Re: Adjusting Brakes for a 39 – 41 Ford
Thought I'd give those kind enough to help an update. Couldn't locate the issue, so I decided to do a complete rebuild. In the process, I learned I had a multitude of issues. The cam washers on the anchor pins were .015 undersize of the shoe metal. Tightening the anchor pins inconsistently was causing mixed reactions when trying to locate what I thought was a single problem. I made washers .025 that prevents the shoes from locking the shoes based on the pressure of the anchor pins. Also, the shoes were not arched. In fact, they were way out due to too many turning of the drums. I cut off a grade 8, 5/16" bolt to a total length of a little over 1/2". With a hydraulic press, it was easy to press dimples along the inside edge of the brake shoe to stretch the shoe to an almost perfect position. Light sanding of the liners made a perfect arching of the drum. Total cost for this fix was less than $1.50 and about 5 minutes per shoe. I purchased a remanufactured master cylinder to install. Mine was, in fact, sticking and not releasing the pressure properly. In the for-what-it's-department, the yellow instructions are the best. With properly arched shoes, adjusting the anchor pins and cams is much simpler when adding hydraulic pressure. Time will tell if I have really solved all my problems. The best advice I got was to pull everything apart, study how every part works until it is fully understood, then mic everything to make sure all parts are compatible. It's been a project. Thought it was going to be a simple adjustment. Wow, was I wrong. Thanks again for all the help. It was definitely appreciated.
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