assembly from a K10 bolt up to the spindles or would a spindle replacement be required? For the rear, you’d have to do a complete axle housing swap wouldn’t you?

On a side note, the guy I bought it from said the PO did some “suspension work” on it. It does have all bushings, ball joints, etc. as well the existing rotors are fairly new and in usable condition so I just left them on with the new calipers and pads that allegedly go for the C20.

Think that’s the route I should be going down?
 

CRM

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2016
Posts
1,188
Reaction score
2,775
Location
Pasco, Washington
First Name
Casey
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K2500
Engine Size
350 CI
Which brakes are right

Finally a question I know the answer to. If you sit in the drivers seat then the right brakes are over on the passengers side. BOOM!!!
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
Ooooohh.....now that you mention it, the guy that sold it to me did have a British accent, lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CRM

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
30,445
Reaction score
28,347
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
How about some pictures of this thing? That would help greatly, otherwise it's just us all guessing.
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
I’ll get some up tomorrow.
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
If the 3/4 ton 2wd body was swapped onto a 1/2 ton 4WD frame, and you could find a partial VIN on the frame, we could also use that to help narrow down what you have.

K
I’m gonna have to say it’s probably the suspension change option. The truck and frame appears to have an unmolested dealership undercoating applied. It does have a 12-bolt truck spec rear axle installed with the leaf pack of a 1/2 ton 4wd truck. After fitting correct sized tires yesterday, it’s clear I don’t have a 4.11:1 or 4:56:1 rear that I find were standard or optional in the Corporate 14-bolt. It also has a lowering spindle installed (thought it sat a tad low) up front. That may be the reason for 6-lug switch over up front. I’d be speculating; that if the owner went that far, why not bolt in a stock 12-bolt rear for better fuel milage gearing. Since I don’t plan to do any serious towing with 280 bhp & 380 lbs-ft of torque, the switch isn’t that big of a deal to me. Just need to identify the correct parts.
Does all this sound logical to you?
 

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
30,445
Reaction score
28,347
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
The problem is, 2wd trucks with 6 lugs were not produced after 1970 or before 1988. You have to know which generation of truck you need to get parts for or figure out what aftermarket brake kit has been installed.
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
Oh yeah, I meant to ask. What should I take the pictures of? Didn’t wanna up a bunch of pictures that didn’t help anything.
 

Turbo4whl

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2019
Posts
3,126
Reaction score
7,257
Location
Downingtown, PA
First Name
Wayne
Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
Jimmy
Engine Size
350
Oh yeah, I meant to ask. What should I take the pictures of? Didn’t wanna up a bunch of pictures that didn’t help anything.

The reason is we all like to see the pictures of the truck in question. Don't need to see the brakes, need to see the truck!

Brakes for your truck: Why do you need the front rotors? Take them to a machine shop and have them cut. You stated all the other parts are good.
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
Ok, I’ll go grab some pictures now.
I don’t “need” front rotors per se. when I bought it, I wanted all new brakes front/rear as a baseline. I went to R1Concepts and ordered their extreme duty pads, rotors, calipers, drums and shoes. Everything fits from the kit save for the rotors & drums (8-lugs). The rotors on it appear to be be new as do the drums, so I turned both and reinstalled then set to asking y’all why do I have this 6/8 lug discrepancy. Everything works and stops great, just not with $400 worth of rotors & drums bought.
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
Ans still NO PICTURES!!!
Sorry....Gawd, lol. Ok, here ya go. Did I get them loaded right?

You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
And yes, those ridiculous mud flaps will be taken off soon.
 

SeanV

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Posts
42
Reaction score
17
Location
Dunedin
First Name
Sean
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
C20 Suburban
Engine Size
454
One more thing to add. The 6-lug rotors are the hub & rotor unit cast in together, not the separate rotor disk from a hub assembly.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
44,166
Posts
950,714
Members
36,280
Latest member
rodfarm
Top