'50 Dodge B-2 Series Stepside Truck Repairs

[Andrew50]

 

20 hours ago, JBNeal said:

FWIW I have seen bonded shoes delaminate and linings tear up hardware inside the drum...contaminated shoes of indeterminate age may be excellent candidates for replacement as new shoes would be cheap insurance against complete brake failure if that rear axle crossover line ruptures

 

20 hours ago, austinsailor said:

I've seen these come apart as JBNeal describes. I agree, not worth the potential problems.

 

Your concerns are noted.  I am ordering new shoes front and rear.

 

13 hours ago, Ralph Pearce said:

 

Yeah, but how's your spaghetti tasting these days?   "Don't worry honey, I wiped it out real good with lacquer thinner!"

 

That puts the brakes on using that pot.  ?

[Reg Evans]

Never use any Pot while working on your brakes !

[Andrew50]

With some parts in the misc bin I made this to dial in the new shoes.   The bearing is from a previous timing belt replacement. Sometimes being a pack rat does pay off. 

[Dodgeb4ya]

So does the arc radius of the shoe lining match the the drum?

Nice dial indicator setup. Good thinking!

[Andrew50]

The shoes in the picture were once soaked in brake fluid and replacements are ordered.  I hope the new shoes closely match the drum radius.

 

I am thinking this setup will work pretty well.  I made it adjustable to utilize on the back's 11" brakes.

[Andrew50]

The backing plates and drums have been de-greased, paint remover applied, sand blasted and painted.  They are now reassembled with the new shoes, wheel cylinders and front springs.  The new brake lines, hard and flex, are installed.  I need to get the rear springs installed.  What is the secret to accomplishing this?  The front I gripped the spring arm with a vise grip and used a pry bar supported by a lower eccentric shoe bolt.  The rear springs seem to be more difficult to install.

 

The front center backing plates were replaced and new felt seals added.  Because I didn't have the correct rivets I tapped the plate holes to 10-32 and used screws to secure them.  You can see the screw heads below.

 

After installing  the rear springs and the line connecting the two rear cylinders I will turn my attention to setting the shoes to the drum.  Then I will need to bleed out the system.

Edited July 6, 2018 by Andrew50

[Andrew50]

Adding another photo

 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Andrew50

[David A.]

It’s hard to tell in the pictures, but it looks like you painted the shoe contact surface on the inside of the drum. Won’t that gum up your brake shoes? I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking. 

[Andrew50]

In that picture it is hard to see but I did mask off the shoe contact surfaces.  They are all smooth surfaced and I've been considering how I might rough them up a little bit. 

 

I see you are in Greer.  Howdy neighbor!

 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Andrew50

[lonejacklarry]

1 hour ago, Andrew50 said:

 ....... and I've been considering how I might rough them up a little bit. 

 

Leave the drums as they are.  Smooth is good.

[Andrew50]

Shouldn't the drum surface have some roughness to help bed the shoes?  I know it helps to have the flywheel a little rough to bed in a new disc.

 

I've gotten my hands on a pair of drum spring pliers.  Even with them these springs have a lot of tension and they are difficult to get installed.

[lonejacklarry]

3 hours ago, Andrew50 said:

   Even with them these springs have a lot of tension and they are difficult to get installed.

 

This is an excellent example of when to use safety glasses.

[ggdad1951]

LOL, have my buddy stop over...he put mine on with a channel locks and his bare hands..strongest person I know.

[FlashBuddy]

I spent more time looking for the spring that shot across the garage than I did actually getting them on.

 

[Reg Evans]

3 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

LOL, have my buddy stop over...he put mine on with a channel locks and his bare hands..strongest person I know.

 

What.....That's how I do it too.

 

[Andrew50]

That $12 spent at Harbor Freight for the brake spring tool was money well spent.  I cannot imagine being strong enough to string them across with channel locks.

 

Got all the shoes set with the drums and then bled the brakes.  Everything went well except for the brake indicator switch attached to the front of the master cylinder that leaks around the electrical connect pins.  ?  Thankfully Steve at DCM Classics is sending a replacement free of charge.

Next I will again align the shoes with the drums then tighten and secure the castle nuts with cotter pins.  How much drag should the shoes have against the drums?

Edited July 9, 2018 by Andrew50

[Andrew50]

Aren't they beautiful?

 

Edited July 9, 2018 by Andrew50

[David A.]

Kind of makes you hate to have to cover them up!

[Andrew50]

13 minutes ago, David A. said:

Kind of makes you hate to have to cover them up!

 

That is a true statement.  

[Dodgeb4ya]

Is the push rod all the way in the groove on the forward shoe??

A very small dab of   Sil Glyde is good on the pins and felts.

Nice job!

[lonejacklarry]

13 hours ago, Andrew50 said:

   How much drag should the shoes have against the drums? 

 

First you need to adjust them up tight to center everything.  Then back off the adjuster just enough to barely hear it drag as you rotate the tire.  This is also a good way to check for out of round situations as you listen to the drag.

[ggdad1951]

17 hours ago, Andrew50 said:

That $12 spent at Harbor Freight for the brake spring tool was money well spent.  I cannot imagine being strong enough to string them across with channel locks.

 

trust me...blew me away as well.  I was prying them on with a hardened rod.

[Andrew50]

What are the torque specs for the castle nut securing the rear drum to the tapered axle?

 

Purchased the spare tire hanger.  How does this install?  

https://dcmclassics.com/body-parts/475-b-606-spare-tire-carrier-15-16-20-wheels.html 

Edited July 12, 2018 by Andrew50

[Andrew50]

Well I got it all sorted out and today took the truck for a drive.  The brakes feel good and it stops straight.  I am satisfied with them.

 

The engine valves are chattering and demand my attention.  I will again view the video posted earlier and will tackle them.

 

This truck  has front turn signals but no rear turn signals.  There is a breakdown in the wiring somewhere.   No brake lights either and no obvious wires to connect to the master cylinder brake switch.  The wiring overall looks  pretty bad.  Now looking at the possibility of replacing the entire wiring harness.  Any of you done this?

 

I am considering purchasing from DCM https://dcmclassics.com/electrical/163-le-104-complete-wiring-harness.html?search_query=wiring+harness&results=4 

Edited July 15, 2018 by Andrew50

[Andrew50]

On ‎5‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 1:38 PM, FlashBuddy said:

Front drivers side is left hand thread, just like the lug nuts?

 

My new DCM Classics fuel gage is not working. Somebody here had a link to another fuel sender that might be a better choice. Here is the link, and its cheap!
http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=276/mode=prod/prd276.htm

 

I went for a drive down a dirt raod, now my fuel gage is working. WoOT!

 

So I used the DCM fuel sender unit and wired a 12v to 6v diode inline to the gauge.  I mock wired the sender unit before install and watched the gauge hand sweep from empty to full when I moved the float arm.  Now I have it all assembled and with ten gallons of gasoline it reads barely 1/4 full.  I suspect the new DCM fuel tank is 20 gallons or less so it should be reading at least 1/2 full.  I did a visual check of the float arm length before install and was satisfied it would reach the bottom of the tank when empty, but maybe the arm length needs checked, which means dropping the tank.  Thoughts?

 

Or maybe like FlashBuddy I need to drive it down a dirt road.  ?

Edited July 15, 2018 by Andrew50