This section will guide you through removing the brake rotor. If your rotor surface is
no longer smooth, or your rotors are warped, you need to have them 'turned' (which means machining them). If
you step on the brake lightly and it caused a lot of vibration through your steering wheel, or if your vehicle
seems to lurch over and over as you come to a stop it is probably caused by warped rotors. Any brake shop can
turn the rotors for you. Just take them off your vehicle and carry them into the shop. My local shop charges
me $15/ea to turn the rotors, and usually has them ready for me to pick up in one hour.
If your truck is IFS or an early solid axle (1979-1980) removing and replacing rotors is an
easy task. Remove the 6-14mm bolts from the back side of the wheel hub, and pull the rotor off of the wheel
hub. Replacing the rotor is just as easy, but be sure to clean any debris off the wheel hub first, so that you
are sure the rotor is sitting flush on the wheel hub.
Pound out the wheel studs
If you have a later solid axle truck (made 'till 1985) you must remove the studs from the wheel
hub to remove the rotor. To prevent damage to the threads, use a brass bar and pound the studs out. If you have access
to a shop press, this job is especially easy with a press. Once the 6 wheel studs are removed, remove the 2-14mm bolts
and pull the rotor off of the wheel hub. Once the rotor has been machined, installation is straight forward, but be
sure to clean the wheel hub to be sure the rotor sits flush against the hub.
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