brake adjustment question

So I'm adjusting the brakes on my 59 cadillac today. I put the drums on the front and the driver side went on tight and the p***enger went on loose. This being said, no star wheel adjustment was made prior to installing the drums. I went ahead and adjusted the p***enger side until too tight to turn the hub and then backed off ten clicks. I did the same on the driver side then backed off ten clicks which put it back to zero adjustment on the driver side.

This doesn't seem right...what did I do wrong? Doesn't seem like the driver side should go on needing zero adjustment.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Double check the measurements of the drums, adjusters, and other components to be sure the left and right are where they belong. Front shoe and rear shoe are proportion.
Maybe some keen eyes can spot what's out from pics

 

Hmmm I don't have a method for measurement short of just breaking out the tape measure. I initially pulled both drums back off and with just eyeballing it they looked the same, front and rear shoes being where they are suppose to.

I don't have a way to post pics until possibly later this evening.

Thanks

 

P***enger side drum has probably been turned more than drivers side.
Shoes are 'cam-ground', making us use shoes that have not been arced to the drums.
Take the drums to the parts house, they will mic (pron.,"mike") them for you.
If within tolerance, turn the small to the large size.
Otherwise, find a shop that can and will arc shoes to the drums.
If shoes/drums are not 'fitted', the car will pull to the small drum side. (relined 'cam-ground' shoes will 'fit' the smaller drum closer than the oversized one)

 

Thanks, Mike. I just had them turned at a Oriely's chain. Hopefully they didn't mess something up. I have little faith in those places sometimes. Maybe I can find a local machine shop to look at them.

Thanks again, folks!

 

You have no way of knowing if either drum has been replaced or turned in the past. If the tight one has had the drum replaced a few years ago without a lot of driving it won't need as much adjusting as the side that was able to be turned and still in specs. They should have been mic-ed before you started this drill.

 

Oddly, it has been years since anyone at most parts houses ever measured a brake drum before turning... OR after turning either!
There are safety specs for all drums, many have maximum ID moulded into the edge of the drum and all should.
Same applies to disc brake rotors.
Don't ask me how I know.

 

As you said, there was no mic done before or after the turning. When the parts house looks at it they look for that bevelled edge on the drum. If there's plenty of bevell they call it good to turn. Atleast that's what they told me a few years back on a 69 dart I had. Bad practice...guess I shoulda known better.

Thanks

 

put the drums on and adjust em til they drag a bit when u rotate the drum by hand. take it for a ride, if it stops well your done. your adjustments will never be the same side to side.

 

True, they do often go by the beveled edge, that doesn't necessarily mean the drums are turned oversized though.
Somewhere in every auto parts store with a brake lathe is a drum caliper and one for rotors too. Now, if there was just someone still employed at the store who knew how to use it and where the spec book for drums/rotors is kept.

 

I'm going out on a limb here, simply because I have never been into a early Caddy brake system. That said, as with any drum brake system, make sure you dont have on of the pistons seized in the wheel cylinder. It could be seized in the out position as well as the in position. TR