MTFCA Forum

I relined the brake shoes and now the wheel is real tight. I was thinking about removing 3-4" of the brake lining on both ends or grinding the brake cam thinner. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Did you "reline" the original bands or use the current reproduction ?

the brake shoes are original, the linings are new/reproduction

Generally just a taper or bevel to the leading edges will relieve drag by new brake shoe linings. Some times you have to sand down that lining, its got brass fiber so a table sander works good, just use gloves!

A dab of grease lined on the inside of the brake drum will show where the lining is most impinging, like to do that with the axle key out, and just rotate the wheel or rear hub by hand and feel or look for where the lining is highest. Use lacquer thinner to remove the grease residue.

Once you get the real tight gone, the normal driving will reduce drag and heat. Just get them fitted the best you can.

And remember, those brake shoe edges must tuck under the 'tabs' on the backing plate, that holds the brake shoe against the backing plate to prevent dragging.

Wouldn't mess with grinding the cam, that will loose leverage for stopping by reducing the opening of the brake shoe.

I just finished replacing the brake shoes on the 27 and they did have some drag in them. What I did was set the emergency brake tight and let it sit overnight and I did reduce the drag quite a bit. Once I get some miles on them I think they will seat in. So try that.

I sanded and sanded the shoes and still had drag on mine, so I grinded the shoe where it rides on the cam a bit. It allowed the shoe to close more and cleared with no adverse effects.

When I installed the repro linings I found the material needed to be bonded at the ends, otherwise they would rub against the drum. I used JB Weld with good results. Having said that, I found the braking performance to be less than the original asbestos linings, and eventually I had the shoes lined with modern bonded material.

Did you try adjusting the brake rods longer?

Stephen

I don't have the rods attached yet.

Oh, well ignore that idea then I once had a bent brake shoe on my 26 coupe that was causing a pretty heavy drag. Re-shaping the shoe with a hammer solved that issue quickly. How thick is the new lining? The origional was 5/32" thick. If you're using 3/16 then that is causing the brakes to drag. Just to clarify, if you're using the correct lining and the shoes are not bent, a very slight drag is not a problem. Often it's caused by the ends of the lining rubbing the drum. A few stops with the hand brake will take care of that.
Stephen

It might be the taper on the axle or inside the hub has worn causing the drum to hit the side of the shoe. Try a shim on the end of the axle. If that cures the problem, you have worn tapers. If that doesn't change anything, it is the actual outside surface of the lining against the drum. probably just rubbing in a few places if the wheel will turn. Adjust the rods a bit looser and then drive a short distance and use the parking brake lever to stop the car a few times. Don't drive far because the brakes might overheat. Also be careful because it might pull to one side when you apply the brake, so don't go very fast when you do this. If this doesn't fix the problem at least you can pull the wheel and see where it has been rubbing and grind a small amount off those areas and it should work just fine.
Norm

Richard, it is important that the running clearance between the brake shoe and the drum be set with the car in top gear, so that there is no drag when cruising down the road. This means adjusting the rods to suit. As a result the clearance will be greater in neutral and will then actuate the shoes as the lever is pulled further back and the opposite side of the cam is engaged.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.