Hello!
I'm in the process of putting a rear end back together for the open driveline/T5 swap for my '53 3100. I'm using the rear end out of a '56 Chevy wagon. An old-timer at a local machine shop confirmed the year as '55 or '56 based on the configuration of the axle bearings and hold down plates.
Anyway, I just had the drums turned. The machined surface measures between 2 1/8 and 2 1/4" inches wide. The old brake shoes that came with the rear are 2" in width. However, the guys at NAPA say that the catalog shows that the rear brake shoes are supposed to be 1.75” in width, although ’58 – ’70 used 2” shoes in the rear.
Is it normal for the inside surface of a drum to be slightly wider than the surface of the shoe? In this case it’s 1/8” per side or less.
Could someone have replaced the original 1.75 drums with 2” drums, and if so, would that present any problems?
Lastly, I want to retrofit the rear brakes with self-adjusting hardware. Will doing so with the original style brake shoes present any problems?
Thanks…
Chris
