front brake, rollers: what am i doing wrong...

[TomInCologne]

Hi guys,


i need your help. I am doing my front brakes right now, new cast iron drums, wheel bearings, races, shoes,... you name it. The problem i have is that, if i mount the new roller pins as per Les Andrews book (cotter pin at the front), the rollers don't run on the wedge. I can't get the shoes far enough inwards. The inside roller will run on the outside of the wedge, the outer run will run free. Once i turn the roller pin around, the cotter pin is inside then, things seem to fit. Attached are some photographs.


I am only using R-pins for pre-assembly, later i will use cotter pins.


if you think i am stupid and the problem is completely because i am daft as a brush, please tell me.

[TomInCologne]

and now the photographs...

[Mel Gross]

Are the heads of the pins sitting on the tracks properly? They are not to be on the front of the tracks.

[burner31]

Well I may be daft also...but it looks like you don't have your shoes properly seated against the backing plate (as you stated), but these old eyes don't see pics very good anymore
Back your wedge out and wiggle them puppies around some and

[Oldgearz]

I agree with the two previous posts. I used a heavy screw driver to spread the shoes while trying to snap the shoe inward. Your shoes are not seated right.

[Bob C]

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Like the others have said the head of the pin should ride on the top of the roller track.

[Ruth]

What the others said, refer to Bob C's picture. This tool from Bratton's makes easy work of putting the shoes and springs on. https://www.brattons.com/BRAKE-SHOE-...ductinfo/2595/

[redmodelt]

Before you go any further, some of the ends of the linings are not flat against the shoe. You are going to run into issues when you try and mount the drums. Did you have the shoes arced? Were the drums turned with the hubs mounted to them?
Might start by backing out the adjuster at the top then try and pry the shoes up and over onto the track and rollers seated on to the activators.

[nkaminar]

I will go with what the others have said, that the head of the pin in not running on the track. If you have not done so already, back off the adjuster all the way. Make sure you are using the roller pins with the rollers and not the adjustment pins (that go at the top). The heads are different diameters.

[TomInCologne]

Thanks, everyone. I will check what you all wrote and i will keep you updated.

[TomInCologne]

and yes, the drum was turned with the hub on...

[31Tudor]

I may not be seeing it quite right, but I think your next problem is going to be those massive locking pins holding the rollers together. I think they are going to interfere with the hub. The clearance is pretty close.

[nkaminar]

Tudor,

Tom mentions in his first post that the spring clips are temporary and will be replaced by the normal cotter pins.

[31Tudor]

Yep, I see that now.

[TomInCologne]

guys,


funny isn't it, once somebody tells you how to do it, things are a lot easier. I managed to put the shoes in the right place, it seems to be a combination of moving the shoes out and up at the same time. Anyway, that worked.



Putting the new racers into the hub needed some muscle strength but i got it too. New bearings, easy...


After a quick and dirty brake and bearing adjustment i did a short trip 'around the block', no more than 1 1/2 mile and i came back with four wheels, one in every corner and braking seemed to be fine.



I'll do a more thorough adjustment and then front brakes will be fine.


Next on the list: the generator...

[nkaminar]

Tom, Great news on getting the shoes to fit.

Find some level dry asphalt. Drive at 20 mph and slam on the brakes. You should stop within 25 feet and the rear tires should both leave black marks. The car should not pull to one side. To get this to be so, make minor adjustments, one click at a time and try again.

The shoes will bed in over time and the braking will become more even. I visited a guy in South Carolina who said he just drove around with the brakes on for a while to seat them.

After a short trip with some normal braking, measure the temperature of the drums with an IR thermometer. They should be the same within 20 degrees with a little hotter in the rear. Should not be hotter than about 180 F.

[Will N]

You're missing a pair of return springs that go from holes the lower part of the shoes and attach to the studs on the backing plate above the wedge. This will draw the shoes in toward the wedge.

[TomInCologne]

Originally Posted by Will N

You're missing a pair of return springs that go from holes the lower part of the shoes and attach to the studs on the backing plate above the wedge. This will draw the shoes in toward the wedge.

Springs are in in the 'final assembly', the photo just shows an in-between step... ;-)

[TomInCologne]

Did a test run again, front brakes are barely working because, i assume, that i was a bit over-cautious with adjusting them. I will re-adjust and be a bit more aggressive, that'll work.


And yes, i have that adjustment-wood but if you measure the length between seat and clutch pedal instead of brake pedal, in my case the wood is about an inch too short... I am daft as a brush after all...

[nkaminar]

Tom,

The wood to adjust the brakes helps. I have used a clamp modified to use as a jacking bar instead of the wood. But the final adjustment is how the brakes work in actual driving tests as described above.

Keep it up, you are doing good.

One other tip: If the brake pedal feels spongy then not all the brakes are being activated equally. The pedal should feel firm, like the brake pedal in your modern car.