At 85K miles, it been trouble-free and a joy to drive. So, I decided to give it a full once-over and do some past-due maintenance.
Brakes and shocks were still functioning nicely, but I don't like waiting until something's worn-out to replace it. Also, I always like to upgrade when I do routine maintenance - makes the task more fun!
I ordered a set of SP Performance zinc-plate slotted rotors for the front and rear, as well as some Hawk HP brake pads and a set of Goodridge braided stainless steel brake lines, and some new Monroe shocks.
The brake pads and rotors weren't in bad shape at all - in fact, they didn't have a lot of wear at all. Regardless, they were coming off.
Pulled the rotor and caliper off - this gave me a chance to inspect and re-pack the wheel bearings (not pictured, because it's hard to take pictures with axle grease on your hands).
Pulled the OEM strut assembly out - It's such a nice change of pace working on a truck, where there's lots of room to get to everything!
New Monroe shocks - Even though the OEM shocks weren't "blown", the ride quality degrades over time, but it's really not noticeable UNTIL you install new units.
Calipers were drained, disassembled, cleaned & degreased in preparation for painting. Then I re-greased them and loaded in the new Hawk pads. Again, the aggressive pad compound isn't necessary, but it's nice to have a little more "bite" and fade resistance when towing a trailer (or blasting down a mountain)!
I cleaned the hub mounting surface with a wire wheel mounted on my drill, cleaned it with degreaser, applied a thin coat of rustproofing, and reinstalled the new slotted rotors and fresh calipers.
Next up, I installed the new braided steel lines. This reduces the "mushy" pedal feel and insures that all pedal travel translates to clamping force (rather than swelling up the soft rubber OEM lines).
Bex gave me a hand bleeding the brakes. We actually flushed the whole system, which doesn't take long and insures that there's no residual moisture or dissolved solids in the fluid - Plus, it's good insurance for your truck's most critical function!
Went out and bedded the brakes per the instructions included with the Hawk pads. Pedal feel was, as expected, firmer and more "direct". Braking performance is much improved, and surprisingly quiet. Definitely a welcome improvement over the stock setup, and should last us for several years of use.
Thanks for checking in, let us know if you have any questions!
