Re: Consensus on brake drums
The original steel drums were not but .140 - .144. from the factory. After 90 years of turning and returning finding steel drums that are still .120 or more is a VERY rare thing. Most are in the .080 to .100 range. My shop has a .120 limit - after the final return - or I will not reuse them. Even the .120 thick, after a couple of heat cycles of hard stopping they will be rewarped or oval shapes causing soft stopping or worse.
Your life of even more imortant your familys life depends on the brakes.
Get the cast iron drums and if you are one of the lucky ones your hubs will still be good - new bearings of coarse. I have been using Mel's and Randy's drums for 12 years now. Good man to deal with.
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