The ability to stop a vehicle that is moving at a high speed is not something that should be compromised. For this reason, it's important to change the brake pads in your 1965 F350 if they begin to show serious signs of wear and tear. When the brakes become less responsive or if you begin to hear squeaking noises every time your vehicle brakes, there's a good chance that it's time to change the pads.
Instructions
- 1
Slide the floor jack underneath the vehicle to jack one side up. Engage it and lift the vehicle off the ground, so that you can work on the brakes.
2Set jack stands in place on each side of the car so that the vehicle is sturdy in case the jack malfunctions or is accidentally kicked away. It's very dangerous to rely on the jack alone. Use the jack stands for your own safety and for the safety of the vehicle.
3Loosen and remove the lug nuts on the tire, using the tire wrench. Set the nuts aside, as you'll need them later. Pull the wheel off the vehicle -- this allows you to operate on the brakes.
4Take note of the assembly of the brake: You'll notice two brake pads attached to the brake itself by a rectangular mechanism. This mechanism is the caliper. It's connected with some bolts. Use your other wrench to loosen and remove these bolts. Set the bolts aside and gently slide the caliper away from the brake, so that you can look inside of it to inspect the brake pads.
5Check the degree of wear on the pads. A surefire way to find out if the pads are worn down is to check if the screws are exposed. The pads are held in place by a bolt. You'll need to remove this bolt to take the brake pads off and replace them with new ones.
6Unscrew the bolt and set it aside with the other components. Be sure to separate the bolts you place aside, or that you can clearly tell the difference between them. Remove the brake pads.
7Install the new brake pads by bolting them to the caliper in the reverse order in which you disassembled the old pads.
8Slide the caliper back onto the brake and re-assemble the bolts. Place the wheel back into the wheel well and tighten it in back into place by re-assembling the lug nuts.
9Remove the jack stands and carefully lower your car back to the ground. Clean your work area.