Patrick,
I rebuilt my brakes this summer. The front shoe on each side is the
"primary". In other words, it is supposed to do most of the braking.
If you examine the brakes closely, you will see that the wheel cylinder
is not fastened to the backing plate, it is supposed to float. When
the brakes are applied, the front shoe moves forward, and when it
contacts the drum, the wheel cylinder moves backward and thus brings
the rear shoe into contact with the drum. The rear shoe should be
essentially upside down from the front. Actually, if memory serves,
it is rotated 180 degrees around the axle.
I will try to find my shop manual and scan it into the computer
tonight. That is if I can get my scanner running. I will send
you a copy of the relevant pages.
Cheers,
Doug Mitchell
mailto:dmitchel@ismi.net
mailto:dmitchel@ford.com
'73 Spitfire 1500
-----Original Message-----
From: Bowen, Patrick A RP2 [mailto:PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 1:50 PM
To: 'Dean Dashwood'; spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Brakes
It is my understanding from the last few posts that one of the brake shoes
is mounted upside down???
Please someone clarify, symetrical/asymetrical, upside down or not.
Patrick Bowen
-----Original Message-----
From: Dean Dashwood [mailto:ddashwoo@ect.enron.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 12:28 PM
To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Brakes
I recently replaced by shoes+drums, and had absolutely no problems fitting
the
drums back on.
I made a drawing of the location of everything before I started. One of the
shoes is upside-down, and I believe the return springs go through different
holes in each of the two shoes.
Don't know if anyone remembers that I was asking about clutch problems a
while
ago. Well, I decided to take it into the garage and let someone who knows
what
they're doing have a look at it, so I won't have the car until the end of
the
week now, and the brake drawing is in the car. (If anyone's interested, the
clutch problems turned out to be a completely shot slave cylinder, poor
seals in
the master cylinder, and an oval-shaped clevis-pin-hole in the pedal.)
But if anyone thinks it will help, e-mail me and I'll try to do an ASCII-art
reproduction of my drawing once I get it back.
Dean
-----------
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 08:30:34 -0800
From: "John Weber" <weberjm@teleport.com>
Subject: Re: Brakes
Helllo,
Just rebuilt my left rear.
Did the brakes at the same time.
I noticed that the Haynes manual had a picture of them with the drum removed
and that there was a blurb in the text about the installation of the shoes
NOT being symetrical (sp?).
On disassembly, I noted that the shoes were identical, and that the PO had
installed them symmetrically(sp?).
I reinstalled the entire thing IAW Haynes, and the drum goes on nicely
(although tight, adjuster full out). The only difference I could discern on
the picture was that the trailing shoe was upside down (?) from the leading
shoe.
This may affect you as well.
|