Re: Need Advice-Rear Brake Blunder!

Posted by Bob Carabbio on May 22, 1998 at 15:45:48

In Reply to: Need Advice-Rear Brake Blunder!
posted by Fred Murphy on May 22, 1998 at 15:19:41

Hey Fred - Did I ever tell you about the time I greased the front wheels of my Tudor with Silicone Heat sink compound?? Lasted almost 5 miles before eating my bearings.
First off, the levers for the rear brakes should be in front of the rear axle housings.The front most lever should be the long one for the foot brake, and it should have a bend out toward the backing plate at the end where the pull-rod hooks. The other lever that's closer to the axle housing is the Emergency brake, and should be shorter .Both levers point up.
Inside the drum the cam for the brake should be installed so that the ramp on the cam which expands the shoes does so when the long lever is pulled toward the front of the car.Sounds like yours may be in so that the ramp is facing the wrong way.
The levers are right and left, but the shafts are the same for both sides.If the foor brake levers is slanted toward the front of the car, with the cam up against the rollers,but not expanding them yet, then the're on the wrong side,they should slant back toward the rear of the car somewhat.
The foot brake pull rod goes from the long lever, to the top lever on the cross shaft.The bottom lever in the cross shaft goes to the front axle.The E-Brake hooks to what's left.
Bratton's book has a nice exploded drawing of the rear brake assy.

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