How to Repair the Brakes on a 1970 Chevy C10

The 1970 Chevy C10 trucks come equipped with disc brake pads on the front wheel hubs and brake shoes on the rear wheel hubs. Chevrolet did not install the four-wheel brake pad system on C-10 trucks until 1972. The brake pads are designed to stop the truck by applying friction to the sides of the brake rotors. The brake shoes stop the truck by applying friction to the inside of the brake drums. Change the brake pads or the brake shoes before the brake pad thickness is less than 1/8-inch.

Instructions

Replace the Front Brake Pads

1

Park your 1970 Chevy C10 on a level surface and engage the parking brake.

2

Loosen the lug nuts on all four wheels about one-quarter of a turn with a tire iron or lug wrench.

3

Jack the front end of the Chevy C10 up and place jack stands under the front jacking points. Lower the truck onto the jack stands. Move the jack to the rear of the truck and jack the rear end up. Place the other jack stands under the rear jacking points. Lower the truck onto the jack stands and leave the jack in place.

4

Remove the lug nuts from all four wheels. Place the wheels aside for later reassembly. Begin the brake pad replacement process on the front wheel on the driver's side.

5

Loosen and remove the two slide bolts from the back of the brake caliper with a ratchet and a metric socket. Slide a flat-head screwdriver between the brake rotor and the outboard brake pad. The outboard brake pad is on the back of the brake rotor. Pry the brake pad back and forth until there is enough slack in the caliper to remove it from the rotor. Pull the caliper off of the rotor and hang it on one of the suspension components behind the wheel hub assembly with a bungee cord.

6

Pull the inboard brake pad out of the inside of the caliper. The inboard brake pad is the pad that is opposite the caliper piston. Slide the C-clamp around the back of the caliper and around the front of the outboard brake pad. Slowly compress the brake pad against the caliper piston with the C-clamp until the piston is fully retracted inside of the caliper. Remove the C-clamp and the outer brake pad from the caliper. Insert the two new brake pads into the caliper.

7

Inspect the brake rotor for damage. The brake rotor is the round component that the brake caliper is mounted on. Inspect the rotor for excessive grooving and cracking. Replace the rotor if the damage is excessive; if the damage is minimal, have the rotor machine-turned. If the rotor is undamaged, no action is necessary.

Remove the bungee cord from the caliper and slide the caliper over the rotor. Screw the two slide bolts back into the rear of the caliper. Tighten the bolts down securely with the ratchet and socket. Torque the slide bolts with a torque wrench and a metric socket to 25 foot-pounds.

8

Slide the wheel onto the hub and screw the lug nuts on tight. Move to the front wheel on the passenger side and repeat the steps outlined above to replace the brake pads.

Replace the Rear Brake Shoes

9

Move to the rear wheel hub on the driver's side and pull the brake drum off the brake shoes with your hands. If the drum is stuck, use a hand-held sledgehammer to tap the back of the drum until it is loose enough to remove from the brake shoes. Pull the drum off and put it aside.

10

Remove all of the springs from the inner and outer brake shoes with a brake-spring removal tool. There are two brake shoe return springs on the top of the brake shoes and one brake shoe hold-down spring near the bottom of the brake shoes. Slide the removal tool over the springs and twist counterclockwise to remove the springs. Pull the brake shoes apart and pull the shoes free from the wheel hub. Place the old shoes aside. Tap the spring retainer clips out of each brake shoe with the hand-held sledgehammer.

11

Install all of the new brake shoe accessories provided in the new brake shoe kit to the new brake shoes. Position the brake shoes back onto the wheel hub. Re-clip all of the springs with the brake-spring removal tool. Make sure that the top of each brake shoe is against the top edges of the wheel cylinder. Inspect the brake drum for any damage such as cracks or breaks. Slide the brake drum over the new brake shoes. If the drum will not go over the new brake shoes, adjust the brake shoes to retract by using the brake shoe adjuster. Use a flat-head screwdriver to turn the gears on the brake adjuster counterclockwise until the brake shoes are retracted enough for the drum to fit over the new brake shoes. Slide the drum in place over the brake shoes.

12

Slide the wheel over the drum and screw the lug nuts on tightly. Move to the rear wheel hub on the passenger side and repeat the same process as outlined in this section to replace the brake shoes.

13

Jack the rear of the truck up and remove the jack stands. Lower the truck to the surface and remove the jack. Push the jack under the front end of the truck and lift the truck to facilitate removal of the jack stands. Lower the truck to the ground. Start the engine. Crank the engine and push the brake pedal in and out repeatedly to position the front brake pads to the proper spacing on each brake rotor. Test drive the C-10 in a safe area to check the operation of the new brake pads and new brake shoes.