Things you would rather do before drum brakes

I had to redo the entire drum assembly in my ‘69, if I ever have to do that again (regrettably unlikely) I’ll pay for someone else to bleed them. One occasion I recall ending up in another lane. Not a fun process to bleed and verify for those of us inexperienced in it.
I think you are saying that something about the bleeding process caused a pull to one side putting you in another lane? If so, can you tell me what the 69 refers to so I can see what the fluid circuit looks like?

Reason being is no modern vehicle with typical brakes can be caused to pull by any good or bad bleeding method. That isn't how hydraulics work in a brake system.
 
yes, but we still got useless drum brakes for the parking brake..... a can of tuna is bigger. And they wear out? quit working anyways.... every 3 months. I'd take a Sport Dana 44 with real parking brakes and drum brakes any day. Have not used the parking brake in 10 years, and I refuse to spend a penny to make it operational for another 3 months.

We don't have that issue, most don't. I've had both, used both on the trail, and the parking brake in the drum in hat rotor has always held better than any drum brake set up in a TJ when properly adjusted and bedded.

If you really want the Sport brakes, they are a direct swap with the exception of the brake lines and those are available so you don't have to cut and flare.

I replace the rear discs every 2 years, the front discs every 5 years. I never replaced my YJ rear drums. AND I have not seen any performance improvement with the rear discs.

Stupidest idea ever to put rear discs on a sport utility.
There is no performance increase with rear discs. Any braking improvements come from the front if you want to change anything for more stopping ability. Given that your Rubicon has the exact same front brakes as the 90 up YJ, it would be a bit odd to expect more braking except with the 90-93 which would be not quite as good as the 94-95 which share the TJ booster. In good working stock form, likely not very noticeable.
 
There may not be any performance increase. but there is less degradation in wet situations. Your rear discs will dry out and respond better after going through deep water or mud. And for the same reasons as the OP, I prefer rear discs to drums on my vehicles.

I hate dealing with all of the small parts, when discs are the same performance, and less issues in more situations in my opinion. I now have 4 wheel discs, and am much happier for it.

I would rather have eye surgery than deal with rear drum brakes! Trust me, I have done both.
 
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There may not be any performance increase. but there is less degradation in wet situations. Your rear discs will dry out and respond better after going through deep water or mud. And for the same reasons as the OP, I prefer rear discs to drums on my vehicles.

I hate dealing with all of the small parts, when discs are the same performance, and less issues in more situations in my opinion. I now have 4 wheel discs, and am much happier for it.

I would rather have eye surgery than deal with rear drum brakes! Trust me, I have done both.
This entire thread kind of makes me chuckle, as I've never taken issue with working on drum brakes. Now and then, I'll acquire a car that is a general PITA because of rust (I have a Rambler from Jersey, for instance), but generally speaking, drum brakes aren't an issue for me. The mundane and all too frequent oil changes...now that's something I never look forward to. To each their own, I guess.
 
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I honestly didnt think replacing drums/hardware was that bad:nusenuse:

For what little advantages there are with discs on the rear I have no plan of swapping my drums out.
 
I forgot about the disc with drum parking brakes. My wifes 1996 ZJ had them and they had to be the absolute best "emergency" brakes we've ever had. I remember being able to lock those wheels up if the road was just damp and the shoes didn't even need replaced until about 90,000 miles.
 
I honestly didnt think replacing drums/hardware was that bad:nusenuse:

For what little advantages there are with discs on the rear I have no plan of swapping my drums out.

Same here, although as stated above, in NY rear brake jobs mean a complete replacement of everything due to the salt. It was only a two beer job for the TJ. Just need to have a picture of how to insert all the springs correctly.
 
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I forgot about the disc with drum parking brakes. My wifes 1996 ZJ had them and they had to be the absolute best "emergency" brakes we've ever had. I remember being able to lock those wheels up if the road was just damp and the shoes didn't even need replaced until about 90,000 miles.
That parking brake set up is identical in form and function to the ones in the back of the TJ with rear discs, the Ford 8.8 discs, and the same style on the Liberty.
 
That parking brake set up is identical in form and function to the ones in the back of the TJ with rear discs, the Ford 8.8 discs, and the same style on the Liberty.
In your experience, how long do the rear drum parking brakes used with the rear disc setup usually last?
 
I think you are saying that something about the bleeding process caused a pull to one side putting you in another lane? If so, can you tell me what the 69 refers to so I can see what the fluid circuit looks like?

Reason being is no modern vehicle with typical brakes can be caused to pull by any good or bad bleeding method. That isn't how hydraulics work in a brake system.

This was in my 1969 Commando and was my first time learning to work on drum brakes myself. My stepdad and I redid all 4 and bled the system, so I’m sure there were a lot of things we did wrong that contributed to it pulling to a side during a hard brake.

Sadly I don’t have any detailed pictures to share of the braking system, I had to sell it a few years back.
 
In your experience, how long do the rear drum parking brakes used with the rear disc setup usually last?
Keep in mind i am in AZ.
My f150 has 160k miles and i have never replaced the rear shoes. I have replaced the disk and hat rotor. The shoes looked perfect when i replaced the rotor at around 90k
 
I have a really good tire/brake guy that just repaired my rear brake pistons that had started leaking. This thread has made thankful that I paid him to do it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
yeah, drums are not that bad, I just replaced the master cylinder in mine, outside, in the cold (xmas eve to be exact). The part that really sucked is when I tried to get the fitting out of the master cylinder it turned but not on the line, twisted the hardline like a piece of spaghetti, good thing I have a brake line flaring tool.

Here is a tip, when putting the spring shoe retainers on, don't try to turn the spring, put the spring in place, compress it with your fingers and turn the pin, much easier.

And yes I did clean them up :)

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