The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop REAR BRAKE QUESTION

I have a '62 1/2 ton that I'm putting new brake shoes on the rear. I took a picture to have as a reference, after getting to the part of hooking up the emergency brake bracket, I noticed that if I put the dowel pin in the shoe, that I can't get the shoes to compress enough to get the drum on. Looking at my picture, I notice that the bracket dowel wasn't going through the hole in the shoes originally - doesn't seem right! if it's not hooked up to the shoe, then it's just kind of laying in there. I found this link to a 1953 Bendix brake that looks almost exactly like the ones I have and noticed that the dowel pin is in the shoe and has some kind of c-clip on it. any Ideas, I don't think the emergency brakes ever worked anyway - could be why

http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/122607283

Well I'm not getting any responses, so I guess nobody nows the answer, or I just asked a stupid question? anyway, I went out again today after down loading some pictures of similar brakes that showed the Dowel in the shoe, made sure the star wheel was all the way compressed LOOKS CORRECT, forced on the new drum, but can NOT EVEN turn the hub, even with the tire & wheel on... can't be right. A real [censored] to get back off. The old hub goes on tightly and can get it to move with A LOT OF WORK. I know this is basic CHEVY BRAKES and don't know why I'm having such a time with them. Any ideas would be appreciated. Oh ya, the New Brake Hose Tuckers sent me was the wrong one too!! not having a good day :-(

Sounds like the cables are hung up, holding the parking brake on.

I could send you rear brake diagram from 1960 manuel if that would help. parking brake cables should totally be released when doing the brakes. This is under the truck cables atach to primary lever. I ve done my brakes, let me know if you need diagram.

i dont know what a dowl pin is but; is it possible that the wheel cylinder needs to be opened and compressed?

Could be the cable I guess. Do I need to disconnect it or something, the emergency brake in the cab is not on. I down loaded the manual the other day - what a piece of $%$@ the pictures are not very good and the explanations are worse ... very Old school. Anyway I will check that out, does it do any harm to disconnect it from the shoe (like it was when I got it) or will this cause problems? would like to have emergency brakes though!

I've put new cylinders on it and haven't even hooked up the brake line yet! I don't know what they call it , but it's the pin on the emergency brake bracket that attaches to the shoe... the old Male female thing :-)

You really should have the parking brake functional, if only for safety sake. It's also a good idea to have it for use when parking, seen plenty of times where vehicles have rolled away by not having the parking brake set.
It sounds like a hung up cable to me. Try getting a helper to pull on the parking brake lever in the cab while you watch the other end of the cable. It should move freely.

Thanks LONGBOX55 Sounds like that's probably the problem. I remember when I bought the truck, the guy said he needed to fix the emergency brake - apparently he never got around to fixing it - he's probably the idiot that put power steering or who knows what in the master cylinder in the first place... that's why I'm redoing the whole brake system... you just never know what your buying sometimes.