For those that dont know the E brake system is completely separate from the rear pads in this dang truck. It uses shoes inside the hat of the rotor behind the end of the axle. Looks like the rear drum setup form a pinto.
Between the aluminum rims getting welded to the hats of the rotors and the rotors getting fused to the end of the axles it was one suck job!! Oh-ya I then found out that the PO/Dealer (this was a ford executive vehicle) had installed the hardware for the E brake shoes wrong causing it to lock up (why I had to get into them in the first place).
BTW I have air tools, welders, and the blue wrench and it was still a SOB. The ultimate saving grace was to heat things up and then soak them down with WD40. Don't breath the fumes and watch for flare ups. Then go have a coffee. Come back and beat the snot out of it, yell at it and use the biggest pry-bars I had (6' steel rock breaker bars).
The result is my truck is is getting MUCH better millage. I now think that my e brake has been dragging for quire some time. The truck is accelerating better and is not kicking down to pass and accelerate like it use to. I did a quick mileage check and I have gone from 13-14MPG to almost 21 (20.93). Yes about half of that was on the highway but it is a huge improvement. I fueled up took the trip this afternoon and then filled it again at the same pump when I got back.
It was a classic job of if it can be a PITA it was job. Almost 5 hours to do both sides on saturday but after my millage test today and feeling how the truck now drives it was completely worth it!!
