Reinstalling 34 Brake Drums

[Abcarswell]

I’m running into a snag and could not find anything on this in the archives. I just installed relined brake pads from 3rd Gen Auto and now I can’t get the drums back on. The old pads were wearing into the brass rivets but the drums are in good shape. It doesn’t appear that I can get the brakes adjusted back far enough to clear the new thicker pads. Is there a trick or something I’m missing?

[Charlie Stephens]

I had the same problem with my '37. NOS drums all around. I found out that the suppliers routinely arced the shoes assuming the drums were .030 oversize. Sent the drums back to the retailer and they returned them to the company that relined them to have them arced to the proper drum diameter.

Charlie Stephens

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Abcarswell

I’m running into a snag and could not find anything on this in the archives. I just installed relined brake pads from 3rd Gen Auto and now I can’t get the drums back on. The old pads were wearing into the brass rivets but the drums are in good shape. It doesn’t appear that I can get the brakes adjusted back far enough to clear the new thicker pads. Is there a trick or something I’m missing?

[Terry,OH]

Disconnect the brake rod clevis at each wheel being worked on.

[DavidG]

The ends of the linings should be slightly chamfered.

[Abcarswell]

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Originally Posted by DavidG

The ends of the linings should be slightly chamfered.

What’s the best way to do this?

[DavidG]

If you are like most of us, you do not have of the K. R. Wilson or other tool supplier's equipment for this job. The simple alternative is to clamp each shoe in a vise and use a file to create the chamfer on each end of the lining.

[Abcarswell]

Thanks Dave and Terry. Disconnected actuating rods and used a file to chamfer ends but still no go. I’ll be reaching out to Third Gen Auto come Monday to see if they have any ideas. I suspect that the lining thickness is at maximum as most people have well worn drums. Mine appear to be near new thickness (lucky me) so there is just not enough adjustment to get them to clear. Not sure if there is a thinner lining material available. I’d rather not take a belt sander to the linings to dress it down. I’m going to try the front to see if it has the same issues.

[Ron Pilger]

Abcarswell - did you get your brake issue resolved? Bring us up to speed on this matter, please.

[Abcarswell]

Originally Posted by Ron Pilger

Abcarswell - did you get your brake issue resolved? Bring us up to speed on this matter, please.

No luck yet. Spoke with Michael at Third Gen and he let me know that the lining material that they use is Ford OEM thickness so should work even with near new drums, as long as everything else is as designed. He pointed me at the rollers and the link to the adjuster as those could have been substituted for oversized parts to make up for overly worn pads. The roller washers appear to be okay but the B-2042 links to the adjusters measure 0.04 longer than what is shown in the Green book. I’m not sure this is enough to cause my issue but I have a repop set on order to see as these are a common part with Model A’s. I suppose it’s possible someone substituted BB truck Links to take up the slack sometime in the distant past. It appears this issue is all the way around the car as I test fit the front drums and have the same lack of clearance there. Once the Links show up, I’ll report findings.

[Abcarswell]

An update on my progress. After a lot of research, contemplation, and frustration, I decided to go the “Bubba” route. Turning a full 1/8”+ off brand new pads did not seem a productive approach if I could even find a shop with a pad turning machine which id doubtful here in the wilds of west Texas. I purchased reproduction brake adjuster links from Eckler’s which was the only vendor with them in stock. They were about 1/16” shorter than the ones that were in the car. This leads me to believe that at some point someone may have put in modified truck adjuster parts to make up for very worn shoes. I then further ground down the links by another 1/8”+ to get enough clearance to get the drums on. I also used a hand file to chamfer all the pads. The adjusters are fully backed off so I still have a lot of adjustment as the new pads wear in. If worse comes to worse, I can put the original links back in. She’s all back together and now all I have to do is adjust the linkage to get a good tight application all the way around when I stomp on the pedal.

[lotsagas4u]

There's a guy in Lubbock that does arc the shoes, I live in Plainview. Wish I would have seen this earlier to help you out. ATandI sales on crickets, guys name is Art, he does fabulous work.

[Abcarswell]

Originally Posted by lotsagas4u

There's a guy in Lubbock that does arc the shoes, I live in Plainview. Wish I would have seen this earlier to help you out. ATandI sales on crickets, guys name is Art, he does fabulous work.

Well, my “Bubba” approach did not work out. I was able to get the drums on but could not get them properly set up to properly brake. I contacted Art and he convinced me to tear them back down and bring to him to arc. He agreed the drums were good and did not need to be turned. I also order a floater kit from Flathead Ted and installed those at the same time. Art did great (and quick) work as you described and its all back together. I am able to skid the tires which never occurred previously. I need to fine tune but it’s 100% better than it was. Of course, as these things go, I disturbed enough of the original taillight wiring harness which created a ground which then lead to issues with the tail light sockets. That is a story for another thread…