[DoctorC]

Hi all,
So in my road worthiness inspection here in Frenchland, (among other things) they found that my rear brakes were ummmm, lacking. Like achieving 20% of the min acceptable =/
And the emergency break was non functional. ¯\(ツ)/¯

So I'm digging into the breaks. This car is a daily driver and I avoid unnecessary expenses. But happy to make need ones.

So this is the side that was actually breaking, but the adjuster wasnt adjusting... so I cracked it open. I found that the adjuster assembly (star/screw) doesn't stay because the parking lever is not where it should be (hooked behind the adjustment lever). So I found why the emergency break is non-functional (at least in theory). So, I'll fix that.

My question to you is: How much life do I have left in these shoes? It looks like lots to me. Just need to be adjusted. I bought the kit and caboodle, new spring set and new shoes (like 150 bucks...). But I'd rather replace them when they need it, not just because i can. Daily driver...

I also noticed that the side that doesnt brake, when i spin the wheel after adjusting it, it has an on-off sound. Like it makes contact, then doesnt, then does, then doesnt. Shhhkt.......shhhhkt......shhhhhkt. I guess I'll pull the drum and see what i see...

So, thoughts on remaining life? My shop manual stopped working... what's the spec on thickness?

 

[myfirstcar66]

The shoes on the rear will last a long time and you have a good bit of life left on those but the maximum inside diameter on your brake drums for safety could be the problem, as well as being slightly out of concentric / round.

 

[my289]

I believe I am reading this right, but shop manual says:
Drum:
Lining Maximum Wear Limit(From Top of Rivets or Shoe Rim) 1/32
Disc:
Lining Wear Limit (Front Surface of Shoe) - Max 0.030

 

[22GT]

Not sure what the spec is, offhand, but it looks to be like maybe 80% of the lining still remains.

The shusshing sound you describe is an out-of-round condition, but unless it is causing shaking when you brake, it may well be too minor to warrant correction.

If the rear brakes are giving very little power, you may need to rebuild or replace the wheel cylinders. A stuck piston will reduce effectiveness of the brakes that much quite easily.

 

[1ofAMillion+]

Those shoes look thicker than the new ones I bought a few years ago.
But ya, if you have them change them, they might be glazed and hard so its making less friction.
Maybe you can find a place to turn the drums, they will check and see if it needs it then they can be cut to make them perfectly round inside again. Cost shouldn't be crazy for the 30-45 minute job.

 

[DoctorC]

Thanks for the comments. Can I fix the adjusting assembly and reposition the e-brake lever without messing with all the top springs?
Tomorrow's task =)

 

[daves67ss]

Thanks for the comments. Can I fix the adjusting assembly and reposition the e-brake lever without messing with all the top springs?
Tomorrow's task =)

You can fix the adjuster easy. Not sure about the ebrake position. I think it's on the back side of the rear shoe. May need to take it apart. It's not that bad. I use vice grips to lock onto the springs to remove them. however, I do use the brake tool to put them back on.

You may need to also adjust the e-brake cable. It may be too loose and not pulling hard enough on the brakes. The adjustment is under the car about in the middle. Adjust the bolt so that you get about 3 to 4 clicks on the ebrake handle when you pull it out.

 

[rbohm]

Not sure what the spec is, offhand, but it looks to be like maybe 80% of the lining still remains.

The shusshing sound you describe is an out-of-round condition, but unless it is causing shaking when you brake, it may well be too minor to warrant correction.

If the rear brakes are giving very little power, you may need to rebuild or replace the wheel cylinders. A stuck piston will reduce effectiveness of the brakes that much quite easily.

i agree with this assessment. if you do anything with the wheel cylinders, order up new ones, but get the V8 wheels cylinders, especially for the rear, as they have larger pistons and put more pressure on the shoes for better stopping power. a small increase to be sure, but one that can be felt, i did this with my 64 falcon and it did make a difference.

as to the shusssing sound, again i agree that ir may be out of round drums. my suggesting would be to pull the drums and check them, or have them checked, for roundness on the braking surface and find out if they are out of round, and by how much and go from there. that said, if the brake pedal is not pulsing when you are braking, then leave them along.

 

[DoctorC]

Ok so I cracked open the "bad" side (was only achieving 700N of braking force, vs 2250+ on the rest). I see that the emergency brake lever is also misplaced here. Hopefully not a symptom of a larger problem. I do see that the pads are very unevenly worn. Lots off the top, bottom mostly intact. I also found that there is a lip on the rear pad, indicating that it is either improperly seated or not straight. I think I'll replace these shoes. Luckily both cylinders look good. No weeping.

The inside of the drum is pitted, but looks ok. This is the side that was making weird noises =)

If I replace one side's shoes, must I do the other?
My current stock is: 2 x spring kit, 1 x cylinder, 1 set shoes, 1 drum.
Any thoughts on what all to replace?

 

[Redneckgearhead]

The noises from that side might be just the rusty drum. Yes shoes need to be done in pairs. Just looking at the last set of pics it looks like the parking brake cable is broke or severely out of adjustment.

 

[Magnus]

While you have the shoes off take a look at the backing plate. There are flat spots where the shoes touch the back and the shoes can wear grooves in them over time which will stop them from moving correctly. If there are deep grooves where the shoes sit on the backing plates you'll need to weld and grind them smooth to fix them.

 

[daves67ss]

One reason the shoes would wear more at the top is if your self-adjusters are not working. They push out the bottoms of the shoes as they wear. With the bottoms retracted, most of the wear is on the top.

I would replace them. They are no longer round.

 

[DoctorC]

Thanks for the tips. I'll replace the springs and shoes then, on both sides. I'll clean up the adjusters and add some high temp grease to the threads. We'll see how the situation of the emergency break cable is when i take them apart. Fingers crossed that they're just incorrectly assembled and not broken. It'll be expensive and take forever to get a replacement cable...