55 2nd 3100 front brake drums

[capnduane]

Got a new set of brake drums for the front of my 55 2nd 3100. The original drums are held on to the hubs with rivets. I think a PO has ground the rivet heads off to clear aluminum wheels. The shop manual says to press rivets out and re install rivets, and peen with special tool. It looks to me that one could omit the rivets, as the 6 wheel lugs will locate the drum just like the rear drums are?

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Absolutely. The rivets hold them together for shipping & factory assembly. The wheels & lug nuts will work perfect.

[dwcsr]

You could most likely do that as long as you omit the drum to hub gasket. Its most likely gone now but it was there for vibration damping.

[capnduane]

Thanks for the confirmation, guys. Received the new shoes today, so I'm ready to redo the brakes on the '55 Task Force..... If it ever stops raining here in sunny California!

[dsraven]

just be sure that the drum centre hole fits the hub centre properly. if it is sloppy it may give you trouble. that is what centres the drum and then the wheels hold the drum on. use a little antisieze compound on the hub flange so you can get the drums off next time.
do you have the dual system brake mster cylinder upgrade? maybe a good time to think about it if not. otherwise all the brakes run off the same circuit and if there is a problem, like a leak, you lose all the brakes at the same time
I'm not sure of your mrechanical prowess, but just in case,and this is not a completely thorough list but a start

-check the whole brake system from the pedal down to ensure there is no worn out linkages, bushings or missing return springs. also that the pedal arm is not rubbing on the floor where it goes through

-before you assemble the shoes to the backing plates, check to ensure the backing plates are not worn or grooved out where the shoes contact the plate. if they are then the new shoes will tend to fall into that groove and it will be hard to get them to operatre properly

-check for rusty (especially near the connection points) or worn (where they are clamped to the frame) brake lines and also soft, chaffed or cracked brake hoses

-check the brake hardware for wear and springs that have lost their tension. hardware kits are usually pretty cheap

-pull back the lips of the wheel cylinders and check for a leaky piston. if it is wet behind the piston seals then you may need a new wheel cylinder. if one is shot the rest are usually not far behind

-put a dab of synthetic brake grease on the shoes to backing plate contact areas

-put some antisieze on the threads of the adjuster and ensure it turns freely through the entire range of threads

-assemble everything, check for operation of the wheel cylinders, pistons ability to move in and out through their range of motion, by simply moving the shoes back and forth at the adjuster end of the shoes. that usually makes the piston end of the shoes go in and out of the wheel cylinder. at this point the pistons should be all the way in because the shoe return springs should do that for you. adjust the new shoes. then step on the brakes and recheck the adjustment. this helps to centre the shoes. adjust as erequired

-adjust the rear shoes make sure the park brake is backed off because that can make a difference to the adjustment. nsure all the linkage moves freely and adjust the park brake after the service brakes are adjusted properly.

-bleed all the brakes so you have nice fresh fluid at each bleeder. start at the bleeder farthest away from the master cylinder. top up the master when done

-when you step on the pedal you should have a nice firm pedal with a single pedal application. no pumping the pedal to get the brakes to work. also, when applied, the pedal should stay at the same height and not slowly fade to the floor. if that happens it is usually the master cylinder bypassing and it would require a replacement

[mr48chev]

Read what DS Raven posted in post 5 through a couple of times as that pretty well nails it.

Especially the part about dressing the spots on the backing plate where the shoes make contact. The new shoes will hang up on those ridges if they aren't smoothed out.

[dsraven]

thanks mr48. I had a complete copy and paste blurb written up somewhere for general brake repairs but lost it somewhere. this was a quick basics thing.
hope it helps somebody
remember, you can have all the GO you want but you gotta have an equal share of STOP to match up. it's easier on the seat covers.

[capnduane]

Thank you dsraven for the tips and tricks. Been doing my own work and repairs on my vehicles all my life. Starting with my first 56 chevy drag racer and thru my desert motorcycle racing career, and mountain biking, and RC gas powered giant scale aircraft. That being said, never too old to learn new ideas! Was a construction carpenter and contractor for 49 years. Always had a ear open for a good idea from my crew, and always gave them credit for them. I usually put grease on the adjuster threads, kinda habit from my bicycle work where you grease just about everything! I refreshed the brakes (new shoes, master cylinder, wheel cylinders, hoses, new fluid) when I got my '55 pickup running and driving 3 years ago. I used the old drums, they looked not so good but usable. My brakes are working fine, just want to freshen them up with new drums and shoes. As an aside, one of your fellow Calgary people is my snow bird neighbor, and good friend, flat track champion and rancher, business man, Royal Adderson. He's one hell of a mechanic also!

[mr48chev]

As they said the main thing is to make sure the drums fit tight on the hub. If they are a bit loose they will never be perfectly centered.

[Coupeguy2001]

axle torque is 33 foot lbs.