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Old 01-14-2017, 09:42 AM   #15
1project2many
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Lakes Region NH
Posts: 3,158
Re: S10 blazer rear disc brakes on gm 10 bolt axle?

Quote:
I'm going with idea that 4 wheel disks are safer.
Please go with the idea that properly sized and set up brakes are safer instead of just switching to disc "just because." Too much brake is as dangerous as too little, especially if it's in the wrong end of the truck or it comes in at the wrong time during a stop.

GM is notorious for opting for "just enough" brakes. Early '80s diesel Mercedes have larger brakes, better balanced and better performing, than those of a mid-90s fourth gen F car. An early '90s 4X4 Toyota compact pickup has a better brake balance and more effective area than the S10 even though both vehicles were rated for similar GVW. The brakes used on S-10s until 98 or so, after GM paid for help building braking systems, was based around a system designed for 2600lb Monte Carlo and Malibu's of the late '70s. A '96 Blazer can weigh between 3,000lbs and 4000lbs yet the brakes weren't any larger than the original S10 version. We would have been better off if GM used brakes from a 1/2 ton pickup or a '90s B body wagon with towing package.

Generally GM uses roughly the same rectangular bolt pattern on the rear axle at the backing plate for many of their light truck and passenger car axles. G body axles used a different flange with an interesting triangle design with the wheel cylinder comprising the upper attaching point and two smaller bolts below axle centerline. I believe the Australian F-car axles also use a different bolt pattern as well. I have seen S-10 disc brakes transferred to F and G car axles with a minimum amount of work. Generally the park brake cables are the biggest challenge after working out the correct parts to align the rotor with the caliper.

I shy away from any of the rear disc setups with park brake shoes. It's a service technician thing. In this part of the country, when it comes time to service the brakes, the park brakes are almost always inoperative, they usually require shoes and hardware to be replaced, and they often can't be "backed off" so the rotors can be removed. I'm sure that most areas do not experience the same additional work and cost considerations as we in the rust belt. But I do tend to keep a list of vehicles with the park brake integral to the caliper.

Last edited by 1project2many; 01-14-2017 at 09:53 AM.
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