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| | | | Joined: Dec 2009 Posts: 164 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Dec 2009 Posts: 164 | My left rear wheel locked up when I braked. I investigated and found a broken top brake return spring. I bought a whole kit from Chev's of the 40's with all shoes, springs, the 3 hoses, all rubber to rebuild all moving fluid parts etc: ($140). Most of the stuff I already did and will never use,but it was cheaper than buying just a full spring kit and all the shoes from other sites.
My question is when I take the drums to be inspected and turned to a brake shop, I seem to remember there is a process of matching specific brake shoes to a drum so it is 100% true inside the drum. Has anyone heard of this? Is this going overboard for a brake job? Or is this SOP now? Any info can help. Thanks John
Last edited by 53John3100; 05/12/2011 7:07 PM.
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,846 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,846 | The really professional brake shops used to grind the brake linings to a slightly smaller radius than the drums, so the first point of contact was in the center of the brake shoe. As the drum flexes slightly, the full surface of the shoe would come into contact with the drum. A set of standard-diameter linings and a slightly oversize drum fits about right without any grinding. If the shoe can rock a little with the main point of contact in the center, you're good to go. VERY few shops still grind linings to fit drums, over dust concerns. Back in the days of asbestos linings, the grinding dust could be deadly.
Jerry
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| | | | | Joined: Dec 2009 Posts: 164 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Dec 2009 Posts: 164 | OK Thanks Jerry, I'll just take the drums into be turned. I was suprised to see a warning sticker on the outside of the box of shoes from Chev's of he 40's that the linings contain asbestos.
Good Knowledge, I used to work for the New York Thruway 30 years ago and I seem to remember we sent all dump truck and plow truck drums and brake shoes out to be turned and ground, money was no object back then and it seemed the more they spent the more they got the next year. I'll just drop my drums off to be turned for $15 a piece to make sure they are true and not out of round. Hopefully they will still have the specs to make sure they are not to thin for my old girl.
Once again, as many times before. Thanks Jerry. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 4,962 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 4,962 | An old fashioned fix that still works is to put shims under the linings to compensate for the cut. There is still a company in San Antonio, San Antonio Brake and Clutch that still does that. They have a salesman that calls on me every week. They also grind the radius, but that is not as important as using a thicker lining. | | |
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