Try replacing the cables - about $25 ea. at Advance; probably similarly priced at other stores. That and a new tensioner (the doo-dad between the pedal cable and the equalizer under your footwell outboard of the frame) will probably fix the E-brake function.

If the rear autoadjusters aren't turning, pull them apart, clean them thoroughly, and grease them with high-temp lithium grease.

Glaze on the drums is most often caused by gear oil from leaking axle seals or brake fluid from leaking wheel cylinders. Also, make sure everything (esp. the drum) is rinsed thoroughly with "brake parts cleaner" immediately before installing the drum.

Converting to disks is undoubtedly a good thing, but expensive. Stainless Steel Brakes, TSM, and maybe Warn offer kits, but they're specific to rear axle. Is yours a 9" or an 8.8"? They're typically in the $250-500 range and rarely include ALL the parts necessary. (Like calipers and disks!)

I was looking for links to add and found this:
"The Streetrod Manufacturing Company, Inc. (TSM Inc.) has been producing bolt-on front and rear disk brake kits for Ford, Chevy, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Jeep and even Jag cars and off road vehicles for the past several years. TSM is a small two man shop started by mechanical engineer, Cliff Jones, as the result of his experience building and racing streetrods and 4WD trucks. The fact that the shop is small but with a very well equipped machine shop says a lot about the quality. This is not a production line situation."

Steve 83 Bronco 4.9L

Build it; Don't buy it...

 

What will the new tensioner do? and is it the doo-dad that connects the three cables together. I have replaced the cables and the star adjusters are fine. Dean

 

Re: Tensioner

It's a solid aluminum or soft steel hook between the pedal cable and the equalizer. (Haynes shows how to determine its condition.) The brake cables are attached to the equalizer which has a threaded adjusting rod in the middle. If you overtighten the adjuster and stomp the pedal too hard, the tensioner slides thru its housing around a peg to relieve the tension and prevent you from breaking the cables. Over time, it will reach its limit and the cables will stretch, preventing the brakes from engaging.

More often, the rear cable housings will be kinked, overheated, or loaded with sand (from driving in deep water - wait; no one does that/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif) causing the plastic coating on the cable to drag on the plastic lining of the housing. The cables will stay in the "park" (pulled) position, and you will not have any function from them.

If your cables are new, I think your problem lies in the tensioner, equalizer adjuster, wheel cylinders, or brake hoses. I forgot to mention them earlier, but they can degrade and collapse internally causing the brakes to be under-active. How old is the rear one from the frame (in front of the gas tank) to the rear axle?

Steve 83 Bronco 4.9L

Build it; Don't buy it...

 

Re: Tensioner

I have thought about the collapse issue. The lines are all stock so they are 17 years old. I know that when this all began I streched the e-brake cables real bad. Its a long story but I tore the rear brakes off. I was moving a trailer that had been sitting in the dirt a while. I thought it was stuck so I used 4 low. As it turns out I had set the e-brake and thats how I tore the brakes off the brakes worked real good then. I have had trouble ever since. Thanks I will look at it again. Dean

 

Good grief, Charlie Brown!

Ripped 'em off, huh? That would have been interesting to know in your first post./wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif That raises the issue of the backing plates being warped and jamming the shoes - or holding the wheel cylinders out of parallel, doing the same thing. Did you replace the hold-down rods? The auto-adjusting pawl? The auto-adjusters? The return springs? The park brake strut? Any or all of these could have been damaged by that maneuver. I recently replaced all 3 rubber lines, and they're not cheap. But at 17 years, I think it's time to retire them.

Steve 83 Bronco 4.9L

Build it; Don't buy it...

 

Re: Good grief, Charlie Brown!

Sounds like your rears are about as effective as mine. My adjustor pawl doesn't even touch the star wheels, so about 5 minutes after I tighten up my brakes they are loose and worthless again. I need to fix that soon because these 35's are taxing the front brakes. I scared the crap out of this woman yesterday because the roads were wet and I was about stopped and my front right tire hit a man hole cover and locked up. It made some loud barking and she stared at me in fear in her rear view. I'd like to do discs but the kits are still too damn expensive and involved. If I can just figure out why my drum stuff doesn't line up I'll be set.

It's a Jeep thing? My Bronco thing will run over your little Jeep thing.

Muddybronco

 

Re: Bent Pawl

Why don't you just bend it back so it engages the autoadjuster, or buy some new ones - I think you can get them in the HELP! section of your parts store for maybe $4 ea.

Steve 83 Bronco 4.9L

Build it; Don't buy it...