Need a parking brake?

[blzn74]

On my 74 Blazer I converted the axles to 3/4ton, but I didnt hook up the parking break, the problem Im having is that my truck has a hard time stoping and the rear squeeks like nothing else, I just replaced the front calipers with new pads, I pulled out the axles in the rear to check out the shoes and I have a good 75% shoe left. I get mixed messages on the parking brake system, some people tell me that the parking brake helps adjust the rear brakes while others say you dont need it? Any comments or solutions?

Blzn74

[Power mad]

How come ya didn't hook up the e-brake?
On my 78 the cables hooked right up.
The e-brake does nothing to adjust the brakes, backing up and hitting the brakes will do that.
When I did my swap I had to adjust the brakes through the drum. Mine stops realy well, nice pedal. and I have an e-brake now.
Which is nice since I have a 465 tranny.

[75]

"E-brake no function" is, at least around here in Ontario, pretty much a guaranteed "out-of-service" violation in a roadside safety check. Especially if it wasn't hooked up to begin with.

However, it shoudln't affect the adjustment of your brakes. As PowerMad points out, backing up and applying the brakes is supposed to do that through the self-adjuster mechanism. Those get seized up too (both the parking brake cables and the self adjusters seem to have been designed in a non-road-salt-use part of the country ) and quit working, which may be the case in your situation.

You can try adjusting the rear brakes with a brake spoon, through the slot provided in the backing plate. If that doesn't work, you may be into pulling the drums again and replacing the adjusters. At the same time, throw in new parking brake cables.

[reallyrusty]

are your shoes new? were they good ones? what about the pads?
There are brake shoes/pads being made out of materials today that are not up to the job of stopping your blazer well. Make sure they are good ones.
good luck

[plowking35]

Using the E brake will help keep the rear shoes adjusted. If nothing else, when you change th oil every 3K, readjust manually through the adjustment hole on the bottom of the backer plate.
Dino