Re: Brakes

Posted by PackardV8 On 2010/2/19 8:12:12

As Owen indicates above leading shoe and secondary shoe MIGHT have different material for linings. This can be the reason for different spring tensions. Look at sections XXI of the repair manual under brakes and material used.

HOWEVER, REPLACEMNT shoes may or may not be of different material. The materail and differences between primary and secondary shoes can vary from supplier to supplier. Also as Owen indicates the spring tension therefore may not be critical.

It's a crap shoot as to whether or not lining material varies and whether or not the spring tension between front and rear spring is an issue or not.

The short lining shoe goes to the front. Long lining shoe to the rear. THis is typical of all brakes i have seen across a wide variety of manufactueres and years. Springs are a crap shoot as to which spring goes where (relative to REPLACEMENT SHOES) and we need somekind of controlled rigorous test facilities to determine that.

***** Some (but not all) REPLACEMNT shoes have primary and secondary linings the same length. ******

The Short/long lining issue and the spring tension issue was what the factory did to FINE TUNE the brake system using KNOWN lining material.

50 years later we are using parts of different materials that may even vary from year to year or supplier to supplier. So the factory fine tuning for spring tension may not hold for us now.

Just put the short shoe to the front. Long shoe to the rear
and guess at the 2wo springs the best u can or according to Owens instruction/explanation above. If the replacment shoes u have are all the same lining length then front or rear shoe doesn't matter. IT will be just fine.

In some cases of linings all the same length then look at the lining material to see if there is conspicuous difference in the color of the lining or some other visual affect. In that case u will have to determine from supplier documentation that came with the shoes as which is front or rear shoe. I do not ever recall seeing shoes with all same length linings haveing any conspicuous variation in lining material nor any instructions that ever came with shoes to indicate any difference.