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Veteran
Posts: 269
 
Location: Chesterfield, Virginia | Here's the mechanics,59 Firesweep with power brakes,new MC,bench bled,new lines,steel & rubber,all new wheel cylinders,brakes adjusted & bled twice following the factory manual.There is a lot of pedal travel,engaging about an inch of the floor& the pushrod is adjusted almost all the way out.I can't get top pedal .All parts are new,not rebuilt.Booster works.Thanks for any help.  |
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Expert
Posts: 4043
Location: Connecticut | Here's what you should do: With all four wheels off the ground, lock the brake shoes against the drums, following the shop manual's recommendation for tightening the cams on the back of the support plate. Now, check pedal travel. It should be non-existent, especially since you're set the pushrod to be all the way out. Readjust the pushrod to where it should be. You should still have no pedal travel. If you do, there's a leak in your system or your wheel cylinders are not installed correctly. Assuming that the pedal has no movement, back off the cams until you can barely spin the wheels. You should hear a slight drag of the drums against the shoes. After doing each wheel, try the pedal. You should now have some movement, but not more than 1/8" before the brakes start engaging. Ron
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Veteran
Posts: 269
Location: Chesterfield, Virginia | Thanks, I'll try it this week. |
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Expert
Posts: 2679
| 59ride - 2011-10-01 11:24 PM
Thanks, I'll try it this week. (O)
Also adjust the pushrod so that it is all the way back in the master cylinder as the pedal is at
the highest point on the stop. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8947
 
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | is it a single oem or double mc. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------later |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7808
Location: Williams California | Ron,
I have had this same problem with customer's cars in the past, and found on some of them, the drums had been turned way beyond specs. Did you replace the drums, or have them checked with a drum Mic?
---John |
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Expert
Posts: 4043
Location: Connecticut | Good point, John. I assumed that if the drums were beyond spec, then you couldn't lock the shoes against the drums. Ron
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 395
Location: Netherlands | If the drums have been turned, get the shoes re-lined with oversize linings which are then turned down to closely match the drum diameter.
The better the contours of drum and linings match, the better your brakes will be, as you will have full lining surface/drum surface contact.
I rebuild all Harley front drum brakes like that, ALL of them are OEM Harley crap....Mine will do stoppies or leave skidmarks no problem!
I've found that the contours of aftermarket shoes often don't match the drum contour very well...
If they ARE turned also check for unroundness of the drum, i turn them while bolted down just like on the vehicle, as they can slightly change their roundness when they are bolted down. Unround would leave you with a juddering brake pedal.
Drum wall thickness is also an important safety issue.... |
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Expert
Posts: 2679
| Windsor Wendy - 2011-10-06 5:46 PM
If the drums have been turned, get the shoes re-lined with oversize linings which are then turned down to closely match the drum diameter.
The better the contours of drum and linings match, the better your brakes will be, as you will have full lining surface/drum surface contact.
I rebuild all Harley front drum brakes like that, ALL of them are OEM Harley crap....Mine will do stoppies or leave skidmarks no problem!
I've found that the contours of aftermarket shoes often don't match the drum contour very well...
If they ARE turned also check for unroundness of the drum, i turn them while bolted down just like on the vehicle, as they can slightly change their roundness when they are bolted down. Unround would leave you with a juddering brake pedal.
Drum wall thickness is also an important safety issue....
With all that, you can do the rear disc change from AAJ. I think im going to do the swap. Tired of the drums not working right most of the time. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 395
Location: Netherlands | I agree and that's exactly what I did for our '61.
Wish we had gone with the Wilwood set up though or any of the other 4 pot stuff out there, the AAJ stuff had to be reworked quite a bit before it was usable...
I know most people here seem to think Roger's stuff is fantastic, my experience is very different....his piece of paper claimes even a novice can do the conversion, my opinion is that if it was to be bolted on the way it arrives (not that you can as the bolt pattern is slightly wrong) it would be an outright catastrofical danger...
The wheel studs supplied are all wrong, they just fall in and out of the hub and the shafts are too thin to center the rotor properly, Al brackets come sprayed with a rattle can type paint that wipes of with some thinners or brake fluid.
Included in the "fix" were buying proper hub studs and some hours on the lathe....For those interested I have detailed pics of the work needed to get his stuff right and safe to use....
The front kit was just as bad, 2 different brand of calipers, 1 was cracked at the mounting ear and was clearly misproduced as the bolt hole is extremely oval instead of round....To be fair on Roger, I could not be arsed complaining and decided to sort it out myself... |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13054
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | For to do the disc brake conversion with all it's why's and but's you need to be real mechanic knowing exactly what to do when......
The drum brakes can be renovated easily, following the instructions in the shop manual. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 444
Location: Sweden Vansbro | I will never replace my drum brakes, they are as effective as needed.
And, a car with drum brakes, in the future, will be very unusual. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 395
Location: Netherlands | Sound advice from Wizard as usual, please take note for the hobby mechanics having a go....
For the rear end those big 12 1/2 inch drums are def. sufficient, for the front it's a different story I think, I'm all for improving where possible.
Personally not too keen on unusual or "they will do" for the sacrifice of performance, reliability and ease of maintenance and getting quality replacement parts, especially when it comes to my brakes....
I did save all of our oem brake systems btw but probably more for sentimental reasons, hahaha!
Love your car Royal, she's been in our pics library for ages....
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Brake advice needed.
