FINAL FIX!! Drums won't fit over shoes - FIXED !!

[BobGlasscock]

I saw something about this a while back, but couldn't find it on search. My brakes 'stuck' on a couple of days ago and were overheated. After cooling, I was able to drive home.
Took the left front wheel and drum off to find the eccentric c-clips missing and the washers and spring clips laying in the bottom of the drum as I removed it. Read and memorized every word in the manual on brake repair, got new c-clips and re-assembled the brake parts. Now the drum won't fit over the shoes, by about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch. I re-adjusted the eccentrics to have the smallest diameter meeting the self-adjuster and the 'bump' on the rear shoe. No go. Got a strap clamp and wrapped it around the shoes and tightened it to collapse the wheel cylinder, which didn't accomplish very much at all. All of that got me from 1/4 too big down to the 1/8 or so too big. I have stared, thought, and read and cannot figure out why the drum won't go on.

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[bradnree]

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/sdc_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17609&SearchTerms=brake+shoe

This ??

BRAD

[BobGlasscock]

Thanks Brad, but no. These linings have been on the car for over a year, although I hadn't driven it until a month ago. Up till this incident, the car rolled freely. This only happened after I removed the drums and took apart then re-assembled the shoes and misc. parts.

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[BobGlasscock]

hmm, I put brake+shoe and drum+shoe into the search criteria, and used all three word options and came up with nothing in 5 of the searches and my post in one. Weird. I'm sooo weird. Friends tell me I'm paranoid that nothing works for me......

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[buddymander]

You sure your wheel cylinder isn't under pressure from a collapsed hose? Open your bleeder valve and see if the shoes return.

[BobGlasscock]

Congratulations buddymander!! You win an all expense paid meal at the restaurant of your choice in Lubbock, Texas! I don't know about a collapsed hose, but opening the bleeder valve and squeezing on the shoes did the trick. I wonder why the manual doesn't cover that?

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[JDP]

The manual does not cover it because it should not be a issue unless you have a bad hose or a stuck wheel cylinder. If you have either, they may lock up again. Normally, you can bottom out the wheel cylinders without opening the screw.

JDP/Maryland

[BobGlasscock]

If a hose (and I assume you mean hose and not line) collapses, will it always show on the outside of the hose? And if either of these problems occur, wouldn't one brake not work causing the car to pull?

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[DEEPNHOCK]

Also make sure your brake pedal to master cylinder linkage is adjusted properly.
If it is adjusted so the pedal is 'all the way up', then you might not be allowing the master cylinder piston to return all the way back to the start position.
This can cause the line pressure to not be fully released (thus holding the shoes partway out)
Hope the info helps.
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by BobGlasscock

Congratulations buddymander!! You win an all expense paid meal at the restaurant of your choice in Lubbock, Texas! I don't know about a collapsed hose, but opening the bleeder valve and squeezing on the shoes did the trick. I wonder why the manual doesn't cover that?

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[JDP]

I think Jeff might have nailed it. Too little free travel will cause the brakes to lock up as the brakes heat up with no where for the pressure to bleed off.

JDP/Maryland

[52hawk]

Maybe the manual doesn't cover it because our cars weren't 40-50 years old when the manual was printed? The first time I found a blocked brake hose was on my sons '91 Z-28. His manual didn't cover it either!! What I learned here on this forum,and the 'Stude cooperator,helped me fix that Chebby!![8D]

Oglesby,Il.
"Studebaker? It must be hard to find parts for those!"

[buddymander]

Isn't Lubbock home of the 16 oz. steak? I'm gettin hungry already! Hey you might be able to run a wire thru that hose and then blast it out backwards with air. But, they don't show on the outside. I guess the brake fluid eventually attacks the inside rubber, or whatever it is.

[BobGlasscock]

Buddymander, I think you are probably thinking about the Big Texan restaurant up in Amarillo where they offer a HUGE steak dinner for free if you eat it all in a given amount of time. There are lots of places with 16 oz. steaks here, but theirs is a few pounds, can't remember how many. But you have to eat the salad, the veggies, and the baked potatoe to win. I've seen it done once, but most people fail.

After getting the drum on last night after bleeding the cylinder a little, the drum still dragged lightly. I have the eccentrics adjusted to minimum, so am thinking the new lining may be too thick. But this thread has given me some really great things to look at and consider.

Thanks all!

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[wpsrea]

Bob,
A collapsed will not always show from the outside. How old are the hoses and how much use does the car get? They can collapse just sitting.

[Roscomacaw]

As was mentioned - too little free travel can cause this. Why? Because the master cylinder's plunger has to be able to return fully to release all the pressure.
The collapsed hose syndrome CAN and DOES happen and does so without ANY external evidence that anything's wrong. The innermost layer of the brake hose starts to come apart or develops what's in essence an aneurism and prevents fluid from returning to the MC after the brakes are actuated.[xx(]

Miscreant Studebaker nut in California's central valley.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President two door