I'm going to buy some Duralast Gold pads for my truck. Thanks to a recommendation from a few on this site. AutoZone has the fronts for $41.99 and the rears for $29.99. They have a limited-lifetime warranty. Has anyone around here installed these pads on their truck? If yes, how do you like them?

 

ttt

 

ttta

 

The guys on the crown vic site love them.

 

I just went and bought them. They look cool with the polished stainless steel "Duralast Gold" plate rivited on them. Very nice. Can't wait to tackle that one. I'm changing coolant right now. And I broke the petcoch drain valve off with a socket. lol. That's my luck I guess.

 

Always something unexpected. Let us know what you think of the pads on your truck.

 

Will do!

 

Here's a few pics of the pads. I think they look pretty cool.

Check out the polished stainless steel nameplates.

 

I have a question. On the boxes the brakes came in, it doesn't say which ones are front and rear. I'm guessing the larger ones go up front since the fronts do most of the stopping. Right? I haven't had my wheels off enough to notice. I'm gonna wait until next Saturday to change them. Would you guys recommend a few tips to help things go as smooth as possible? I'd appreciate it alot. I've had hell with the coolant change because of the broken drain plug. But I got it finished today. And all is good. One project per weekend is enough for me. lol.

 

Brakes seem pretty staight forward but like most things the devil is in the details.
Do you have 4 wheel ABs Or RABS? My main brake guy advised me to open the bleeder when reseating the caliper piston. The tolerances on the ABS units are very precise. I would heed his advice or at the very least trake a very slow approach at reseating. At least 60 seconds or more.
Be sure that all sliding surfaces are clean, free of nicks and burs, and lubricated with a high temp grease. pay close attention to the pins. Silicone grease is a good choice for anything coming in contact with rubber as it will not break down the rubber as will petroleum based products do.
Lastly be sure to correctly torque the lug nuts.

Ah sping when a young man's fancy turns to his garage.

 

I've got 4-wheel ABS disks. So, basically what you said was when I go to push the caliper pistons back in, do it very slowly? I think just taking the cap off the master cylinder would do the same thing as opening the bleeder wouldn't it? Oh, the auto parts store gave me some free packets of some silicone grease called "SIL-GLYDE" Brake Lubricant to put on the backs of the pads, caliper slides, and pins. Will spraying brake cleaner on and around the caliper piston(s) hurt them? I think there's two pistons up front, one in the rear.?. That's the only way I see to clean them besides using high pressure air, or a rag? Thanks for all the help peppermrj.

 

Yes do it very slowly. The reason for opening the bleeder is 2 fold.
1st It is to prevent backflushing dirty fluid into the other components (ABS unit, prop valve, and master cylinder).
2nd it is to prevent back pressure buildup. To much can cause potential damage to the ABS unit tolerances I mentioned earlier. Going very slowly allows the fluid to pass with out building up too much pressure. You will need to remove some fluid from the master if it has been topped off since the last brake change.

Since we are on the subject some manufacturers claim that the boiling point of their fluid goes down by half every year. They recommend changing it regularly.

Dual pistons up front hence the larger pads. The silicone grease is good stuff. Don't use shop air around brakes as the dust is very hazardous! Brake kleen is fine.

 

peppermrj,

Thanks for your help. I can't thank you enough for the valuable info you've given me. Not everybody takes the time to help out a total stranger. It's people like you (and alot of others here too), that make the world a better place. Thanks again. God I love this site!

 

After you get the new pads installed all around, I'd recommend getting a bottle of DOT3 brake fluid and flushing the lines. Bleed them until all the fluid is changed and you have clean fluid coming out at each wheel.

Disc brakes are easy. Just be glad you don't have to deal with drum brakes with 4 tiny springs and various other loose pieces parts that all need to fit like a jigsaw puzzle.

 

Thanks Rocky. I'll do that. I've done one set of drums before on my 83 f150. I can't remember how hard it was though. That was like in 1994.