brake help

[lane620]

I bought some new brake shoes for my 69 c10.it has drum brakes on the front.I installed one side with the thicker shoe to the rear.when I went to install the other side (still with the thicker shoe to the rear) when I rotate the drum it spins freely backwards but when I rotate the hub forward it immediately stops.my adjuster is as tight as it will go it will not go any closer together.

[imjeff]

There's a long and short shoe on each side. Sounds like you got two shorts on one side and two longs on the other.

[lane620]

The long shoes are alot thicker than the short shoes.are all the shoes supposed to have the same thickness pads?

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Take a coarse file or sand paper & file a bevel on the edge of each lining. They used to cam grind shoes at the factory & they seated real well after a few hundred miles. They don't do that any more & the edges can dig in to the drum.

[JimKshortstep4x4]

The long shoes go to the rear and the short shoes go toward the front.

With the drums off make sure that the shoes are seated and centered and the brake cylinder pistons are completely retracted.

Jim

[TBONE1964]

Do you use the park brake? If not, remove the strut bar and make sure the park brake cable is not holding the shoe away from the anchor pin.

If you are using the park brake, it sounds like the adjustment is too tight. The park brake cable adjustment, if it is too tight, will hold the shoe out regardless of where the regular self adjuster is.

Hope this helps.

[cdowns]

you should have the cover off the master cylinder while changing shoes to allow the cylinders to be bottomed out

[lane620]

I haven't tried them today but I have the long shoe in the rear an the short shoe in the front.everything is bottomed out the drum spins free an clear when turned in reverse but it won't make a quarter of a turn forward an it stops.u can't make it rotate forwArd but it spins like a top backward.

[67chevy1]

Sounds like maybe 1 of your retention springs have came off and is not pulling the shoe back to the retracted position.

[68gmsee]

Are you saying the shoe lining is thicker on the longer one than the shorter one? I've replaced several brake shoes but never really noticed one thicker than the other.

Might need to take them back and exchange them or go to a different brand.

[TBONE1964]

Look at the photo I posted. Do you have this bar in place that the red arrow is pointing too? If it is there, remove it and put the drum back in place and see if you can turn it freely in both directions.

Also if that bar is in place look at the front (short) shoe and see if it is resting on the anchor pin (blue arrow) or if there is a gap. If there is a gap there, remove the bar.

If you do not use your parking brake, there is no need for this bar. That is it's only purpose in there is to push the front brake shoe into the drum when the park brake is activated.

That bar has caused more GM rear brake problems than any other single brake part in the system.

[hamjet]

Originally Posted by TBONE1964

Look at the photo I posted. Do you have this bar in place that the red arrow is pointing too? If it is there, remove it and put the drum back in place and see if you can turn it freely in both directions.

Also if that bar is in place look at the front (short) shoe and see if it is resting on the anchor pin (blue arrow) or if there is a gap. If there is a gap there, remove the bar.

If you do not use your parking brake, there is no need for this bar. That is it's only purpose in there is to push the front brake shoe into the drum when the park brake is activated.

That bar has caused more GM rear brake problems than any other single brake part in the system.

I think the OP is just talking about the front wheels...

[lane620]

Yes,it's on the front wheels an yes the rear shoe has a lot thicker pad.I'll post a pic tomorrow

[TBONE1964]

Well then, that will teach me to pay more attention to what I am reading . Your problem is more common on rear brakes than front.

Can you post photos of your brakes as they are installed now, with out the drum. I am curious to see this thickness difference in front to rear.

If I were you, I would go back to the parts store (if you bought them local) and see if they have another set and compare them to what you have now.

There should not be a noticeable difference in shoe thickness front to rear. It sound like you may have got a set that is mixed up for some reason.

Thank you hamjet for pointing that out.

Keep us posted.
Tom

[lane620]

Here is my new shoes I cant get to work.you can see one is thicker.

[67chevy1]

I think tbone is right because I just put a set of brakes on my 67 and there wasn't enough difference in the 2 sides to tell by the naked eye, but even in the pick I can see the difference in yours.

[hamjet]

can you take a pix of the brake setup with all the hardware installed? Maybe you're missing something someone else will spot... it just does'nt make sense why it spins freely one way and not the other....the direction it does spin freely, is there any drag at all?

[truckdude239]

Drums out of round

[lane620]

Originally Posted by hamjet

can you take a pix of the brake setup with all the hardware installed? Maybe you're missing something someone else will spot... it just does'nt make sense why it spins freely one way and not the other....the direction it does spin freely, is there any drag at all?

The direction it spins freely their is absolutely no drag.it spins nice an smooth but you turn it the other direction it comes to a halt with less than a quarter turn.I took them off tonight an put my worn out ones back on just to try an they work great other than not much life left in them.I'm going to try to get back to the auto parts store an see if all the shoes are like mine.