How to Install the Rear Brakes on a 2003 Ford Truck

The rear brakes on a 2003 model Ford truck depend on the exact type of truck. Full-size trucks like the F150 will have drum brakes and shoes exclusively on the rear wheels, while super-duty trucks like the F250 will have brake calipers and pads in addition to the drum brakes. Installing new brake pads or shoes can be a difficult job, but brake shoes are especially hard because of the multiple springs used on the brake assembly.

Instructions

Accessing the Brakes

1

Raise the rear end of the truck and support it on jack stands, then remove both rear wheels using the tire iron. Block the front wheels with wheel chocks and release the parking brake.

2

Clean the entire brake assembly with aerosol brake cleaner. Catch any residue from the brake cleaner with a drip pan or tray placed under the assembly.

3

Remove the brake caliper from the discs if you are working on a truck with disc brakes on the rear wheels--remove the caliper mounting bolts with a flare nut wrench.

Brake Pads

4

Squeeze and remove the V-springs holding the brake pads in place within the caliper mounting bracket.

5

Pull the old brake pads out of the mounting bracket, beginning with the outer pad.

6

Apply an anti-squeal compound to the backing plates of the replacement brake pads, then install the pads into the mounting bracket, beginning with the outer pad. Install the V-springs onto the mounting bracket.

7

Pull the slide pins out of the caliper, lubricate them with high-temperature grease and install them back within the caliper.

8

Connect the brake caliper back onto the disc and secure it with the guide pin bolts.

9

Reconnect both of the rear wheels and lower the truck after changing the brake pads on both wheels.

Brake Shoes

10

Remove the brake disc or the brake drum--whichever the truck is equipped with. Unbolt the caliper's mounting bracket from the disc first with the wrench. The drum or disc should then slip off the wheel studs.

11

Disconnect the upper and lower springs from the brake shoes using pliers, then disconnect the cables and lever connecting the brake assembly to the parking brake.

12

Remove the old brake shoes--remove their hold-down springs with pliers. Remove each shoe individually on a full-size truck; for a super-duty, spread the shoes apart and lift them off the actuator, then disconnect the final retractor spring holding them together.

13

Disconnect the parking brake lever from the rear shoe--pry off its clip with a screwdriver or pliers. Install the lever on the replacement shoe and clamp the new retaining clip in place on the pin with the pliers.

14

Lubricate the brake assembly's backing plate with high-temperature grease on the spots where the brake shoes come in contact with the backing plate.

15

Connect the new brake shoes to the backing plate--either one at a time for a full-size or with them connected by the retractor spring for a super-duty. Connect the hold-down springs with the pliers.

16

Connect the parking brake cables and the upper and lower springs to the brake shoes by stretching them with the pliers and hooking them into the holes they connected to on the old shoes.

17

Slip the brake drum or brake disc back onto the wheel studs and connect the brake caliper to the disc if needed with its guide pin bolts.

18

Connect the wheels back onto the truck and lower it off the jack stands.