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Walter passed away on Jul 29, 2014. We will miss you, Walt!
Posts: 5358
  
Location: Heaven Above (Formerly Oklahoma City,OK) | Does anybody have any suggestions for setting the heel and toe (brake shoes) clearances on a '55 rearend with tapered axles when you don't have the two Chrysler tools? Can I slot the threaded end of the anchor bolts in order to turn them while the drums are on the axle? Then slip the drum off to tighten the anchor bolts? Is there some simple way to do this without "The Tool" or without making the tools? Any hel or suggestions will be appreciated.Walt
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Expert
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Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George) | On my 55 New Yorker it took me an hour to do one wheel, I used a chalk compound on the shoe to see where the drum rubbed it off when rotating the drum with a slight lining contact, I did not bring the nut up tight to hold the drum on the axle, so it was easy to get off. Lot of fit and miss here, I tried to locate the tool, NG! |
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Member
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| Both the anchor bolts and the cam bolts can be turned when the drum is in place. After you set up the brakes, they need adjusting every 6,000 miles or so. (Lougheed brakes were never self-adjusting.) The anchor bolts adjust the "heel" of the shoe while the cam bolts adjust the "toe".
To adjust the brakes at the 6,000 mile point, turn one of the cam bolts until the brake lining is held against the brake drum, locking the wheel. Then back off just enough to turn the wheel. Adjust the second cam bolt for that wheel in the same manner. Proceed to the second, third and fourth wheels. To tighten the cam bolts, turn the right one, as you are facing the backing plate and not the drum, clockwise. The left cam bolt is turned counterclockwise to tighten.
When you are replacing the linings, the arrows on the anchor bolts must be facing each other and the anchor bolts backed off. On the front wheels, with the dual wheel cylinders, the anchor bolt arrows should be pointing towards the wheel cylinder.
Many years ago a mechanic I knew would do the major adjustment with the drums on the car by turning the anchor bolt on one side until the shoe until tight and backed off enought to turn the wheel. Then turned the cam bolt in the same manner and backed off. Repeat the procedure for the anchor bolt and then cam bolt until no more adjustment is needed. Repeat for each shoe and wheel.
The anchor bolts, when viewed from the backing plate side, are turned clockwise for the left (upper on front wheel)and counterclockwise for the right (bottom for the front wheel). When you are viewing the anchor bolts from the drum side, they turn in the opposite directions and the front anchor bolts are top right and bottom left.
To remove the drums, unadjust the anchor and cam bolts. That will back the shoes away from the drum which will make the drums much easier to remove.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
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Walter passed away on Jul 29, 2014. We will miss you, Walt!
Posts: 5358
Location: Heaven Above (Formerly Oklahoma City,OK) | Thanks for the advice guys. It's been over 20 years since I did a brake job on my '38 Dodge, and it too had the Lockheed brakes. On the '55, I still have the drums off the car and have been trying to figure out how to do it with a vernier caliper,measuring the diameter of the drum and then trying to locate a center on the axle to set the heels with the book's .006 clearance, and have started makaing some tooling to try o do it like the "book", but, Bill your system sounds a whole lot simpler. What if I leave the anchor bolts slack, just loose enough to turn by hand, cut a slot on the end of the bolt, and slip the drum on with out torqueing it and with out the "key" so it will rotate and then use a screw driver from the differential side to rotate theanchor bolts til the drum a'locks", back it off til free to turn, take the drum off and lock that anchor bolt, repeating for the other anchor bolt. Then install the drum and adjust the cams? D'ya think that would do the trick? Walt. |
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Expert
Posts: 3402
Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George) | Make sure the drum does not " wobble" on the axle or your adjustments will change when the drum is properly installed. |
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Adjusting reaar brake shoes when rebuilt.
