Rear Brake Interchangability

[vandude]

I have a 77 B200 with a puny 8 3/8 rear which has 11X2.5" drum brakes.

I also have a complete 8 3/4 rear (also with 11X2.5 drum brakes) from a junkyard 74 B200 which I want to swap into my van.

The 8 3/8 rear has fresh brakes (new drums, shoes, cylinders, hardware) but the 8 3/4 has awful-looking brakes.

My question is, can I swap the complete brake assembly from the 8 3/38 rear onto the 8 3/4?

[hurricane2]

I'm planning on using the brakes from my 8 3/8 on my 8 3/4.

[vandude]

Thanks, Wayne. I guess I'll have to let you know if there are any problems with the swap.

(Although you'll probably do yours first)

[Dodgevanman]

Your wheel cyls. and brake shoes should work on the 8.75" rear.

To give you a good example...I swapped in 11 x 2.5" brakes onto my '69 Dodge Xplorer RV from a '69 Chrys. New Yorker..backing plates and all. The New Yorker and Xplorer both have 8.75" rears. Get this, the part nos. on the wheel cyls, shoes, and hardware are the same on my '94 B250 as they were for the Xplorer/New Yorker swap.

[vandude]

Nate, I wondered about this swap because each rear end used different part numbers for brake shoes.

[Dodgevanman]

What part nos. did you come up with? I got p/n 446 for the rear shoes (11x2.5) for a 77 and a 74 B200.

[vandude]

Raybestos number PG446 for 1977

Raybestos number PG335 for 1973

I screwed-up & listed wrong year (74) on original post.

[Dodgevanman]

The difference between those brake shoes is the way the emergency brake bar mounts on the trailing shoe. Some use a slot and the other have a hole...but the shoes themselves mount the same (same hardware).