GaryBudd Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Finally got all the wheels off.Brake shoes look good but have a couple of wheel cylinders that are leaking.Looking for rebuild kits for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Are the cylinder bores any good? They are usually pitted or scored. I went through this with my 32 Dodge Brothers DL. Several suppliers advertised new wheel cylinders, but none were correct. I discovered the front cylinders are different from the rear. I gave up and had mine resleeved, keeping the original cylinders. The rubber and cups are standard sizes and can be ordered from most parts suppliers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryBudd Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 The bores look good on the front one I have off.Abit surprised to see two different sizes in the bore.One side is 1 1/2" the other side is 1 5/8" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Should be the same for both on the front, same for the rear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 The larger end of the brake cylinder is for the leading shoe. That is the one on the front for forward motion. It gives more force on the shoe. The leading shoe naturally has a greater braking effect because drum rotation tends to pull the shoe onto it. After WWII, brake systems changed to provide two leading shoes per wheel and thus improve braking. Step cylinders were then dispensed with - they aren't as cost effective to make as single size cylinders either! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 If the cylinders are step bored (I think I misunderstood your post and thought you had different sized cylinders on each wheel) with two different diameters in one cylinder, then they are incorrect for your car and are after market items. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 8 hours ago, Taylormade said: If the cylinders are step bored (I think I misunderstood your post and thought you had different sized cylinders on each wheel) with two different diameters in one cylinder, then they are incorrect for your car and are after market items. That would be my impression too. At least on Plymouth, step bore cylinders came after the early to mid-1930s. 18 hours ago, Spinneyhill said: The larger end of the brake cylinder is for the leading shoe. That is the one on the front for forward motion. It gives more force on the shoe. The leading shoe naturally has a greater braking effect because drum rotation tends to pull the shoe onto it. After WWII, brake systems changed to provide two leading shoes per wheel and thus improve braking. Step cylinders were then dispensed with - they aren't as cost effective to make as single size cylinders either! My car is not equipped with step bore cylinders but I was under the impression that the larger diameter was to the rear: The front shoe on a Lockheed system is self-energizing while the rear shoe is not. I thought the reason for the step bore was to put some more force on the rear shoe to equalize braking a bit better between the two shoes. But, as I said, I don't have nor have I ever had a car with step bore cylinders so I could be entirely wrong on that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryBudd Posted October 17, 2017 Author Share Posted October 17, 2017 The front cylinders have the step,rears are straight thru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 (edited) 1935 Studebaker Dictator left rear. The hand brake cable is on the left so that is the front of the car. Often the leading shoe will also have shorter lining than the other. The "missing" bottom end is left out to save materials = cost and weight. It doesn't contribute much to braking force. We have discussed this on these fora not that long ago. Edited October 17, 2017 by Spinneyhill (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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