Rob,
"Off the record", only within the last few year has anyone been seriously
concerned with maximum oversizing and undersizing of brake drums and rotors
(within logical reason) and it stems from liability issues and not with
functionality issues for Rootes Group cars brakes. All of our cars have
plenty of surplus range of travel designed into the adjustment devices on
front and rear drum cars. I have seen Alpines with Girling brakes that have
had Minx type Lockheed rotors installed without a problem. Lockheed rotors
are about 2/3 as thick to start...this is a trick used to lighten a Tiger for
drag racing.
On the other hand, Suburu uses an unsafe design: when the rotors and pads
are consumed, Subarus have a nasty habit of dropping a brake pad backing
plate into traffic: the next time the brakes are applied, the pedel goes to
the floor, when the caliper piston leaves its bore!
The typical error the home mechanic makes when replacing brake shoes is
to forget to have the new linings "arced" to the drums: the "shape" of the
lining must match the "shape" of the drum for complete contact, otherwise
there is only heel-and-toe or center contact of the shoe lining to the drum.
Your local brake shop can do this for you.
Jim Leach, PTC Seattle
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