[Purdy Swoft]

A 15* forward lean to the front brake levers allows the lever to pull through an arc. Pulling through an arc gives the needed leverage. Centering the shoes gives equal contact with the drums when the brakes are applied. If the shoes are way off center it will cause drag at one point or another inside the drum, or installation of the drum may not be even possible. I usually build up the tracks with welt and grind as needed to center the shoes. The older guys that worked on model A's in the day told me that they bent the tracks. Channel lock pliers work well. The tracks don't necessarily have to be parallel with the ground. The roller pins don't travel the full length of the tracks. The area that the pins move is what is important , where the brake tracks are concerned . If you study worn brake tracks you will see that the dipped or wear spots on the brake tracks are not that wide. I gas weld the worn spots on the tracks and proceed as necessary to center the shoes . A brake centering tool of some type will be needed. I use the one from Snyders PN A-2020 price $39.95 .