Everyone knows the “nails on a chalk board” sound of a pair of brake pad sensors dragging on the rotor when it is time to chuck those old pads in the trash and purchase a set of new ones. Even worse than this sound is the sound of crinkling metal and busted glass when an accident takes place due to brake failure. The worst part about a situation like this is knowing that there is something that could have been done about it. The staff at StreetTrucks cannot count how many times we have seen heavy duty trucks from the big three lifted to the moon and pushing 40-inch-plus tires, while relying on stock brake systems to bring their truck and often an extra long and extra heavy trailer to a halt. Stock brake systems are designed and engineered to slow factory wheel and tire combinations, which are usually no more than 29-31 inches tall. Adding a larger wheel and wrapping it with a tire over 10 inches taller is going to add more rotating mass, and as the outside diameter of the wheel and tire combination gets further and further away from the hub, the stock brake system has to work harder to slow the wheel and tire package and the truck down. Add a boat or enclosed trailer with a dune buggy in it behind the truck and game over.
Fortunately for those of you out there who fancy larger wheels and tires Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC) has a solution for the ‘99-06 2500 HD and ’01-06 1500 HD and 3500 HD pickups that will eliminate these stopping woes and put your daily driver/tow vehicle in a much safer position on the highway. The new system from SSBC is called the Quick Change Kit and the beauty of it is that it will fit in the stock wheel should your budget require saving up for those aftermarket 20s and 40-inch tires. Recently we had an opportunity to install an SSBC Quick Change Kit on a 2500 HD pickup over at IMZZ Industries in La Habra, California, and we were impressed with the results. Follow along as we make this sky-scraping HD into a safer vehicle for driving and towing. 

Sources

Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC)
Dept. STTR
11470 Main Rd.
Clarence, NY 14031
800.448.7722
www.ssbrakes.com

IMZZ Industries
Dept. STTR
1721 E. Lambert Rd. Unit D
La Habra, CA 90631
562.905.0072
www.imzzindustries.com

The SSBC Quick Change HD Kit fits ’99-06 2500 HD pickups and ’01-06 1500 HD and 3500 HD pickups. The system is designed to fit inside the stock wheel and utilizes a performance three–piston caliper up front loaded with three 51mm pistons and Hawk Performance street pads. Up front the system is designed to bolt to the stock spindle and caliper bracket. The caliper is available in red, black, blue, yellow, orange, or silver and the rotors are slotted and vented for better cooling and pad surface cleaning. The rotor is plated to prevent corrosion.	The rear SSBC system for the HD consists of a replacement rotor and Hawk Performance replacement brake pads. The rear system also fits into a stock wheel configuration.	The stock system was unattractive next to all of the powder coated and chromed components under this truck, and it was also under-powered behind a 20-inch wheel and 43-inch tall tire.
		The factory caliper and mounting bracket were unbolted and removed to make way for the SSBC components.
Next, the brake line was unhooked from the caliper and a brake line clamp was attached to the line to prevent fluid from escaping.	Once the caliper was removed the rotor was removed and pitched in the dumpster to make way for the SSBC rotor.	The new SSBC plated, slotted and vented rotor is slid onto the studs, and we are ready for the OEM caliper bracket and SSBC three-piston caliper.
The caliper body is separated from the caliper bracket because the caliper bracket will be reused to mount the new SSBC caliper. This helps keep the cost of the kit down because the caliper is engineered to mount up to the factory bracket.	Next, the caliper bracket was cleaned and bolted to the spindle to provide a mounting surface for the SSBC caliper.	The Hawk Performance replacement pads are installed into the caliper bracket. On Chevy trucks the pads load into the caliper bracket as opposed to the caliper itself.