Upgrading brake on a 96 Dodge 2500 to 3500

I figured the light would come on for a test and it does go out after a few seconds. Thank you for your advice.

FYI, I done more research today on the difference of the two pickup's brake system.

Here is what I found for my 2500 and it is not a 2500HD

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1997/05-04-97.htm

And here is what I have found for on a message board to up grade the rear brake cylinders.

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen-ram-tech/64002-2500-and-3500-owners-brake-upgrade-info.html

My rear brake shoes are 2.5" wide where a 3500 shoes are 3.5 wide, both are the same diameter. When I checked at Auto Zone the front pads are the same size but the 2500 pads are tapered on the ends where the 3500 pads are not or totally flat/even from end to end. The calipers on the front are the same part number for both the 2500 and 3500. The booster is the same for both but the master cylinder is a different part number.

I know I need new master cylinder and I did get one today but haven't installed it yet. I am thinking of installing the GM cylinders (dodgeforum) on the rear and the up grade of the 3500 front pads for two reasons. I am at 6200 lbs with me just in the pickup and 75% of 8800 lbs is 6600 lbs. My pickup GVWR is 8800 Lbs. So if I add any weight to the pickup such as hauling or towing I am well over the 75%. Before we took our last trip I have installed 2 sets of front brake pads when the pickup had 67k miles on it and the rear shoes are hardly warn. I might go ahead and replace the rear shoes while I am at it because of glazing even if they aren't glazed to a higher quality brake material. Now I have to determine if I want to install the 3500 master cylinder. But if the 2500 master cylinder worked fine for the person in the dodge forum, but I don't like the idea of the rears locking up while not loaded. Both master cylinders are the same bore but there must be some difference in the piston. Then I am thinking with the more pad area of the 3500 on the front that might help keep the rears from locking up before the fronts lockup. So I might just go with the larger dodge rear cylinders as recommended in the dodge TBS. That TBS came up on one of my searches.

If I was to put the 3500 shoes on the rear I would need a brake backing plate and drums for a non-dually, and I yet to find a non-dually rear setup.

Another thought is to install the new master cylinder and put the larger dodge rear cylinders with new shoes on the rear and see how that goes. Discussion, discussions......

This last thought might be best for a starting point and then if that isn't good enough install the 3500 pad on the front and then maybe the a 3500 master cylinder. I just don't know how that 3500 master cylinder would work for the better or worse. It could take away some braking power from the rears due to the wider lining on the 3500 shoes. Maybe more research is need on the 3500 master cylinder.

I install a new master cylinder and the 3500 cylinders new brake linings on the rear. Now at 10 mph or less I can lock up the rears first but at hwy speed and the same peddle pressure the rears don't lockup or don't try to. I do have a lot more stopping power so some day I might install the 3500 front pads. I checked out the 3500 rear drums and they won't work because they are all for a dually and way too deep for my axle to the backing plate. So just guessing the 3500 non-daully uses the same drums that I have but with the bigger rear cylinders.

I made a 140 mile trip in the pickup today to Kansas City. When I got inside the city I had a lot of stop and go, that must have seated in the rear brake shoes. On the way home I got chatter with a little wheel hop and the ABS kicking in. When I got home the rear drum were smoking, I kept checking to see of the chatter would go away but not doing hard braking. Let them cool down and checked to see if I had the shoes adjusted too tight and they weren't. Pulled the drums off and everything was fine inside but there was more brake dust than I would have expected. So off to the parts store to get the 2500 rear brake cylinders and got them installed. On the test drive I still had some chatter at first with somewhat hard brake but I kept at it and finely things smoothed out at 50 mph, but if I went over a bump the rear tires would bark. They never did that before. I kept the 3500 rear cylinders encase I want to checkout how it would do with the trailer. It sure doesn't take much peddle for hard braking now, nothing like it use to be. The brakes weren't this touchy when I bought the pickup with just 26k miles on it. There must be and better brake material now that what it have new. Some day I may try the 3500 pads on the front just to see how that works out. I want to take the trailer out first and see how a hard stop is before I do anything else. If the rears lockup first I may have to go to the 3500 pads on the front.

That gentleman on dodge forums must have real touchy rears with those bigger GM cylinders. There is no way you would want to drive around empty with that much rear brake. Might be alright if you are loaded heavy all the time. There could be a difference with the factory master cylinder and the after market one and brake linings too.

I did go 1/16" bigger as with the service bullention and it was too much even with my pickup weighting over 6200 lbs. The 75% of 8800 GW is 6600 so I was somewhere under 350 lbs to use that larger cylinder. My front pads were wearing much faster than the rears. I had changed the front twice and the rears still look to be almost full thickness as to the new shoes I put on. As I said I have a lot more brake and firmer peddle now even when I bought the pickup with 26k miles on it in 02. You wouldn't think that the master cylinder would have went bad within those many miles. When I bought the pickup it needed front pads and the rears at that time looked really good. The person that I bought it off of pulled a 5th wheel travel trailer also but it was a smaller trailer than mine and weight less also. The first time I changed the front pads I bought good grade pads but this last time I bought the best I could get for heat build up. They are not to fade as bad as lesser pads plus I am using DOT 4 brake fluid that has a higher boiling point. I have totally flushed the brake lines twice sense I bought the pickup.

Getting those rear drums off was a neat trick the gentleman spoke about by putting one lug nut mostly all the way on without the wheel and using the engine to turn the drums and then hitting the brakes hard. It broke them loose every time.

Thank you again with your advice, it has been very helpful in figuring out what I need and and pushing me to do more research.