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#1226630 07/22/2017 2:40 PM
Joined: Jan 2006
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'Bolter
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Does anyone use dry lube spray to lubricate brake pivot points and where the brake shoes contact the backing plates? Seem like it would be better than introducing grease to the brake system. Not sure if there was any downside to this.
Thanks.
Larry


Larry

46 Chevy 1/2 ton stake - family truck for 78 years
USAF 75-81
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 29,270
Bubba - Curmudgeon
Bubba - Curmudgeon
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If anyone has used a dry lube spray, would you please let us know:

What composition of spray?
What brand name?

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M
'Bolter
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decades ago i used powdered graphaite. dont know where you could purchase it now


1953 Chevy 3100
261 and SM420
53Chevy 3100
1953 Mack Firetruck
1972 Porsche 911
1986 Honda Goldwing
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On drum brakes we used to use small dabs of white Lubriplate grease on the backing plates where the brake shoes would rub to prevent a squeak as the brakes were applied. A little goes a LONG way, however, and I wonder how many rainstorms and/or puddles it took to wash it off.

Spray silicone lube might be a good alternative to petroleum-based grease.
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
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Bubba - Curmudgeon
Bubba - Curmudgeon
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another vote for lubriplate

spray silicone - you might not want to use that in a room that might be used for metal painting/prep

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5
'Bolter
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Larry, What year truck, I have a 49 with Huck brakes, and I have graphite that I use on the powder bar of my 12 Gauge reloader. Do we have a backing plate with Huck brakes?

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'Bolter
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What is the advantage of Lubriplate over chassis grease?

Dennis


40 Chevy 1/2 ton
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It tends to stay put longer. Disc brake wheel bearing grease might be a good alternative, as it's got a MUCH higher melting point than chassis grease and the brakes get very hot at times.
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
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D
'Bolter
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Got it, thanks HR. Timely topic for me. I screwed up my rear shoes. I put too much on the backing plate and it got onto the lining. Not sure I ever got it hot but I can see where that would just aggravate the situation. Looks like it wicked into the lining. I've got a new set on the way. Won't do that again!

Dennis


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On an average-size vehicle, a moderately brisk stop from 60 MPH generates enough heat to MELT a 9" cast iron skillet. That's why it's important to keep the brakes well-ventilated to dissipate the heat as quickly as the drums absorb it. When 57 Chevy cars went to 14" wheels without cooling slots between the wheel centers and the barrel part of the wheel, brake fade and rapid wear problems started showing up pretty regularly. Full-diameter wheel covers on the Bel Air instead of the small dog dish hubcaps on the economy models really made the problems noticeable. 55 and 56 cars with 15" wheels and exactly the same brake systems didn't have the problems the 57's did. The only real difference was the wheel diameter!
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 29,270
Bubba - Curmudgeon
Bubba - Curmudgeon
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"On an average-size vehicle, a moderately brisk stop from 60 MPH generates enough heat to MELT a 9" cast iron skillet."

No doubt it gets quite hot, and brakes could fade/fail, but are you mixing degrees C and degrees F?

examples of brake drum temperatures. It looks like drum brake would totally fail at around 1,250 degrees F?

Wikipedia: " . . . the melting temperatures [of various cast iron . . .] usually range from 1,150 to 1,200 °C (2,100 to 2,190 °F), . . . "

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49 3100, my truck is a 46 1/2 ton stake. Believe we have the same brake system. Yes, for wear surfaces there is a backing plate with pads where the shoes make contact and an anchor pin which connects the shoes.

Larry


Larry

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I'm talking about total thermal energy. If you could catch and concentrate the energy the brakes dissipate during a highway-speed stop, you could melt that skillet, or a corresponding weight of cast iron. Brakes MUST dissipate heat as fast as it's applied to the drums and/or discs or a condition called brake "fade" happens- - - -lots of pedal height but no stopping effect because the brake can't absorb any more heat. I experienced that during a 120 MPH ride down Grapevine hill in California in an 18 wheeler that weighed 79K pounds. Talk about mega pucker factor!
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
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'Bolter
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As per the conversation regarding lube on brake shoes, I never used any lube on my 69 Mustang and did not put any on my 56 Chevy when I redid the brakes a couple of months ago, and have never had a noise issue. Not sure if it is because of a difference in the set up of the 56 as compared to the older models?


1956 Chevy 3200, 235 w/3 speed
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Over my many years I have done brake jobs and never lubed the points. .....didn't have the money to buy the grease but could have gotten some from a ball joint. LOL Anyway, I think the key is for the system to work as "slick" and smooth as possible to "prevent" any possible problems.
....but now that I have a little change left in the pocket I do it every time. Amazing how things change isn't it?


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