Arcing New Brake Linings

[51woodie]

Nice weather and nowhere to go, so I pulled the front and rear drums on the '46 to check for wheel cylinder leaks and clean out brake dust. I found that the contact area of the eight shoes ranged from +/- 40 to 80% contact, which is understandable, given drum wear and the quality of some aftermarket parts. As well, there are no places where I live that have the equipment to arc shoes to match drum diameters. I started to sand the first lining using a sanding block and 80 grit paper. I could not get at backing plate side of the lining because of the lip that overhangs the lining. What to do? I decided to make a tool for the job. Using a block of maple I had in my woodshop, I cut and shaped a tool to hold an 1-3/4" X 5" strip of adhesive backed sandpaper. I cut a radius of 6" (12" drums) which is close enough to get the high spots by manipulating where I put the pressure on the sanding block. All the shoes are done now, just have to put drums and wheels back on, and test drive and recheck after the snow is gone and a few miles driven.