Putting the stop to bad brakes.

[jiminyfixit]

After suffering a season of having horrible brakes, even after a full brake job, I finally solved the problem. First of all, do not purchase ANY old mopar brake shoes that were made in China. The metal shoes themselves are fine, but the lining material must have been made out of ground up rocks. It is way too hard. They gave me nicely polished drums accompanied by horrible brake fade. I found a company in NY that has been in business since 1920, so they successfully compensated for the elimination of the old asbestos lining material. Rochester Clutch & Brake is a reliable source.

 

40+ years ago, when I had my shop, The Chrysler Emporium, we never had any issues with brakes on the old mopar cars because the shoe material was asbestos. Back then, we always used the Ammco 1750 brake adjusting tool, (since I had 2 of them), in order to insure optimal braking. For those of you who have ever used one, you know what I'm talking about. Fortunately, I was able to borrow one from Les Cordes, after I adjusted the brakes on his gorgeous 34 Dodge sedan & his 41 Dodge truck. He found a good source of shoes & arcing from an outfit in Sacramento, which made my job of adjusting his brakes routine.

 

I also decided to replace 3 drums on my car that had been turned over sized by an unknowing operator on the drum turning lathe.  In order to "lap" the shoes to the drum diameter, I applied 220 grit, sticky-back sandpaper to the inside of each of the drums to satisfy the need to "arc" the shoes to the drums. No one around here has an arcing machine since most of them were scrapped when the ban on asbestos went into effect many years ago.

 

The "lapping" & the use of the 1750 tool produced some awesome braking in my 34 Aero Brougham sedan. I no longer have to plan my stops 1/4 mile in advance.

[Rata Road]

I purchased a 39 Dodge last year from an old fella who owned it for 45 years. I had trouble adjusting the pedal until the old fella's mate sold me his Ammco 1750 tool. Like you say what an amazing piece of kit, I couldn't get a full pedal until the rear wheels were set up using this tool. I havent used it on the front wheels yet but lately I notice there is a screeching sound coming from the front wheels under light braking so I will need to inspect.

Please explain the arc process using sandpaper?

 

[dodge28]

The brake lining on my 28DB is asbestos, new from Cyndy Meyers. I was told to bake it for 20 minutes in an oven before riveting . The brake shoes are made of cast alumminium. I am just wondering if the same lining material can be baked on steel shoes.

[Mark Gregush]

The Model A; used woven type lining or semi hard. I hand arced the shoes on a table saw using the sanding disk, sand paper works too. They are non asbestos but you still want to wear a mask, lots of fine particles. I had one of the AAMCO old style arcing machine and the gauge shown above. I got rid of them about 4-5 years ago. Took up a lot of space in my small shop and was not being used by me.  

[jiminyfixit]

On 2/19/2024 at 12:11 AM, Rata Road said:

I purchased a 39 Dodge last year from an old fella who owned it for 45 years. I had trouble adjusting the pedal until the old fella's mate sold me his Ammco 1750 tool. Like you say what an amazing piece of kit, I couldn't get a full pedal until the rear wheels were set up using this tool. I havent used it on the front wheels yet but lately I notice there is a screeching sound coming from the front wheels under light braking so I will need to inspect.

Please explain the arc process using sandpaper?

 

Here is a photo of the 100 grit stickey-back sandpaper I put inside the drums. It is used in body work on rectangular rubber blocks. Fresh paper for each drum. I adjust the brake for that drum with a little extra clearance before putting the drum on, (sandpaper clearance). Mark the shoes with chalk.  Install the drum & oscillate back & forth, slightly adjusting the upper adjusters when the sandpaper quits making a sound. Pull the drum to see where the sanding has removed the chalk. Might have to adjust the lower anchor bolts to even out the sanding. I leave the lower bolts a little loose, but not tight, and adjust from the back of the backing plate. Note; on the rear wheels, turn the engine on & put it in low gear. It will take less time than the front.  You may have to adjust the drum you are not sanding a little on the tight side so the drum you are working on will turn. Hope this helps.

[nat]

On 2/20/2024 at 8:31 AM, dodge28 said:

The brake lining on my 28DB is asbestos

Under federal law, asbestos brake production is supposed to stop in 1993 and auto manufacturers are supposed to stop using it in new cars by 1995. By 1997, all asbestos brake linings are supposed to be off store shelves and out of new cars.Feb 14, 1991