'69 225 brakes

[Guest wildcat65401]

hi all,<BR> i just changed the front brake shoes on my '69 electra . <BR> now my brake pedal seems to go down <BR> too far .<BR> what have i forgotten to do?<BR> also the pedal say "disc" but they're not????? <BR> its a '69 225 limited , with all the options!<BR> anyway thanks a million, <BR> see ya later.<BR> paul.

[Guest wildcat65401]

well Tom ,<BR> the drum on the left has two pretty bad scores one of which is quite deep .<BR> i put it back on anyway because my wildcat is not driveable yet {carb popping} so the electra is my only set of wheels for now . any idea how much a new drum is gonna set me back or a good place to start looking ?<BR> thanks for the help.<BR> paul mc quillan.

[rocketraider]

As late as last year Raybestos listed 65-70 GM B&C body brake drums as still available new. Don't know if they've obsoleted them yet.<P>Just curious- you've bled the system completely? Shoes are adjusted properly? Seems like I remember some late 60s GM cars just had low pedals, no matter what you did. My folks had a 68 ElCamino and 69 Impala, both non-power drums, that were both like that from new.

[Guest]

Brake drums that are worm beyond their limit will cause a low brake pedal. I would check that first.

[Guest wildcat65401]

hey rocket,<P> okay you caught me . i am gonna adjust the shoes today [lightning storm in middle of job made it look like mudstock]<BR> and I'm not sure i know how to bleed the system . i have the service man so I'll check it out . it being the brakes i dont want to leave anything to chance .<BR> do you know how i can get in touch with raybestos , also is it okay to replace just one drum ?<BR> thanks for your help.<BR> paul.

[ducenqtr69]

Paul, If u read the Shop Manual It states that the brake Peddel Is set Lower because of the Desire for the driver to Have the Brake and Accell/Foot Peddes to be Aprox Same level , so as Not ot have to lift the foot from the Floor to reach/activate either one , My 69 225 4 dr Has Always had Lower PAD/peddel than the other Cars I've Driven < like noted if u do a Brake JOB Bleed the lines, an YES both front Drums/Disc Must be replaced , An Be same Condition , Other wise u could have 1 wheel Binding up or Not being equalContact/ while Appling/brake pressure, Bad Vibs from the Whole System, also note the propronial/ valve / just below the Master Cyl mounted on the Frame , Could allow Different Peddle Feel due to UNEQUAL brake pressure to all 4 wheels ,GOOD luck keep em rolling , TEC

[Guest wildcat65401]

hey there<BR>at last someonen else with a 4dr 69 electra.<BR> thanks for the info . i'm learnin . slowly but i am . <BR> i just needb to get the new drum and bleed the system , then all will be well.<BR> see ya later

[NTX5467]

While the "ideal" way would be to replace the drums as a set, that's not always necessary. In theory, the larger drum would have a larger "lever arm" for the shoes to work against (with greater braking force) but I rather doubt the extra .040" would really be significant. What would be is the friction surface characteristics of the two drums. But with some careful applications to burnish the friction surfaces and shoes in after installation, that issue should be minimized too.<P>New drums, due to their being warehoused vertically or dropped somewhere along the line, sometimes are not completely round and can cause a pulsation. Then they have to be cut to be completely round again. So you again end up with having drums that are not exact matches in internal diameter side to side. My suggestion on new drums with a pulsation would be to put some miles on them like that to season then before cutting them to get rid of the pulsation. Just like using a seasoned engine block for a rebuild versus a green, new block. <P>Having mentioned these things, it might be best to try to use your existing drums provided you don't exceed the Max Dia. spec cast into the drum on its outer surface and make sure both the friction surfaces are of the same quality.<P>To expedite the adjustment process, you can get one of those inside/outside brake size tools to do the initial setup. Much easier and quicker. From there, the self adjusters should pickup up the rest of the situation.<P>The initial bleeding can be done at the wheel with one of the hand vacuum pump kits. This way, you pull the fluid through the system at each wheel (and can do it by yourself). Initially, the factory pulls a vacuum on the system at the master cylinder before the fluid goes in. Make sure you don't run the master cylinder dry in the process too.<P>Just some thoughts . . .<P>NTX5467