Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Is their a NAPA number or other make/model vehicle's front brake shoes that can also be used on a senior 1956?

The brake shoes fit Packard only and do not interchange with any other make. They are similar to older Cadillacs but are reinforced on both shoes while Cadiullacs are not, thus they do not interchange.

If the shoes are in good enough shape to be relined, there is a place in Pittsburgh that can probably do the job. Had some shoes done a year or two ago. The shop even still had some asbestos linings. Send me a PM if interested.

Bernardi

Some of the Napa's will also reline your existing shoes as a service.

Some of the Napa's will also reline your existing shoes as a service.

As will any good automotive brake shop, though if the old linings are asbestos they almost certainly will not remove the old lining. Also several places advertise in Hemmings that will reline old shoes. But for most of us with 56 Seniors, the simplist way is to just buy new lined shoes from Kanter's, no cores required.

What if the old lining is metallic and the new lining is asbestos? I have NOS Packard lining and I am going to have that lining placed on a spare pair of shoes.

Randy, your old "metallic" lining could also be asbestos-containing. You might find some specialty brake shop willing to work with asbestos, either legally or not, but I think you should be prepared to remove the old lining yourself and drill/countersink and rivet the new linings yourself as well.

If you find a shop willing to handle the asbestos, I suggest you measure your brake drums and if they have been turned oversize, give either the drums or the measurements to the shop and have the new shoes arc-ground to match.

As most everyone here knows, "asbestos" brake linings contain some asbestos, but no way could asbestos be a major structural material in a brake shoe lining. Old brakes used some asbestos mixed in the composite material. Now, the composite has got other stuff like metal and who knows what all... probably not great to ingest, either.

I have no quarrel with getting asbestos away from us. I think it's harmful stuff. But it still strikes me as strange that I've never heard of asbestosis being a problem for older auto mechanics, many of whom handled asbestos brake linings for decades. The most dangerous part of the process must have been scuffing the ends of the linings. Done on a bench grinder, the wire brush wheel created clouds of dust aimed right at the operator's face. Practically nobody wore masks back then, or even goggles most of the time. Foolhardy, but speed was of the essence and "all that stuff took time."

As far as simply removing an old asbestos-containing lining from a shoe so you can replace it, I personally would not hesitate to do it myself. Gloves, a good disposable mask, maybe wet the material down first,. Do the work inside a heavy plastic bag, so all debris lands inside, close the bag leaving the gloves and mask inside, and take it down to your hazardous waste disposal site. Done deal.

Fred Kanter probably has experience with a process that they use to clean up old shoes, and could shed some firsthand knowledge on how it's done in quantity.

Randy, I drilled out the rivets on my old shoes and the linings came off intact. There was no breakage on any of the 4 shoes. I did this outside and put them into a plastic bag and taped it shut. The new original Packard Marshall linings rivet on easily with no airborn flakes of anything flying about. Just buy a brake riveting tool and do it yourself in about an hour. However if someone "bonded" linings on your spare set of shoes, then you may have asbesoes problems. Remember Packard never supplied bonded shoes, maybe it was for a reason.

I'd imagine that alot of the dust exposure from servicing brakes is less nasty than handling asbestos pipe insulation day in - day out. Another factor is that most mechanics are individuals working in small private shops. That's different "press" & representation compared to say, a large group of unionized factory workers in a specific industry.
You'll hear more about 400 workers filing a class action lawsuit over asbestos health problems vs. ol' Bob the retired mechanic who has "taken ill".

When I stop & think about riveted vs bonded, I can't think of too many "old" cars that had bonded linings - maybe VW beetles & some other imports. I'd always considered bonding to be a "recent" technology.