Brakes: Two brake questions: rubber hose and backing plate mounting

[studefan]

I am redoing the brake system on my 63 Lark and have a couple questions pertaining to the rear of the car.

1) The first is in regards to the rubber hose that enters the front of the brass "T" on the differential as shown in the picture. The two metal lines/fittings bottom out on the flares inside the "T". The rubber hose screws all the way in and still doesn't bottom out. There was a copper washer at that joint on the old hose which I reinstalled as shown. Since the threaded end doesn't appear to bottom out on anything inside the "T", is the only seal at that location created by the copper washer?

2) I removed the rear brakes shoes, wheel cylinders, and backing plates from the differential and I am preparing to reinstall. I was thinking that the brake shoes should be centered around the axle shaft ultimately. But, the shoes are mounted to the backing plates which have some slight slop around the 4 bolts when mounted. Is there a way to "center" the backing plates relative to the axle or is there enough movement in the shoe set up to account for any misalignment?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[r1lark]

Jeff, as far as the brake hose, yes, the copper washer is the sealing mechanism. As far as the backing plates, there should only be a small amount of slop in the bolt holes unless the holes are exceedingly worn (or have been drilled oversize) or if the bolts are the wrong size. The small amount of 'normal' slop will not affect the shoes - there is enough movement capability for them to self center to the drum.

The one thing to make sure is centered is the outer seal - bolt it on loosely and then put the drum on to center it, carefully remove the drum, and tighten the bolts.

[studefan]

Thank you for the great response. That is very helpful.

[tertiumquid]

Jeff, as far as the brake hose, yes, the copper washer is the sealing mechanism. As far as the backing plates, there should only be a small amount of slop in the bolt holes unless the holes are exceedingly worn (or have been drilled oversize) or if the bolts are the wrong size. The small amount of 'normal' slop will not affect the shoes - there is enough movement capability for them to self center to the drum.

The one thing to make sure is centered is the outer seal - bolt it on loosely and then put the drum on to center it, carefully remove the drum, and tighten the bolts.

Just a note of warning about aftermarket copper crush washers used on the front wheel cylinders and the master cylinder- they are almost always from China and are too hard to crush effectively for a tight seal. Put them on a non-combustible hard surface and heat them up with a torch until they glow a dull red and then let them cool slowly on their own. This is called annealing and it softens the metal enough to crush slightly and act as a seal. Also, if you have a hard time getting a tight seal on the under the floor master's brake line junction block, Permatex makes a special hydraulic sealant that goes on just a few of the threads on the through bolt and brake light switch and mating surfaces of the brass tee fitting and will hold up to 1000lbs pressure. Available on Amazon and works great.