rb1949

Clever idea. Always aggravating when the glass pops out of the base of any bulb during removal. I finally starting applying a thin coat of bulb grease too.

Clever idea. Always aggravating when the glass pops out of the base of any bulb during removal. I finally starting applying a thin coat of bulb grease too.

Project update again. Package arrived, linings all same length. Put the jalopy up in the air and get to work. Tackled right front first. Those clips are handy, you could probably change shoes in 10 minutes! But spent time getting everything squeaky clean. Didn't bother painting backing plates. While apart, good time to re-pack wheel bearings. Wash hands. New shoes popped right in place, drum slid right on. Quick adjustment. Jump over to driver side and repeat procedure. Oh oh, spotted leaky upper cylinder. Drats, stop production to get a kit, local. Back at it today. Took a bit to see how the new seal slips over the piston. Then it all went together quick. Did a re-bleed, then the quick adjustment. Drop it down, anxious for the driveway test. The ol' beast brought a smile, stopping true, straight and smooth. No ride til Sat. So the report seems good, after all the hassle the shoes seem to have been the culprit of problems. Let's hope this repair stays positive for a long time. Hope this fiasco helps anyone else with brake issues. Happy Hour Cheers. I was ready to give the old shoes away, but will check into that re-line option. Then I'll have a back up set, that fits front or rear. Sometimes we have to think.

Nice gesture to share. Is there a limit? What if you bag one the first day, go home? Non-hunting USA city boy, never had Moose. Nor Buffalo. Didn't care for Deer or wild Duck.

The jalopy does have long shoe/short shoe on the front. Closer examination, the short shoe is clearly STAMPED for location. "RF REAR" and "LF REAR". So it was important. No maker ID, and no clue when they were put on. Anyhow that helps confirm the short shoe questions for back when. Back tomorrow.

Even more than what the title says: Mopar cars and trucks from mid 1930s to late 1950s Don't forget pictures.

Hope luck continues.......I'm not seeing any of these. Will follow advice and send a pix if need be.

Don says: " I have gone over the car with a hand job of rubbing compound. I have gone over the car with a hand job using a clay bar. I have gone over the car with a hand job of BON AMI." Mr. Don, why didn't you do all this testing on one fender? I'm not too smart, but....... Of all the paint jobs, is it still original color, and you were able to get matching touch up paint? Some aren't happy without a perfection shine. Then mine is a reject, but a great beach cruiser. Keep enjoying it.

Thanks a bunch. Feeling a bit more confident. No package yet to see what i"m getting.

Anxious to get the parts and see lining length now. Equal would make it easy. Since there are 2 answers regarding short shoe location. Are the dual cylinders a factor that the short shoe can be on the rear? I would highly doubt that current shoes are original. Chrysler Pix

Not in the market (as of now), But with limited skills, I would lean toward one that didn't require extra machining.Yet people seem to use multiple parts to get them working. I couldn't figure all that out what to use. For brake parts, the kit for my car lists parts from 6 different vehicles. I'm also easy to confuse. Good luck and report progress.

I ordered from Andy B also. $67.50 for both front axles (or rear). This jalopy, same shoe fits all. They shipped same day. So I'll be watching that lining length is the same. edit: Which is why I asked. I swear the front currently has a short shoe on the backside. Will find out soon enough. If same shoe fits all wheels, and the lining is equal, that disrupts Niel's statement above. If there is long & short for each wheel, then short goes on the frontside? I see no good pictures to compare.

Statement indicated I was not going to send my shoes out for a reline. Didn't want the extra downtime. Hope new ones arrive tomorrow. No rain, good for my outside "shop" after work. There was no core charge. Is there anyplace that would want the old shoe? The linings are different length. Correct, that the "short shoe" goes on the backside?

Back again with an update. After good luck, problem has returned. Only drove it once, same day shoes were cleaned, and worked fine. A few driveway tests seemed OK. After sitting, ready to cruise the beach today, only to find right front tire squealing stops. But hope that has proved a point about bad shoes and contamination returning to the surface.. New shoes are on the list now. Any suggestions on suppliers? Speak up, it may be one I'm looking at. Or better. Going to pass on re-line. The only place to dismantle the jalopy is outside, so need to put parts on faster. A parts delay, but keep your eyes and ears open for progress.

Removing the clamp & grommet on my 49 revealed quite a big hole to pass things through(??) Sounds like you're also lucky to have gotten the bulb out of the block in one piece. Mine wouldn't budge. Does the new gauge go in the same spot?

Never paid attention to that either, or what it's supposed to mean. If you click on it, another silly page opens with nothing to see?

I see a link to the chat room at the top section.

I use a wire from the battery to the starter to crank (no switch). If I have to jump start my own car, just turn ign switch to run. Don's free minutes don't include long distance.

These voting arrows seem quite useless serving no purpose. This site is for information, not rankings. I'd like to vote DOWN the person who thought it was a clever idea. Hope they get removed soon.

Long before this episode I downloaded the 'instructions' for brake change and the 2 special tools recommended. Discussions vary on the procedure, with tool, with home made tool, and without tool. All seem to have accomplished the goal. PS: the jalopy was still stopping straight today. edit: Extensive reading also found another possible tip regarding collapsed flex lines. If one is experiencing excessive stopping power on one side, check the flex hose on the OPPOSITE side. If bad, the pressure is all going to one side. Makes sense.

Thanks on the clip tip. Makes the possibility of a shoe change sound better. Might as well change my socks too. edit: And the tip on shoe reline. Only drawback is the downtime, not getting the parts today and installed in 1-2 days.

Mom was the trainer in a '52 Ford as we hopped down the road with that dang clutch.

Jumped in and took a ride to the local weekly cruise in. Just a drive by, didn't stay. The jalopy brakes performed well. Still happy for the moment. Agreed, this procedure which made an improvement is a watch and wait deal now. The shoes may be temporarily clean. Will be waiting and feeling for any changes which could indicate any contamination is still there, and the problem could return. Then it's time to replace shoes. Already checked, shoes are not available local. On line prices are pretty consistent from various sources. I'm a Mr. Frugal too, same as that word cheap. Those big, tight anchor bolts seem to be the biggest part to remove. Question: what is the purpose of that horse-shoe clip on the anchor bolt? I'll recheck a diagram. Too soon old and too late smart. Exhausting my bones to keep the 49 moving.

Ah, 92° today, great work on the jalopy weather. Even though you don't know what you're doing or why. Jacked 'er up and pulled wheel again. Trying to follow all your suggestions, that we understand what was going on.The right front would GRAB first, squealing the tie, but then also release. No cylinder leaks. Lucky to have assistant stop by. We did a re-bleed of all 4 front cylinders. Nothing but clear fluid emerged. Pedal was good and solid. Agreed that shoes did not look contaminated with something. Maybe looks are deceiving. So I made a judgement based on soth's comment above. If the system is working, focus on the shoes. Sprayed the shoes good with some ancient brake cleaner, then scuffed them up with rough sandpaper. Put drum back on and did an adjustment. Installed wheel and dropped it down. Highly anticipated tire squeals in the driveway test. My God, the ol' jalopy stopped ...... perfectly straight and smooth. Did that 4-5 times, normal slow stop or hitting the pedal hard. Forward & reverse. So, is it because I currently have a "clean" shoe? If the show is contaminated, the oils will soon rise back to the surface and the problem will come back. Need to go for a short ride and see what happens when they heat up a bit. Feel better that SOMETHING has helped this issue without major investments. Will report back on what may happen. Thanks for all the advice. Get this buggy back on the road, maybe somebody will make me an offer?

Agreed, it's a one wheel mystery with not many parts involved. Only work was replacing flex hoses 2 months ago. After applying brake pedal, wheel still spins freely. Which should also indicate cylinders are retracting properly(?) What else do you look for with cylinders without removing them. Mounting hardware all good. Why is all the pressure jamming that right shoe (shoes) out so quickly. Doesn't seem possible that one side would get more pressure than the other. The old trick is to start replacing parts. Ugh. If it comes to shoes, probably should not replace just one side? Exhausted with all this jacking up and down and pulling wheel. Those ol' tires are heavy!