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1954 chevy brake trouble

S

Steven w

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Hello guys, does anyone know if the shoes on the front of the truck with the long lining go towards the front of the truck and the shoe with the smaller lining goes toward the back. I also heard that each side is different, is this true. Same question for the rear. Also does the socket and star wheel need to have the star portion pointed toward the front of the truck, or the rear? Any help would be great.:(
 
The shoe with the longer lining always goes on the rear of each wheel. The adjusting wheel is installed where the teeth are aligned with the hole in the back plate that you put your tool into, to adjust the brakes after assembly. If the adjusting slot is nearer the front, the adjusting 'star' goes near the front, or if the slot is nearer the rear of the backing plate, the adjusting 'star' goes nearer the rear of the backing plate. Hope this is helpful.
 
Thank you so much!! I've been reading the manual on the truck and trying to figure it out. I was thinking what you just said, but I wasn't 100% sure. When I took everything apart to replace with new parts everything was missmatched so I couldn't go from that.
Now I'm having trouble getting the rear brakes back together if I have the parking brake hooked up.
 
Making It Easy

Yes ! go buy a pair of " Brake Spring Pliers " ~ long tong looking things , one arm will have a groove in it used to lever those PIA springs up and over the mounting pin , and the other arm will be hooked , one end should have a little tang on it to work the springs off the post .

I have NO IDEA how to explain their use but when my then 12 Y.O. Son told me he was off to do a brake job on a '64 Mustang , I handed him my best pair and when I came home that night he'd figured them out and said he had a new appreciation for my holding onto all those weird looking special tools over the years....
 
Hello Nate, I can get all the shoes and springs on just fine. The trouble I'm having is when I have the parking brake hooked up to the rear shoes and I put all the springs and everything on then I can't get the drum on. I guess the shaft that goes between the parking brake lever (the lever that bolts to the rear shoe) and the front shoe won't let the shoes close up all the way. So I can't get the drum on. =(
 
dumb question. Is the E brake on our off ? E brake should always be off because it allows the cable to slack.
 
I Think

(yes , I know this is a dangerous thing)

But , I think maybe posting up a picture of where you're at might be helpful , my bet is : one piece of brake linkage is incorrectly assembled .

Possibly you have over sized brake linings that need " Arcing " before the drum will fit but I don't think those are still made....
 
Make sure the adjusting wheel is turned in far enough, probably not necessary to close up all the way, as this will require a LOT of adjusting with the adjusting tool later. See that the parking brake cable moves freely also.
 
Brake adjuster

I remember >40-yrs ago, that you have to run the adjuster all the way in, First. After you get it back on adjust it back up to where you can feel drag when you turn the wheel. A few trys and you will be able to tell how much more tight you need to keep it from pulling to the right or left. A few stops and it will be just right.
 
Brake Adjusting

It is VERY important to only adjust the brakes when the drums are cold to the touch and once you hear the shoe lightly dragging as you spin the wheel , back off the adjuster star one or two clicks until the ' SHH ' noise stops ~ this is important as that little touch prevents the drums from dissapating heat quickly as you're driving .
 
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