Posted by Marty on Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 11:56AM :
In Reply to: Re: Brake Cylinder Leaks posted by Matt Wilson on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 7:39PM :
Matt,
Any brake specialist. Anyone that sells only brake parts & re-lines brakes will be able to arc shoes. They'll need all your shoes & all 4 drums. When you get them back, be sure to keep each pair of shoes with the drum they've been arced for. If you don't arc shoes when you're working on a vehicle that's likely had the drums turned several times, by the time the shoes were seated, there would likely be no lining left in the center of the shoe, consequently your brakes will never work to their potential. When you go to a brake shop that does linings, when your drums have been turned many times, they'll install oversize lining(like yours sounds like) then arc them to fit the drum.....understand? It's not expensive.
I'm convinced this is why so many people are unhappy with their Flat Fender brakes. If they're set up right, a flat fender stops as good as any other vehicle from that era.
I can assure you, the brakes on my trucks work better than the other components(tires, steering, etc). Disc brakes will not make your truck work better unless you're planning lots of other horrible changes as well.