The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun 3800 dually brakes improvement

56 3800 dually, all original wheels.

Hi all!

If I understand correctly the rear drum brake shoes are not available anymore.

We have bled the brakes and topped up the fluid, and only moderate improvement. She stops, with a lot of force and a little planning ahead.

What parts should I have in hand when I get some (limited) time in a friend's hoist later this spring?

Prefer trying stock-like stuff before researching (front?) disc kits further.

-J

You can have shoes re-lined. You'll also need to remove the glaze from the drums. Beyond that, you can get a stock, frame rail mounted booster, or go with an aftermarket drum/drum booster/mastercylinder kit made for the half tons. Albeit for half ton, it's still better than non-boosted stock. For ease of installation, get a stock booster from a 2-2.5 ton.

The brake drums, not the shoes, are what's almost impossible to find. Unless the drums are terribly scored, don't do much machining on them. Relined shoes aren't that difficult to find, or if your shoes aren't damaged, they can be relined. Keep the brakes adjusted properly and unless you're running max gross weight you should be able to stop safely without power boost with good linings. Original equipment style Hydrovac boosters are available, at some NAPA stores, even.
Jerry

Thanks so much y'all for getting me pointed in the right direction! This clarifies things quite a bit.

I have a 51 1 Ton single wheel and it stops quickly with the original setup. Because I don't carry loads I added a proportioning valve to the rear brakes to tame them down a bit. I think there may be choices for the type of lining that they redo the shoes with these days. I think they have different coefficients of friction.

To concur with Hotrod Lincoln, by removing the glaze, I was speaking of using a 60 grit sandpaper. To have them turned would probably put you beyond spec.

Another sneaky trick to get better performance from drums that aren't original diameter is to glue a piece of sandpaper like one for a body shop air file to the inside of a drum, and scuff the lining contour to the same arc as the drum. It eliminates the "wearing in" process that needs to happen when a standard-diameter lining works against an oversize drum. Use a water-soluble glue like original Elmer's, and getting the sandpaper off once the linings are fitted is a lot easier.
Jerry