GM 3500 dually---drum brakes rear---braking improvements

[john kunsak]

i'd never consider any brand truck exc. GM,but that 88-2000 C-K truck is terrible if you haul a heavy load or trailer. gm should be ashamed of itself for replacing the terrific 74-91 dually crew cab with them! i have a lot of people with the 88-2000 trucks that want better brakes but invariably choke on the price to do it! the 12k gvwr k3500 brakes are exactly the same as the c3500.-13x3.5 front rotor dia.& thick. -same.the increase in gvwr is on paper only! the largest gvwr on that year range truck as a pickup is 10k 2 or 4wd. k3500 4wd c&chassis 12k.c3500 c&c may be 11k,but still all are same brakes. bypassing abs module may help some .also check r whl cyl. diameter. 91& back had 1-3/16 dia. yours may have 1-1/8 or 1-1/16. these were made smaller on some of the mid 80's trucks on up because of rear whl. lockup on slippery.roads & they definitely cut back on braking power.the15k gvwr referred to is only on 91 up hd3500 models . they have rear discs.with a running change in 94 to huge r. discs.the wheels are 10 bolt 19.5 are all that available. the real problem is the small front caliper &pad. you would find much improvement w/ 2001-2006 dually pickup rear axle w/discs. or maybe some a-mkt co.is making a kit heavy enough for this app. now.from personal experience, my own haulers--1979 c30 straight truck w/olenyk 22' enclosed body made from a dually pickup was under-braked . we removed every piece of the suspension down to the frame rails& replaced it w/17k p30mhc pieces with the same rear discs as the hd 3500 . WHAT A N IMPROVEMENT!!!! that being said,the most economic thing to do is sell that truck,&buy a 2001-2007 1st.design w/ 8.1 .a real truck!!!!2x the truck you have now!! e-mail jak502@consolidated.net