Nothing seems to be simple do it?
First of all, 55-56 brakes are of the Wagner Lockeed non servo type.
Well almost.
My Raybestos brake manual says that SOME Dogdes and all Chrysler and DeSoto in
56 used the Chrysler Center plane total contact brake. Plymouth still used the
Wagner system as did some Dogdes.
Note the article quoted is for the wagner lockheed units which is correct for
the 55-56 Plymouth of both 10 and 11 inch brakes.
Method of adjustment for the two different brake types is just that,
Different.
back to the 55-56 Plymouth in question-
While the recommended procedure from WPC seems to be fine, I think there are
some inherent problems.
First, if you wannt cut that slot into the adjuster bolt, make it virtually in
the same direction as the arrow is. In other words, when the arrow is
parralel to the ground the slot should be parallel to the ground. THIS IS
BECAUSE the starting point for a major adjustment is for the arrows to be
pointing at each other!!!!! No other location will do! In the case of front
wheels, the top arrows point each to the wheel cylinder right next to it. For
rears, they just point to each other. Now you start your adjustment
procedure.
What U R doing is setting the anchor end of the shoes at minimum and then
moving them out from that minimum point to get the recommended clearance.
After U have established that point U can go to the adjusters at midpoint of
the backer plate and adjust for the loose end of the shoe. This is of course
a minor adjustment, the major portion having already been made. U may find
that after U adjusted the loose end (middle adjuster) U have to back off the
anchor end and recheck the loose end.
It MATTERS how U rotate the adjusters. Both get moved in a similar direction,
each away from each other.
IT is covered in Mopar shop manuals for various years and in MoToRs manual
often available at your public library.
You MUST turn those &*&@*&!@#*((&*!@!!! adjusters on the backside the proper
direction and not just wiggle them b ack and forth till it feels 'OK'. SOme
manyuals carefully show the direction U must turn the bolts (each in opposite
direction from each other), others do not, esp the later ones, most likely
since Chrysler has felt their people knew that over the past _____ years of
experience???
My 55/56 Plymouth manual shows this clearly on page 35 and 36.
Attempting to repair/adjust our >>>>LOOK vehicles requires a service manual if
you desire facts not heresay or "mebbee this ill werk" kind of info. Buy
yourself one for CHristmas- your wife or significant other will find you much
less crabby!
NOW
You want to measure heel and toe clearances? Not guess like the earlier
article said? Get your handy dandy bench grinder that U made from that old
washing machine motor and grind a slot in the brake drum where the braking
surface intersects the large flat face of drum. Do it Just big enough say
5/8 incches long x 1/8" high, so U can slip a feeler gage thru and MEASURE!
For your conscience U may wish to use a small rat tail file to ease the edges
of the slot eliminating stress concentration. Do this on every brake drum.
When U measure U will rotate the drum until U get to heel or toe. Obviously
this is not accurate with distorted drums!!!!! But you have checked this or
had them turned so thats not a problem.
My 51 Merc came from the factory with such slots. I did this on my 38 Ply
pickup also.
And dont forget heel and toe is different for front and rear shoes!!!! Rear
wheels the heel is at bottom for both shoes. Front brakes the heel is at
bottom of front shoe and TOP of rear shoe-
The rear brakes were first used in 1928 and minor changes up to 56 except for
changing ftrom stepped bore cylinders to straight bore. Note the front brakes
use an unusual type of piston and seal arrangement, with the seal located
midway in the cylinder rather than just a piston with a seal at the inside
end. I dont recall that mine were special in any way, would bet most of us do
not have the original style cylinder/seal.....
The rear brakes are self energizing and the wrapping motion of the drum/shoes
assists in braking, except for the shorter rear shoe which does little work
when braking under forward motion.
Bottom line for all this,
Its a pain in the butt to adjust these brakes when U start from ground zero.
U gotta have a manual and lots of patience. Yes U will readjust them several
times (even the manual says this bottom of p 35 in a box) but when its all
RIGHT they work super.
At this point I can (simply) adjust my brakes [ 'take em up' ] just with a big
open end wrench. I would guess unless we use our finned friend as a daily
driver we need to only do this major adjustment once in the life of our car?
(short of leakng cylinders from winter storage...) And when U use that slot
your wheels will NOT be on the car unless your wheel style allows U to sneak a
feeler guage thru one of the large slots that exist in our fabricated wheels.
Patience and Rotsa Ruck!
Lars
|
|
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network