Posted by Howard [144.183.16.2] on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 09:07:56 :
I wrote a post a few weeks ago discussing braking issues on my 68 Utiline pickup, D100, LA318/727.
When I started, the front left would brake hard, lock, pull left, release and pull right. So I first thought of front brakes and put on new front shoes and found the right front drum slightly oversized, but with a frayed self adjustor cable and the shoes making poor contact. So I order some hardware and self adjustor kits from Rock Auto, and put all new hardware and self adjustor stuff, plus ordered a new drum and studs. I haven't put the new drum on yet...but the hardware and self adjustor went on and the brakes got adjusted, centered, adjusted, centered, adjusted...
Then I am still getting brake complaints so I order BACK shoes and the truck comes home last week while I was out of town. I was playing with rockets and missiles in Huntsvillem, AL also known as Rocket City!
The truck had been lent out to a SIL with a ankle in a cast since it was the ONLY automatic available. So she has been driving it as a daily driver for the past three months. The cast came off her ankle on Thursday, and when I got home, the truck was back and the Wrangler Sahara was gone.
As I pull off the left rear drum it is FULL of old grease, and shoes saturated, while the right was merely dirty. I had changed axle seals and bearings around 2005 when I first got the truck, cleaned off the shoes and figured the grease on the backing plates was pretty much fixed.
Then I moved from the flat land of deep East Texas to NE Tennessee hills. I started hauling loads up and down mountains with it, rear brakes got hot, as they do, melted the grease, which recontaminated the shoes. So, the shoes were smooth, black and glazed, and NOT providing much friction!!!
One wire brush, quality time with the parts washer, two cans of brake cleaner, box of paper towels, one set of shoes, adjustors and hardware it stops...On my test ride, all four brakes where HOT to the touch and working well.
Hopefully, this job is done for a while. I did reorder shoes, hardware and self adjustors so I will have a complete set for the 62 Town Wagon which is NEXT on the to do list.
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