Rear brake shoes

[pflaming]

On my ‘53 Plymouth I studied how these brakes work, top and bottom adjustments. Nice. BUT you cannot adjust those shoes with the drums OFF. Thus the need for a tool to set them a tad smaller than the drum that they will serve. It took me two hours to do the firs, learning curve shoe/drum. It took 30 minutes to do the second.

[keithb7]

I too have had to learn from trial and error. What I find that has netted good results is: Back off any adjustments needed to slide the drum off easily. So all adjustments are sloppy. Slide the drum back on.It should spin freely at this time.  Use the upper cam adjustment in one spot. Adjust it out until the shoe contacts the drum. You'll know it as the drum won't turn any more. Then back that cam off just a hair so you can slide the drum back off. Then I install the concentric tool that I made. I adjust it exactly over top of the part of the shoe that was just contacting the drum. The tool just kissing the shoe friction material surface right at the spot where the upper cam pushed the shoe out to touch the drum. Then I rotate the little concentric tool all around the entire shoe surfaces. 360 degrees. I adjust the shoes then as I go around. Adjusting the other upper cam, also the two concentric mounting bolts too. All the way around, the shoes are set to just kiss the tip of the concentric tool. Then they are set at the proper distance to the drum, and concentric. Slide the drum back on. Set a teeny bit of drag with the upper cam adjustments and voila. Good to go. Rinse and repeat as needed.

[pflaming]

Keith, very close to what I did. I softly forced the against the shoes, to get marks. Then I used those marks as my first guide. My tool set just below the mark, then readjusted til the shoes were consistent.  I put a film of grease on the axle, then slightly cleaned it off to relieve that friction so I could feel the shoes. Worked nicely.  

[plymouthcranbrook]

I have an older Ammco tool that uses a caliper to allows you to set it to the inside diameter of the drum and then using the outside measurement of the tool to set the shoes very close to correct position.  I have used it on 60’s and some 50’s cars with success.  https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ammco-vintage-safe-set-brake-drum-52265935

Edited August 22, 2020 by plymouthcranbrook

[1949 Wraith]

I have seen where people have filed a groove in the back of the eccentric anchor bolts. This allows major adjustments with the hubs on. The bolts can be adjusted from behind the backing plate with a flat blade screwdriver.

[squirebill]

As 1949 Wraith said:  I seem to remember this also but no screwdriver slot.  No lockwasher was used under the nut.  The castlelated nut was installed tight but not to the full torque.  The cotter pin inserted.  One leg of the cotter pin was bent up and over the end of the bolt and cut off flush with the side of the nut.  The other leg of the cotter pin was left straight and cut off flush with the side of the nut.  This arrangement then allowed for a socket or wrench to be used to turn the adjusting/anchor bolt from the back side of the backing plate.  Regards

[Worden18]

I used a 12" caliper to measure across the shaft to the opposite side shoe...top and bottom, to center it. Then across from shoe to shoe top and bottom .005 less than the ID of the drum.  Worked well.