It's not really done anymore in auto or light truck, do to the health hazard from the dust. My 78 year old dad still has a shoe grinder he used in the '60's.
I,ve used the hammer and 2x4 method. You set the shoe in the brake drum and try to eliminate the gaps at the end of the shoes by bending the shoe slightly. Place the 2x4 on the lining face and a few hard taps of the hammer should eliminate any excess gaps. slight gaps on the ends are okay. The old shoe grinders took a lot of material off the lining. When using old reground drums and grinding the lining to fit wouldn'd leave very much material in the center of the lining in most cases. If you really wont to find a brake shoe grinder you should check with truck repair shops that specialize in spring and brakes. Most auto shops got rid of the shoe grinder stuff in the 60s.
A lot of the old timers didn,t have a tool like that,so what they did was take the ends, 4 grinds per wheel of lining and grind back about 1/2inch and a depth of 1/8 inch call a camfer,even makes for put shoes on better.This can be done with a file or bench grinder.
I don't do it too offten but we still arc and reline shoes. Kinda far for you tho. Look around for a shop that has been in business for a long time they may have the equipment still.
That would fill your shop with brake shoe dust which if the shoes are older may have asbestos in them. That is why most brake shops or mechanics don't arch shoes anymore. The same reason you do not take the blow gun and blow out the brakes when you pull the drum off. Asbestos dust everywhere. But yes having the shoes arched to fit the drums will for sure help make the brakes work and feel better from the start as the shoes will have full contact with the drums.
i need to arc some shoes for a friends 30 chrysler, there going to have new linings, i guess i have to make my own grinder as no one i know has one, thinking of using a drum sander and some old hubs. i have seen a video of arcing shoes on a model-a, dam if i can find it now.
on early non energizing brake systems i still arc the shoes best way to get a good brake instantly. i do it outside and wear a mask. wet things down and sweep up.
Here's one for sale, no price tho... http://www.racingjunk.com/category/1134/Other/post/2033076/Barrett-True-Arc-Brake-Shoe-Grinder.html
Thanks for the replys, just curious if it was a totally dead process. I think there might be a brake shop in Rapid City that used to do it. I had them turn the drums reline and arc in the shoes on a 57 F250 once, best brakes I ever had, including anything new I have driven to date. They were also velvet touch linings. With old cars and drums that are turned out to the max, maybe even a little further sometimes, the contact patch on the new shoes is pretty small. No wonder so many rodders think drum brakes are junk. If done properly they usually stop a car just fine. I have driven a Model A that had the brakes done right and the shoes arced in. It would lock up all 4 wheels no problem.
So is arcing and bedding the same thing different name? The short track guys still bed shoes if that is what you are talking about.
Godfreys in Rapid can do it. I think Tri State tire has a machine as well. Also, Rob Hanson has a machine for sale at his surplus tool shop.
Yeah, but how long has it been since asbestos brakes were sold? It's really annoying when my brand new asbestos-free brake shoes fit like ****, and I can't get them re-arced anywhere.
Whats a little dust doing one or two cars.If you want them to work right chamfer them back 3/4inch depth 1/8 Why because the shoes rock back and forth the top edge has to wear down to get full shoes.The pistons push out and the edge of the lining hits first.Doing this for years with no problem.Even makes for putting the drum back on.
bought a set of brake shoes from Kanter for a '41 hudson recently that had a warning that the shoes contained asbestos.
Arcing and bedding are two different procedures. Arcing the shoes ( I used a board with 24 grit paper and a mask. Bedding the shoes (or "burning them in") is working the brakes while driving until you get them to smoke, this is burning the resins from the surface and exposing the actual friction material. This keeps from glazing the shoes, rotors, pads and drums.
I have "arced" brake shoes to fit drums by putting the loaded backing plate in a lathe, indicating shoe od and clamping in place and turning the lining to suit the drum...I had the shoes relined with thicker material to allow for added dia..
They got rid of asbestos in brake lining late 70s. I've got 2 of the old AMMCO shoe grinders myself. Also have my own drum lathe. Was around a LOT of asbestos dust back in the 60s-70s. Mechanics would blow the dust off the shoes etc on tandem drive axles on semis. Dust cloud so thick you could not see the other side of the truck !
Arced brake shoes every brake job in the 60s,on an ammco brake shoe arcer. Turned the brake drums till smooth and true then micrometer drum diameter. Then arc brake shoes to drum diameter. Brake shoe had perfect contact with drum top to bottom and brakes performed perfect. This was a full service gas station brake job,all this and overhaul 4 wheel cylinders for under $100.
You can see a Barrett Brake Doktor that I listed for sale on the AACA Fourms website. Look under CCCA For Sale. It shows the tool, and explains how it is used. They are fantastic, solves all drum problems, they are a rare, I have never seen another for sale. http://forums.aaca.org/f124/barrett-brake-dokter-sale-328832.html
The Jalopy Journal
