The intricacies of brake adjustment

[TWChamp]

OK, looking in my 1963 Motor's manual on page 160 it shows a picture facing the backing plate you turn the tops of the adjusters outward.
So there is no confusion, this is the cam adjusters, which I thought was the question, and not cars with the star wheel adjuster at the bottom.

[(S)]

On big, heavy trucks they adjust very similar EXCEPT that they have a 'slot' you can slip a feeler gauge between the shoe and the drum. I fully plan to make my Hawk with disc brakes this way. Adjusting them should be easy.

[Hawklover]

I remember the incident very well, it was found that the brake pedal in his Avanti went to the floor, so IMHO the problem was with his master cylinder.

As I remember, Herb Shriner, the comedian, was adjusting brakes on his Avanti and later that day was involved in a fatal car crash with the car. So very important to do it right.

My new Lark the front brakes are locked; would not move off the car carrier or tow truck flatbed. I know I have to adjust but when I asked the question about up or down way to go my answer was yes. The person I asked said they couldn't remember. Any help? Pedal is firm, 1 inch movement.

Right now not getting fuel to the carb. I am going electric but first make sure gas is flowing from the tank before I go inline on the frame with a pump.


Bob Miles
Tucson AZ

[studegary]

I remember the incident very well, it was found that the brake pedal in his Avanti went to the floor, so IMHO the problem was with his master cylinder.

Or his Avanti could have lost fluid anywhere else in the system. It is a single, not dual system. Besides the master cylinder, the fluid could have come out of solid or flexible lines as well as the wheel cylinders/calipers.

[bezhawk]

You can turn the eccentrics either direction. It will hit the shoe at a certain point in it's arc. On Mr. Shriners car, I thought it was determined that he put the crossover tubes on wrong, and the wheel wore a hole through the steel line. Careful attention to detail is paramount when working on any safety item.

[JoeHall]

In conjunction with installing flanged axles, I recently disassembled and rebuilt my 11" rear brakes, with new shoes, wheel cylinders, and drums. In reassembly, more than once I found myself thinking, "what kinda mickey mouse setup is this?" They are easy to adjust if you just reassembled them, and the tires and wheels are off. With older, warped drums, the high spots make it nearly impossible to adjust them as closely as they should be. With the new drums, all went well, but they are still a mickey mouse setup. LOL

[BILT4ME]

Don't you tighten the adjusters until they are tight against the drum, then back them off 8 clicks?

That's what the manual states for my 59 Lark. Worked perfectly for us on all four wheels.

[bezhawk]

Don't you tighten the adjusters until they are tight against the drum, then back them off 8 clicks?

That's what the manual states for my 59 Lark. Worked perfectly for us on all four wheels.

There are no star wheels, or clicks on the rear brakes of cars with original disc brakes. They use an eccentric pin on a bolt for each shoe. The adjusters are the circular objects just above the blue hold down clips in this photo.

[JoeHall]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]69304[/ATTACH]There are no star wheels, or clicks on the rear brakes of cars with original disc brakes. They use an eccentric pin on a bolt for each shoe. The adjusters are the circular objects just above the blue hold down clips in this photo.

That is an excellent illustration. I just drove the car with those rear brakes to the paint shop today, about 10 miles. The brakes work well, but I just prefer the 10", self energizing ones because I can feel them come on better when the pedal is pushed.

On another note, two of our three Hawks now have the EBC, "Green Stuff" pads installed up front, and I simply cannot say enough good things about them !

[BILT4ME]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]69304[/ATTACH]There are no star wheels, or clicks on the rear brakes of cars with original disc brakes. They use an eccentric pin on a bolt for each shoe. The adjusters are the circular objects just above the blue hold down clips in this photo.

Thanks bezhawk!

I learned something today! I have never seen that brake setup (I guess because I've never had a Stude with factory discs on the front.)

Would it be worthwhile (other than originality issues) to change them to the self-adjusters and the star wheel backing plates? I don't know if the drums and shoes are the same sizes........

[tim333]

My 63 Hawk was relatively easy to adjust.

[FleetMaster68]

BILT4ME the disc brake rear shoes are designed just for the type of adjuster used, applications on specific vehicles, wheel cylinder etc. Backing plate out, axle shafts drums and everything would need to be changed to go to the star wheel adjuster design. This ecentric design was used for decades by Kaiser Frazer and Willys Jeeps. properly set up very good and reliable. But with age corrosion mis adjustment they go to pot bit faster than other designs and few people properly adjust, can be a pain in the keester. Be glad not stepped wheel cylinders as well. My two cents and some experience.

[TWChamp]

I've never had a problem with the eccentric adjusters on my Studebakers.
I've always considered them quick and easy.
I've had to free up several star wheels on other cars though.

[bezhawk]

Thanks bezhawk!

I learned something today! I have never seen that brake setup (I guess because I've never had a Stude with factory discs on the front.)

Would it be worthwhile (other than originality issues) to change them to the self-adjusters and the star wheel backing plates? I don't know if the drums and shoes are the same sizes........

No, you wouldn't want to do that. Note that the bottom of the shoes are anchored. One does not push on the other. A brake setup with the starwheel usually has the adjuster that is free floating between the two shoes. That makes them servo action self energizing. That is the first shoe pushes the second shoe tighter into the drum. With the much higher pressures required for disc brakes, that would lock the rears before the fronts, and you would end up backwards in a ditch (if you're lucky). Studebaker used this design for a reason, and even decreased the cylinder bore size to 3/4" so there would be less chance of that happening.