Which way does the s**** tool move to tighten the adjuster? An old boy told me it always moves the way that your hand hits the undercarriage. So far I've found that to be true.
I'll just throw this out there for information. Years ago when I first started they brought an old car in that obviously had been sitting a while. Problem was like yours one wheel would lock up when you applied the brakes. Never drove the car too fast and it seemed to stop ok except for the wheel locking up. Must have had that wheel off half a dozen times without seeing anything wrong. Then a light went off in my head and I pulled one of the other wheels off. Found the wheel cylinder rusted solid. Pulled the other 2 wheels and found the same thing. The one that was locking up was the only one working. Might be something to check.
By the photo's probably not your culprit but worthy of mention to those using 4 bar rear configuration, a similar issue on my 32 4 bar rear, I discovered badly deteriorated 4 bar bushings causing a slight twist in the rear suspension during braking, felt much like a brake issue.
Don't know if this helps, but I was having this exact same problem--one wheel lockup on fairly recent brake job--and the primary problem turned out to be the drum-to-shoe arc. I got new shoes, rearced them using a body file and feeler gauges, and the improvement was huge. Mind you, the brakes on my car are primitive '39-'42 Lockheeds, but the principle is the same.
They're correct, this pix I posted are each sides. Back on the road today, after adjusting both rears. Still locking the right rear. Also, even though I can still slip the drums on I may have them too tight. Car doesn't roll as easy as before and when I back up one or both of the rear breaks shudder and grab. Going to go back through this thread at all the other advice, dive in again and see what's next.
with the car jacked up, (on stands), tighten the adjuster until it's hard to turn the tire, then back it off ten clicks. Do the same on each wheel. See how it does. also check if there are any tight spots as you turn the tire, the drum might be distorted, if so
Yep. I was going to swap drums and wheels with the other side but ended up swapping the shoes too. Adjusted per Squirrel's recommendation. Problem solved, no skid, either side. So it's a mystery, didn't notice any irregularities on dis***embly. I got out my brake spring pliers, and again couldn't figure them out. Which end goes on the spring and what's the other end hook on? Ended up using the vice grip on the spring and tug method. Anyway, appreciate all the help. One step closer to a good driver.
Before installing the brake shoes put masking tape over top the linings and pull them off right before you put the drum back on.. Does your car have an Anchor Pin adjustment? This is real important for drum brakes, they are usually only on the front..[/QUOTE] Back when I was in vocational school one of the students asked our instructor about putting masking tape over the brake shoes before installing them. Our instructor, Paul Jones who was probably in his early 60's, said that wasn't necessary. All you have to do is not put your fingers on the surface of the shoe.
The long side of the plier arm has a relief cut in it. This hooks over the anchor pin and you use the arm as a lever to pull the springs on. The other arm of the pliers with the knob on the end is for removing the springs at the anchor pin. The plier end that everyone wants to use doesn't work very well. This is the tool I use for the brake springs. I almost never use my set of brake spring pliers.
the way I usually do it is, Lay the shoes on the floor the way they go (long shoe to rear) and screw the adjuster as short as it goes and position it where it goes, then hook one side of the lower spring thru one shoe, then pick the top of one shoe up slightly and cross it over the other shoe until you can hook the lower spring by hand. then put both shoes on partially ***embled, next install the anchor pins and then the top springs... make sense? probably not..... hard to explain without showing you
Wait a minute Mark, I always heard the long shoe went on the front side ! Just kidding,,,,,LoL,,,,,, . It always amazed me how some got turned around on this ,,,,oh well . Lol,,,,,go figure people . BTW,,,,that’s how I lay them out too,,,,,partial ***embly,,,,,them hang them in place,,,,,easy . Tommy
Yeah there's 50 ways to do it, took me a long time to re***emble the first side, and a short time for the other. The finicky part was the parking brake linkage. On these the lever is bolted to the rear shoe, and the bolt, which I think has serrations to keep it from spinning in the shoe while tightened, wouldn't hold, so I had to ***emble that first while holding the back side of the bolt to tighten. Thinking about it now, I guess I shoulda removed the cable from the lever, but I was already nervous with all the bits laying about. Then I hooked up the adjuster, it's spring and the front shoe. Then there is that cross bar for the parking brake, with a spring on one end. Get all that together and the wheel cylinder slots engaged, and finally the top springs. Oh and the pins.. One thing nice about this one was the spring clips instead of coil springs and little slotted cup washers. The spring clips are large enough to do by hand.
Something else to look at is the bore on the wheel cylinders. In the past I have gotten the same part number wheel cylinders with different bores. With this cheap Chinese **** you have to check everything.
Arc the linnings and turn the drums is the place to start, then adjust, then check Ebrake cables and Brake pedal return.
If you are going to buy one of these, get one with the curved end like the one in jaracer's picture. Way easier to use than the ones with a straight end.
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