Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

G'day Guys, I need some expert advice about the front shoe set-up for my Patrician. I have just had the drums machined and the shoes relined and am having difficulty in getting the brakes adjusted properly, even after bedding them in for a 1,000+ Km's (600 miles). They pull to the left slightly on application and I'm finding each time I adjust them I'm having to back-off 20+ clicks to get the wheels turning freely.

It has been suggested I might have put the shoes on back to front and was referred to Plate 14 in the Parts Manual. However, that diagram is inconclusive as it doesn't say whether it is a left front or right front. I have put the smaller length lining to the front (primary) as that's how I've interpreted how it should be. Also, because I thought the springs might be a problem I bought a full set from Oldtime Parts on Ebay and have fitted them, but no difference. Interestingly, these springs are all coloured orange, not like the originals which are orange and yellow, but seem a lot stronger than the old ones.

The bearings are almost new and tomorrow I propose to take the drums off and to see if I can see anything obvious. It was also suggested I make sure the new linings were tapered on each end and if not, I'll remove them and take the corners off. This is very perplexing as I didn't have any problem adjusting the old linings. By the way, the drums, and shoes were marked before reconditioning and have been refitted as removed, and the cylinders were reconditioned some time ago and new hoses fitted. Cheers, John

I would put the original return springs back on - orange on primary shoe. Did you lubricate (sparingly) the ledges on the backing plate that the shoes rest on? I always adjust the shoes until I just can't turn the wheel and back off seven clicks. If you are backing off much more than seven (20??) then something else is wrong. How much did they remove when cutting the drums? The manual gives very good directions for adjusting the brakes.
Six hundred miles is not a lot of driving to bed the lining if you didn't have it arced, and most places don't (can't) do that anymore.

John, when they relined the shoes, did they then radius grind them to match the diameter of the newly machined drums? Waz.

Be sure your tire pressure is equal on all tires.

G'day Men, first I should give you a little more background. When I bought the car about 5 years ago it had a slight tug to the right when the brakes were applied. When the wheel cylinders were recoe'd I noticed the right hand drum was scored radially around the centre but didn't do anything about it then. This prompted me recently to reco the front drums and linings to address the problem. The drums were still considered standard with plenty of meat on them and from what I was told, very little metal was machined out of them. The shoes were radially ground (hopefully the right radius) as well so all seems to have be done properly.

I was told that the scored drum was unlikely to have caused the tug to the right as it was pretty minor and that the linings had worn around it. Sooo, I reassembled everything back where it belonged with the exception of the primary and secondary springs, which I swapped from wheel to wheel, still keeping orange to primary and yellow to secondary. Apart from the adjustment issues, I found out that I now had a tug to the left. This suggested a weak spring/s and I then bought the new springs and fitted them, but still no change - quite perplexing to this old fella let me tell you.

I'm running 235 x 75 Diamondback whitewall radials and try to keep them all at 35 psi.

The one thing I didn't do which Randy asked about was lubricate the backing plate and I will do that, although I'm not sure what to use that's suitable for brakes. The manual refers to Lubriplate but I've never heard of it before. Any clues? What I might also do is swap the new orange secondary springs with the old yellow ones and see what happens. As you know, the main problem with experimenting like this is the skinned knuckles from trying to remove and refit strong springs. Thanks once again for all suggestions.

First off, I would get a brake spring removal tool. Cheap and great for removing and installing springs. I also use a trick of securing the shoes in place with a nylon ratchet strap around the shoes to temporarily hold them in place to facilitate installation of the springs.

Secondly, did you replace the hoses? A restricted or swollen hose, or balooning one on one side can cause an imbalance.

Thanks Joey, some good tips there - I follow-up on them. Yep, the hoses were replaced about 18 months ago so should still be OK. I've done some research and found out that Bendix makes a ceramic "grease" suitable for backing plates so I'll get some of that today as well and start work tomorrow. Regards, John

I used a ceramic brake grease that was available from the local auto part store. I think it was purple in color.

As to lubricating the backing plate "ledges", "Lubriplate" was a trade-named "white grease", still commonly available from several manufacturers like Pennzoil. Another and perhaps better product for that application is Sta-Lube SL3303, often found at NAPA and other better auto parts stores.

PS - as to the brake pulling to one side, having apparently eliminated most other common reasons, have you considered a front end alignment issue?

Thanks Men, I'll head out to the auto stores today and seek out the right sort of lubricant available downunder. If I can find the Bendix ceramic stuff then that's probably the best solution.

Owen, regarding the wheel alignment, I actually had one done about two weeks ago, and was told that it was close and didn't need much adjustment. However, I did this as the steering was drifting to the left and when the brakes were applied, an additional tug to the left could be felt. The drift was reduced a little after the wheel alignment but not eliminated, which bought me back to thinking the brakes were the main culprit. Today the plan is to dismantle the brakes, make sure the linings are tapered on the ends and then reassemble using lubricant and reverting back to the yellow springs for the secondaries. We'll be going to the All American Car Rally on Sunday so will give her a test run then and I'll report back how she went. Regards, John