Installing rear brake drums

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nosoup4u

Senior Member
Is it always super hard to get them on? The shoes on the cam side are against the rollers and the adjusting cone is all the way in. Are my cheap eBay brake shoes too big?
 
Nosoup4u, in short that means they measure your drums and basically grind your shoes to fit the same diameter ( or arc )
 
You should also make sure the e-brake band lining is not in the way. It too comes into play.
 
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Please buy some "How To" books if you don't have them. Repairing these brakes is not difficult but there are some things that must be absolutely correct. They are not to be taken lightly and there are no shortcuts. Brakes and steering are two areas that if not repaired properly can cause catastrophic results. Done properly they can work as well as they did when new.
 
The government decided that breathing the dust from arcing the brake shoes was bad for our health (and in this case they were probably right). They required the machines to be retrofitted with enclosures, fans and filters. This proved expensive and since most cars were going to disc brakes most of the shops stopped doing the work. Put your general location in your profile and maybe someone can recommend a place to do the work. If that doesn't work try contacting your local Model A or Early Ford V8 Clubs. Still no luck maybe you can have a shop measure your brake drums and send the shoes back through the place you purchased them to the company that manufactured them. Good luck.

Charlie Stephens
 
There are two different lining thickness. The thicker one is for drums that have been turned .060 or more. They are 1/16 thicker. I think the thicker ones are 1/4 inch. The thin ones would be 3/16.
 
Being that you are near Lincoln take the shoes and drums into Lincoln Clutch and Brake to have them arched to fit the drums. Most likely it will be my brother Steve that will do the work on them. Once they are done keep the shoes with the drum they are matched to.
 
You can arc the shoes by using a sanding block. Mark the high or low spots with the shoe in the drum and sand accordingly using light pressure. The material comes of quickly. Keep checking as you proceed, it takes only about ten minutes per lining. Today it is hard to find a shop that arcs drum brakes.
 
nosoup4u said:
Is it always super hard to get them on? The shoes on the cam side are against the rollers and the adjusting cone is all the way in. Are my cheap eBay brake shoes too big?




If the lining is riveted to the shoes , I file or grind a taper at the leading and trailing ends of the lining . I allow the taper to extend from the outer end of the lining almost to the first two rivets . Sometimes when the lining is riveted on it can cause s the lining to kick outward very slightly on the ends of the shoes , A taper on the ends will relieve the end drag and hopefully reduce the radius enough to allow the drums to go over the lining . The shoes need to be centered inside the drums , Usually by the time when the lining has to be replaced the tracks will be worn enough to cause problems with centering the shoes . Sometimes the brake cams can become stuck in the brake cam shaft . The cams must be free floating or the brakes probably cant center . Just a thought .
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1crosscut said:
Being that you are near Lincoln take the shoes and drums into Lincoln Clutch and Brake to have them arched to fit the drums. Most likely it will be my brother Steve that will do the work on them. Once they are done keep the shoes with the drum they are matched to.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. The weird part is, they arc perfectly, they are just too big.
 
Linings may just be a bit too thick. The same process can used to reduce the thickness of the lining. The trick is to get just the right amount taken off for them to fit. Not enough and you are taking another trip back to town. A little too much and you reduce the life of them but... most don't put that many miles on that reducing the lifespan an extra percentage is a big deal.
 
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