All posts by Dennis

Stickshifts and Safetybelts

Stuck in the sand in the San Rafael DesertI’m finally getting around to replacing the rear brakes on my truck. About two months ago I found out something was wrong with them, and today I bought some new rear brake shoes. I’m only about 95% sure that the rear shoes are worn out–the fact that the parking brake doesn’t work well anymore is my biggest clue. I spent about $85 on new brakes and a repair manual. Owning a ’97 F-250 is a pain in the ass sometimes, because Ford made two different F-250s in ’97–a light-duty and a heavy-duty. I own the heavy-duty (over 8,500 GVW), but some parts stores don’t make that distinction. On more than one occasion I’ve gotten the wrong part because of this problem. I think I’ve got the right brake parts, but I won’t know for sure until I tear things apart tomorrow.