i have a 1974 ford f-100 with front disc and rear drums and its manual with no brake booster. the rear drums are dragging and i cant figure out why. ive replaced the master cylinder twice, the pro- valve once, the rear rubber flex line, the wheel cylinders and even some of the hard line. i really have no clue with that to do next. the parking brake was adjusted before the dragging started. and it dosent feel like its too tight. i had a problem with the rears locking up untill i changed the master (again). now they dont lock up, but they still drag.

 

did you adjust the shoes yet or not?

 

adjust how?? with the adjuster down at the bottom, between the bottoms of the shoes. if so, yes. i made sure it was all the way down so i could slip the drum over the new shoes. it went on with no problems. however my adjuster is really worn down. with no sharp edges left. would that cause the brakes to over adjust???? anyone sell new ones??

 

just tighten the shoes all the way. then back them off 'til there is no more rub anymore.

 

ill look and see if it need adjustment today, and check back tommorrow.
thanks for the help

 

Might want to do a visual check of the steel line from the valve all the way back. Years ago I got tripped up with a car that had the same problem. Turns out a tree limb was run over and it actually managed to whack the steel line. Put a nice crease into it. Hit the pedal with the high pressure? And it applied the brakes. Release the pedal? The crease restricted the flow to the point the wheel cylinders didn't retract as they should.

Adjuster 'kits' are available at most auto parts houses (you'll probably need to know your drum specs) They are not to bad..But I'd also suggest replacement of all the springs (aka--hardware kit) while you have it apart.

Quick and dirty check to see if the springs are toasted? Drop one on a tile or concrete floor. You'll hear either a high pitched springy sound (which means the spring is decent--no heavy metal fatigue) Or a dull thud...(which means the spring is roasted...heavy metal fatigue and won't have the 'pull' to bring the shoes back to the home position).

Just a couple of ideas...

S-

 

A new hardware kit (springs) is what I thought of too. the springs are what pull the shoes back of the drum when the hydraulic pressure is released.

 

Yep... One thing important to note? It is needed to clean the crud off the backing plate "boss" areas where the shoes ride on. It's possible to do this using a wire brush, but extreme care MUST be taken. Brake dust is very very NASTY stuff. Hose the area down with brake cleaner and keep it wet while cleaning. This will keep the dust down, in addition use a paper filter mask to ensure you do not breath any of that gunk in.

Once the boss plate areas are cleaned up? Any decent brake lube can be used to lightly coat the boss plates (there are 3 for each shoe).

S-

 

sorry ive been gone a while. the springs are fine. putting them back on was a pain. i looked at all the lines and none are kinked or bent. i did end up replacing the line that runs on the frame rail. ill look at them again to day to see if they are really dirty.

thanks for all the help.

 

Are you sure the shoes are on correctly? You do know there is a primary and a secondary shoe for each side. I don't mean to insult you but I have seen shoes put on backwards.
Also with the right tools the brake springs are a piece of cake, you should try a Chevy sometime.

 

they might be backwards. how can i tell? both looked alike.

 

Well if every thing that has already been mentioned has been done check the parking brake cables they get dirt in them and get hun g up as well.

 

This just I think answered a lot of the questions. Both look alike? There is a high chance in this case that both primary shoes are on the same side, and both secondary shoes are on the same side. There should be a noticeable difference between the shoes lining. The steel backing will look the same as a rule, however the actual lining on the primary shoe should be about 2 inches SHORTER! then the secondary shoe! The shorty goes to the front, and the long goes towards the rear.

It's very possible that either the last shop that did the install messed up the brake shoes---or if these came off the shelf at the local auto house? They could have very easily been mis-packaged.

S-

 

holy crap!!!!!!! this is really something i should have known!!!!!!!!!!
i didnt check to measure thickness. i just thought they were both the same. will have to check. can i just swap them or will i have to get a new set?
also, is there going to be any serious damage or parts to replace (like drums?) or is that just a "look and see" kind of thing?

thanks for the help! i love this site!

 

It's not the thickness of the lining, as they are pretty much the same. The actual length of the material that is attached to the steel backing is different. One shoe will have probably lining to about 1/2" or so from each end. The other shoe (the primary) will have the lining to about 2" away from the end. It's one of those things that you'll know what we are talking about when you see 'em.

Yeah it's gonna be a 'look and see' thing. However I would not suspect anything long term or harmful at this point. (hard to do without seeing it) As a test to see what they should look like? Call around to the local parts houses and see if any have a set of rear shoes hanging around. You'll be able to see first hand with all the shoes out in the open on the counter what's the primary and secondary shoe. (which you might wind up buying if the shoes installed got mixed up in packing.)

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