Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I have been road testing my Super Clipper and the front left hand side brake is grabbing something fearful, the car pulls violently to the left.

The car has had a recent brake job as is evidenced by new linings, hoses, etc.

I removed the front left drum all appears OK however what is the correct color for the retaining springs? I have yellow on the primary / leading and orange the secondary / trailing shoes, also on the trailing shoe has a short green spring as well. I am yet to remove the right hand side drum.

I note the 51-54 manual has the yellow / orange spring colors the other way around?

Any advice most welcome, I have the car booked for a safety inspection tomorrow, so need to get it sorted ASAP.

Cheers
Lyndon

You are correct, the orange spring goes forward;it is lighter and lets the lead shoe go out first. To get you through the inspection, adjust the shoes out rather close to the drums. That will minimize the grabbing. I'm assuming all is clean and dry in there.

Later you will have to indulge in the rather elaborate procedure for centering the shoes in the drums correctly in order to get the best performance. That is elsewhere on this site, and I'm sure Howard can direct you.

G'day Lyndon,

Good luck on the inspection today. And a thought, have you checked the right front brake? If it has oil/grease on the linings it may not be working properly with the left front then doing all the work and "grabbing"?

Thanks for the responses guys, I will check the front right this morning.

Removed the right hand side wheel, and it has been set up with the springs in the reversed order as for the left hand side. Again new linings etc all looks good.

Unfortunately I decided to swap the springs around and one of the orange ones broke. Anybody know of the best place to get a replacement?

No safety check today!

Thanks
Lyndon

Lyndon,

Max has Brake Spring & Hardware Kits, Kanters and others may have them too.

Got a spring, who new that a Cadilac 68-76 rear spring is a perfect match.

Are there any tips for the major brake adjustment, or is this described somewhere earlier on the forums? I followed the manual, but the results are still not perfect.