Re: '56 Brakes

Posted by Ross On 2013/10/11 7:30:07

Concerning your glazed rear linings: very important on any car with drum brakes is that the linings rest on the anchor pin when not in use.

Often the emergency brake adjustment is pulled up too far which holds the shoes away from the anchor; then the shoes are not centered up in the drum and you also will not get the self servo action they are supposed to provide.

Back off the equalizer in the center of the car till the cables are quite slack (and also, of course, free moving). Then do your normal adjustment at the wheel to your satisfaction. Afterwards adjust the equalizer till the slack is out of the cables and any lost motion in the mechanisms is taken up.

When this is done properly, there is never a need to tighten the equalizer as the linings wear and the handbrake becomes less effective; adjustment is always made at the wheel.


This may seem a minor point but I find it has a very large effect on the capacity of the brakes and I have sent many folks home with a big improvement in their brakes by means of ten minutes of adjusting.