Worden18

May 8th, 2018: Made some good progress tonight. Finished cleaning up the passenger side backing plate and was able to put all the new parts on and set the shoes for a little clearance. The drum slid on nicely. I had to put the wheels back on and set the car back down on the floor off the blocks. Its the only way I think I'll be getting that large axle nut tight. After those are tight on both sides and the wheel lug nuts are tight as well, I'll bleed the brakes and then jack up the car and do a fine adjustment for the shoes. Hopefully it will go smoothly. Getting excited to get it back on the road. I really want to drive it to work a couple days a week. It was one year ago today that I took the car home from my friend's shop after the engine rebuild. More good times coming...

My 51 is doing that very thing...into #1. Its the thermostat housing/gasket. Will fix it after my brakes are completed. ?

I bought a new tank for my 51 Meadowbrook and it was an exact match. Let me check my notes and see if I wrote down who I purchased it from...

Looking good! I gotta get my brakes done. Parts are still soaking. Maybe later today....

Okay, thanks man. I will pull the drum off (its just sitting on there right now) and clean everything off. I love this forum. There's so many people willing to take the time and help. I appreciate it.

So fellas, I have some questions. 1. What I need to know is how tight to screw on that castle nut?? Should it just be good and snug...and then put the cotter pin back in? Should it be torqued to a certain ft. lbs? I don't think my manual says anything about it. Just wanna make sure I get it right so there's no problems or breakdowns. 2. When spinning the drum (after its on of course), there's going to be some natural resistance just because of the rear axle, correct? Let's say I have the clearance perfect (I hope I do) between the drum and the shoes; the rear wheel shouldn't spin freely (and effortlessly) like the front wheels, correct? Yeah I know, these are probably some silly questions, but I don't do this stuff every day. Right now, after putting on the drum, there is some resistance. I can't really tell if the shoes are dragging, or if the wheel is supposed to have some resistance because of the axle.

You have some skill...and some strength to stretch that spring with a screwdriver. I've tried that before on other cars and could never ever do it! That old tool I have works great for me.

April 30, 2018: I don't have the correct tool to set the shoes, so I did it a different way. I used a scale to make a mark 2" in on the shaft and used that as a reference when measuring from the shaft to each corner of the shoes. I had to make a mark (with a permanent ink pen) since the shaft is tapered and one would certainly get different readings if you measured with a caliper from just anywhere on the shaft. When measuring up to the corners I put one end of the caliper on the very back of the key seat as a reference. I also measured from corner to corner (and center to center across the shoes) with the 12" caliper and adjusted the shoes as needed as I went. It was kind of a bear, but the only way I could think of doing it without actually having that brake tool that slides on to the shaft and swings from side to side. I also put a light coat of anti-seize on the shaft and key seat, which I can't imagine NOT doing.

April 30, 2018: Got the correct rear shoes in the mail today from Bernbaum. I have a vintage spring removal/installation tool that I like to use, but I don't like to put an ugly dent in the new shoes with the point when stretching the spring across to both shoes. So I used this little aluminum block that has a couple of holes in it. The hole is big enough for the tip of the tool to get in there, but small enough to where it doesn't touch the shoe when squeezing the tool and putting pressure on it to stretch the spring. Worked pretty slick. Rant: Since I made the mistake of updating my Iphone to the latest version, I can no longer download pics from my phone to my computer....stupid Apple! I'm gonna dump Apple and buy an Android or something else soon. So I have to download the pics directly from my phone to this site, then go onto my computer and type everything related to the post. Its too hard to type it in using my phone. I can't use both thumbs on the thing like today's kids can. Ah...technology. Can't wait to get the Meadowbrook back on the road again. No computers in my baby!

I need to fabricate a heat shield for the carb. I have some aluminum my boss gave me that I'm hoping will work. I need to replace the negative battery cable. Oil change, tranny and rear axle fluids, possibly a tune up. Maybe a new aluminum radiator as well.

Thanks for the encouragement Keith. Just frustrated that I have to wait a bit longer. I have more work than just the rear brakes I need to finish up. I think there was so many 4 door cars built that it’s easier to find an unmolested one vs. a coupe or similar model. Many of those have been rodded out, and you don’t “un-rod” them. I’d also like to find an affordable visor.

Monday April 23: I’m at a standstill with the brakes. I was reassembling the driver’s side and was ready to put the shoes on. Well, the ones Bernbaum sent me are much too small. They must be for a different year?...or 10” drums? Not sure, but I’m sending them back tomorrow. Kinda sucks, I was Looking forward to finishing the driver’s side tonight.

Thanks for sharing. I should try organizing an event like that around here.

Thanks for the responses fellas. After reading other's advice, I plan on leaving the backing plate right where it is, and simply clean it up good. Should be just fine. Keith, I'll try to get some pics posted up again soon. I probably won't work on the car in this nasty cold; I don't have a heated garage and am waiting for some warmer weather again, which seems to be hard to get in these parts LOL.

Hey guys, I've never done brakes on my own (yeah I know, imagine that) except for on my Meadowbrook. Its the only way to learn I guess. So, as you can imagine, I'm not the greatest at this stuff. My shop manual shows an awesome exploded view of the rear brakes, but nowhere in the whole "brakes" section does it tell me anything about the removal of the backing plate. I'd like to take it off just so I can clean it up really good. So, everything has been removed from the backing plate, including the 5 nuts/washers that look to me like they are holding it on to the axle(?). The bolts are still sticking through. If I want to remove the plate then, should I tap those bolts back with my brass hammer and then.....the plate should come right off? Or would it be held up still because of the axle seal? I don't want to mess with the axle seal(s) right now as they don't appear to be leaking at all. I just want to get the backing plate off and clean it, then reassemble (the driver's side) the brakes. I hope I explained this right. I know this is elementary to most of you fellas, but that's why I'm here; you guys know and I don't. Please help me out.

Wow, weird and interesting story Keith! Kinda adds a new mystical/magical aura to your car. Thanks for sharing

Thanks!

I measured both drums today with a 12 inch caliper. All around the surfaces of both drums they measured within a couple of thousands of an inch to the 11 inch diameter. There is NO ridge at the bottom of either drum, telling me that the shoes did NOT wear out the drums in the least bit. There's no wear or ridges or anything at all. The drums are very true as well. I won't have to turn or even skim them; the car has no shimmy at all when braking. Since cars like this hardly ever have their brakes jammed on hard consistently (you don't go fast, you don't stop fast....at least that's how I drive) I can totally understand how these drums have zero wear on them. If the drums had measured .005 - .060 oversize, making them 11.060 max diameter, then for sure there would've been some wear I would have detected:, a visible ridge at the bottom of the drum where the shoes don't touch; no doubt a guy could've felt even .005 with a fingernail. So, I have to get busy and clean up the drums and start making some progress. This weekend looks promising.

Who had it on record? And who do I contact so I can get one for my car?

Sweet! Congrats on a cool purchase!

Working on rear brakes now; but I'm ahead of last year's schedule as far as a start time. In 2017 I got the car going on May 8th after the engine rebuild. Another week or two and I should have everything back together and I'll be driving it to work and beyond. Hope to beat last year's mileage tally of 6,500 from May 8 - Dec 8.

Been too busy the last couple of days to get at it; but, I'm going to take the drums to work tomorrow so I can get the right caliper to take a measurement. That's step one anyway They are 11 in. drums btw...

When I pulled them off earlier today I just gave them a quick once-over. They did look in good shape. If they need to be turned, I can skim them at work. I'll take them into work on Monday and measure them accurately at different points all the way around. Thanks for responding. I'll let you know how they "turn" out.

I haven't measured them yet. I only have a 6 inch caliper, but a friend of mine has a 12 inch, or I can use my boss' caliper at work. Not sure if there would be another more accurate way to measure other than with a caliper. I can't imagine getting close at all with a tape.