I thought I had seen this topic in earlier posts, but I can't find it now that I need it. Isn't that always the case.

I haven't been able to reassemble the brake drum on to the hub of my front left wheel because even at the shoe's most retracted position there isn't enough clearance to push the drum over the shoes. I can force it somewhat but not enough and I never think forcing anything on an old car is a good idea.

The drum does not have a ridge worn into it. It was snug taking it off. I replaced the wheel cylinders with ones that matched exactly from Roberts Motor Parts. I discovered that the pushrod on the bottom cylinder was incorrect and belonged on a rear wheel. It was long enough to never allow the cam to reach the shoe for adjustment. Once that was resolved I thought I would be OK, but it still is too snug for assembly.

I thought I might have swollen shoes from leaking fluid, but two tests from a NYS DOT mechanic friend of mine were inconclusive, revealing no evidence of soaked lining.

I think I am missing some trick for reassembly and don't want to order new shoes if that isn't likely to solve the problem. Does anyone have any ideas? Does anyone know what thickness the lining should be when new?

Thanks in advance for any info or for just reading this far. All ideas are welcome.
Justin Schiess

The question is---did that shoe come off the car during disassembly? if so, then you've probably changed some shoe adjustment unwittingly during the work. The 2 eccentric bolts on the LH and RH middle sides of the backing plate need to be in the most contracted position for the shoe to retract fully. Do you have new wheel cylinders and do they have the correct piston design? If you replaced, suspect the pistons in the wheel cylinders unless you also replaced the piston pins as well.
I once installed new wheel cylinders on a 30s Studebaker and could not get the drums back on. The cylinder pistons were the wrong design!
Marty Lum

At one point there was an issue of incorrect springs inside the wheel cylinders. They were of a design which did not collapse as far as the OE springs. If that is the case, there are two fixes:

• Replace the springs with those from your original cylinders.
• Extend the slot of the shoe to cylinder pin which rests against the brake shoe.

I hope this helps.

Ed

Justin; I agree with all of the above comments they are great advice. I'll just add one more thought; have the brake linings been arced? This will remove some material from the linings in order to match the inside circumference of the brake drum. regards; jerry janson