300C Front Brakes (take 2)

["Mark Schueller" <f41324@xxxx>]

Greetings 300 Club Members:

Thanks to those who replied to my brake problem. Let me try to explain what's happening. My first attempt may not have been clear.

My 300C was pulling to the left when I test drove the car before buying it December of 2002. The seller said the car recently had a new brake job and I found the receipt to confirm it. The master cylinder was rebuilt too. I was hoping that after a little driving the brakes would free up and the problem would go away. :-) No such luck.

I then tore the front brakes down. The brake shoe linings looked pretty good but the inside of the right front drum was not smooth. It was a bit wavy (at a microscopic level). The machinist at NAPA had never seen that before. He then mic'd the drums and said they could be turned. So I had them turned. The machinist was out when I picked the drums up so I do not have the drum IDs. Hopefully they are both the same.

I then bought some old brake shoes from a club member in Brookfield, WI and had them relined. No one that I called arcs brake shoes any more. I was told that arcing went out with asbestos brake shoe linings. Can you imagine the asbestos brake shoe dust when shoes were arced 15-years ago? The newly restored shoes do not fit perfect to the drum. There is clearance at both ends when centered in the drum. I'll have to live with that and "break the shoes in".

I noticed that the right front brake shoe contacts the drum at the top end of the shoe (rather than the middle) when installed. It can be seen by rub marks when adjusting the brake. The front shoe won't center itself either like the right rear shoe does. Also, the front shoe doesn't adjust correctly. The adjusting cam needs to be backed off way to much for the shoe to come off the drum. That's why I think the brake shoe return spring is weak because the shoe is hanging up and not returning. The brake support plate is also suspect because the shoes could be hanging there when returning.

Wayne Graefen suggested replacing the front hoses. I will. It seems the inside of a hose can break down and prevent fluid from returning to the master cylinder. I heard that from others too. 

Joe McCormick gave me a lead on return springs from Northwestern Auto Supply in Grand Rapids, MI. I'll call them first thing in the morning. 

Any other comments are truly appreciated. Sorry this note got so long.

Mark Schueller 


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