Brake shoe anchor thickness

[moasew]

Hi:

In cleaning and inspecting my AR brake shoes I notice there is considerable wear on the anchor points (top and bottom) of the shoes.Does anyone know the proper thickness of these anchor points and how to repair them?
I was thinking of getting someone to build them up and then regrind to the correct thickness but open to other ideas.

Wilfred

 

[Kevin in NJ]

It is more complex.

You need flat areas. But the ultimate goal is lots of new parts with shoes that fit the arch of the drums. Then the shoes have to be centered to the drums.

This is where the flats come into play. They move the shoes and affect the center. So they must be in the right place that the locating rivet and the flats put the shoes in the right place.

So the real answer is you need build the brakes as a system that is properly setup almost to .001" tolerances.

Yes you can build up the weld and make the flats. You can also buy new plates and rivet them in place. Generally it is best to have someone with special tools and experience do the job unless you really want to learn.

 

[moasew]

It turns out the wear isn't wear at all but someone decades ago had filed down the anchor points to get to the appropriate thickness.
Once I cleaned up all the parts and double checked the parts that fit onto the anchor points everything actually fit fairly snugly. So I just need to paint the shoes and revit some new shoes on.
I am trying to take as much slop out of the braking system as I can so I get the best out of my brakes.