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Brake Shoes....Primary/Secondary

52K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  xntrik 
#1 ·
Which is Which??? Small lining, is it the Primary or Secondary Shoe? Where does it go....Front side or Back side??? I'm rebuilding the brakes on my '55 Ford Customline with a 1976 Granada Rearend. All input appreciated. Thanks...Ron
 
#4 ·
Drum brakes with a floating adjuster are self-energizing. When the car is going forward and you apply the brakes, the wheel cylinder pushes both shoes out to contact the drum. When the front shoe contacts the drum, it tends to rotate with the drum. The rotational force is transferred through the adjuster link to the rear shoe. So now the rear shoe is being forced against the drum by the wheel cylinder and the front shoe. Because the rear shoe is doing more "work", it needs to be longer because it is doing a larger percent of the stopping. It also evens out the wear, as the rear shoe would wear out quicker if it were the same size since it is doing more braking than the front shoe.
 
#6 ·
Additional thought.

I do a lot of Fords with rear drums. It seems the best braking performance and wear comes from the best WAGNER brand shoes you can get.

For front discs I always use Wagner Thermoquiet if they are available.

Wagner is about the only brand that has been consistently good for me on any brand car. :thumbup:

I see nothing but trouble with Napa, O'Reillys, Auto Zone, etc. Just because they are "lifetime guarantee" doesn't mean they will stop worth a doggone.

If you can find someone who still has an old "shoe arcing" machine, use it. Match the shoes to the exact drum diameter. The EPA eliminated them years ago.
 
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