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Brake Drums

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chrisjb
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Harlington, UK

Brake Drums

Post by chrisjb »

LA10. Having successfully sorted out a stiff Dif I decided to generally clean the brakes. I now cannot get the drums back on. They are "too small". The handbrake cam is vertical and the shoes are tight against it. The snail cam adjusters are away from the shoes. I can get the drums half on but then they are just too tight. I haven't swapped anything over. I was brought up in the aircraft industry so know how to keep things separate. Any advice would be much appreciated. Sounds crazy to me!
Chrisb

Simon Hyslop

Re: Brake Drums

Post by Simon Hyslop »

Girling or Lockheed brakes ? I'm assuming Lockheed hydraulic. If so my guess is the pistons in the cylinder have crept out and are stuck . They are aluminium and corrode against the steel cylinder. Should the pistons be free then possibly the fluid is not returning to the master cylinder due to a collapsing hose, a master cylinder seal problem or a fluid reservoir issue.

I have been thinking some more about this. The small chrome plated rods which fit between the shoes and the pistons are right home in the shoes ?

chrisjb
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Harlington, UK

Re: Brake Drums

Post by chrisjb »

Lockheed hydraulic. In my general clean round I checked those. The shoes cannot close any further because they are hard up on the handbrake cam which is fully off. ie vertical. It's almost as though the linings have expanded but they are totally dry and free from oil etc.
I do agree about the hydraulics sticking. I spent ages fixing those. They must have regular use.
Chrisjb

A.N.Other
Wide Man
Wide Man
Posts: 551
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 12:45 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: Brake Drums

Post by A.N.Other »

Are the shoes concentric? I don’t know yours specifically but as you put the drums on try hitting the drum up, down and side to side in order to position the shoes central to the drum.
Colin,
I may be slow but I’m rough as well !

Sydsmith
Extremely Wise Man
Extremely Wise Man
Posts: 1369
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:15 pm
Location: Aberystwyth Wales

Re: Brake Drums

Post by Sydsmith »

Hi Chris, this is not uncommon with Lockheed brakes and Simon has outlined the most common problems.

I have found that as you try to fit the drum, the brake shoe tips ever so slightly toward the back plate preventing the drum from slipping on. The old solution was to grind a chamfer on the outer edge of both shoes but I guess as you are reusing the existing shoes they will have been done already, if not it's worth a try.

Scored drums that need skimming or fine dust on the shoes can also cause the problem.

Very often if you can jiggle the drums on some how, even with a bit of persuasion, they will be very tight but if you operate the brakes a few times to centre them they will settle down and adjust up OK.

Good luck with the problem. Syd

chrisjb
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Harlington, UK

Re: Brake Drums

Post by chrisjb »

Thanks Dyd. Too obvious. We are only looking for a few thou'. I pushed the drum on half way till tight and pumped the handbrake hard. Pushed on a little further, pumped again and plop. It was on. A little tight but that doesn't worry me at the moment.
Chrisjb

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