Technical Drum brakes - lack of stopping power

@Driver50x ...just checking in to see if the backing plates and wheel cylinders solved your issue?

 

And………the results are in!
I replaced the backing plates and replaced the 3/4” wheel cylinders with 7/8” ones. It now works exactly as I had hoped. On dirt, if I really stand on the brakes, it will lock up the rear tires. But the fronts still lock up long before the rears, so that’s good. I haven’t had it up to freeway speeds yet, but I did a couple pretty hard stops from about 35 MPH on dry pavement. It definitely stops quicker, straighter, and with less pedal pressure than before. The next time I get caught in the rain I’ll be able to test it on wet pavement.


Thank you very much @squirrel @Moriarity and @gimpyshotrods for sending me in the right direction, as well as everyone else who tried to help.

Also, I measured the old backing plates. They are about .050” thick. The new Dorman ones are about .075” thick, and they are noticeably heavier and stiffer. So that’s a good thing.


Now I just gotta figure out what to do with my parking brake, to get some more leverage or something.

 

What parking brake lever are you using?

 

This one.