The rear brakes on the K2XX Silverado 1500 are straightforward hardware - one piston, sliding caliper, 15 mm guide pin bolts, 21 mm bracket bolts - but the rotor is a drum-in-hat design with the parking brake shoes hidden inside the hat. That is where most driveway jobs stall out. If the parking brake is still set, or the star adjuster has crept out over 100,000 miles, no amount of hammering will free the rotor cleanly.
Tool sizes are identical whether you have the 4.3 V6, 5.3 L83 or 6.2 L86, and whether it is a 6-lug or 8-lug 1500. The one thing people get wrong is skipping the parking brake shoe inspection and re-adjustment. With the rotor off you have a free look at those shoes, and once the new rotor is on you should set the adjuster so the rotor just spins free, then cycle the lever several times. Skip that and you get either a parking brake that does nothing or a rear rotor that drags and cooks.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2.5 ton minimum, lifts at rear axle tube Raises the rear of the truck to remove the wheels. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair, under axle or frame rails Supports the truck while you work under it. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Blocks the front wheels since the parking brake must be released. | Safety | shop |
| Breaker bar or impact wrench 1/2 in drive Loosens lug nuts and the high-torque caliper bracket bolts. | Required | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm, 1/2 in drive, thin wall or protective sleeve All K2XX Silverado 1500 lug nuts are 22 mm. | Required | shop |
| Socket for caliper guide pin bolts 15 mm 6-point, 3/8 in drive Removes the two caliper guide pin (slide) bolts on the rear caliper. | Required | shop |
| Socket for caliper bracket bolts 21 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the two bracket-to-axle-flange bolts to free the rotor. | Required | shop |
| Socket wrench set 3/8 in drive ratchet plus extensions Driving the caliper and bracket hardware in tight spots. | Required | shop |
| Bungee cord or mechanic's wire Hangs the caliper from the frame so the flex hose is not stressed. | Required | shop |
| Large C-clamp or caliper piston tool 6 in C-clamp or disc brake spreader Pushes the rear piston back into the caliper; these rear pistons push straight in, no twisting. | Required | shop |
| Screwdriver, flat blade Long, 8-10 in Pries pads out of the bracket and backs off the parking brake adjuster through the slot. | Required | shop |
| Brake adjuster spoon Standard drum brake adjusting spoon Reaches the star adjuster inside the rotor hat to retract the parking brake shoes. | Recommended | shop |
| Dead blow or 3 lb hammer Knocks a rust-stuck rotor off the axle flange. | Required | shop |
| Bolts for rotor jack-screw holes M8 x 1.25, about 40 mm long, two Threaded into the holes in the rotor hat to press a seized rotor off evenly. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush Steel, plus small round brush Cleans rust off the hub face and caliper bracket abutment surfaces. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 25-250 ft-lb Sets bracket bolts and lug nuts to spec. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Accurate setting of the 15 mm guide pin bolts. | Recommended | shop |
| Brake cleaner Chlorinated or non-chlorinated aerosol Removes oil film from new rotors and cleans dust from the bracket. | Consumables | shop |
| Silicone brake grease High-temp synthetic caliper lube Lubricates guide pin bores, pad ears and abutment clips. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize compound Nickel or copper based Thin film on the hub face so the next rotor comes off easily. | Consumables | shop |
| Rear brake pads K2XX Silverado 1500 rear set with hardware The wear item being replaced. | Parts | shop |
| Rear rotors Drum-in-hat, 2 required; 6-lug and 8-lug 1500 both use the same rear rotor family, verify by part number Replaced with the pads. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust and cleaner spray. | Safety | shop |
No difference in tool sizes between the 4.3 V6, 5.3 L83 and 6.2 L86 - all 2014-2018 Silverado 1500 rear brakes use 22 mm lug nuts, 15 mm caliper guide pin bolts and 21 mm bracket bolts. Rotor diameter and part number do vary by axle and brake package (6-lug vs 8-lug, max trailering), so order rotors by VIN. Silverado 2500/3500 HD trucks use larger hardware and are not covered here.
| Wheel lug nuts | 140 Nm (103 ft-lb) |
| Rear caliper guide pin (slide) bolts | 31-37 Nm (23-27 ft-lb) - verify in the service manual |
| Rear caliper bracket-to-axle bolts | about 155 Nm (115 ft-lb) - verify in the service manual |
| Brake hose fitting at caliper (if disturbed) | verify in the service manual |
Lug nuts are 22 mm and the rear caliper uses 15 mm guide pin bolts with 21 mm bracket bolts across all 2014-2018 Silverado 1500 engines; the caliper and bracket torque figures should be confirmed against a GM service manual for your exact year before final tightening.
Almost always one of two things: the parking brake is still applied, or the shoes inside the rotor hat have worn a ridge in the drum surface and the star adjuster needs backing off. Release the parking brake, reach the adjuster through the slot in the hat or a lug hole with a screwdriver, retract the shoes, then tap the hat with a dead blow hammer.
No. The 2014-2018 Silverado 1500 rear caliper piston compresses straight in with a C-clamp or spreader because the parking brake is a separate drum-in-hat system, not a screw-in piston.
The two caliper guide pin bolts are 15 mm and the two caliper bracket bolts that hold the bracket to the axle flange are 21 mm. Lug nuts are 22 mm.
Inspect them every time the rotor is off. They rarely wear from use but they do get contaminated or rust-delaminated, and replacing them requires pulling the rotor again, so if the linings look thin or oily do it while you are already in there.